Parramatta and District Historical Society presents:
The Last Outlaws by Katherine Biber
In the winter of 1900, Wiradjuri man Jimmy Governor and his brother Joe murdered nine people across New South Wales, in a rampage that caused panic in the colony on the cusp of nationhood. Triggered, it seems, by a racist incident, they killed men, women and children, evading a vast manhunt until they were eventually captured. Joe was shot in the open; Jimmy survived to be put on trial. Thus, the last man to be outlawed in the colony was hanged in the new nation, meeting his end in Darlinghurst Gaol as the Federation decorations were taken down. The brothers’ names still resonate, partly due to Thomas Keneally’s novel The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and Fred Schepisi’s subsequent film.
Katherine Biber’s compelling reconstruction of events – from the murders themselves to Jimmy’s eventual execution – brings this extraordinary story back to life. In doing so, it sheds fresh, vivid light on the country that inspired and reacted to the murders.
About the speaker
Katherine Biber is a historian, criminologist, legal scholar, and Professor of Law at the University of Technology Sydney. Her podcast trilogy, The Last Outlaws, won numerous awards, including the NSW Premier’s History Award and Podcast of the Year at the Australian Podcast Awards. Her book, also titled The Last Outlaws, was published in July 2025.
Event Details
When: Monday, 17 November at 7.30 pm.
Where: Burnside Gardens Community Centre, 3 Blackwood Place, Oatlands NSW.
Admission: The presentation is free and will be followed by supper. Visitors are very welcome.
Enquiries: Email Jeff Allen at jallen6@bigpond.net.au
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