Wi3W Ep 10 – Yarraka and Greg interview author, Nayef Din, about his new book, “The Last Gundir”
About Nayef Din.
Nayef Din is a British civil engineer who was born in Kuwait but left when a nearby dictator invaded with his tanks. He grew up in north London graduating from Imperial College before starting his career designing buildings, bridges and tunnels. In 2008, he left London for Brisbane.
His true passion is history and he strongly believes, if you live somewhere, you should know the story of that place. In 2019, he took a career break to write and self-publish The Last Gundir which invites readers on a journey into the past to learn about the fascinating highly evolved Aboriginal society that existed in the south-east Queensland region as well as European exploration around Australia.
About the historical fiction book – The Last Gundir
When a six-year-old boy of the Turrbal (Brisbane) tribe suffers a mysterious illness at the bunya nut festival, his uncle initially thinks it is poison. But the true horror is revealed when they realise that a gundir (Aboriginal sorcerer) has pointed the bone at him. Bunji’s unexpected survival astounds the region’s tribes. Years later, during his kippa (manhood) trials, a second shadow appears to follow him. Then eerie dreams and whispers from the south come to him. Nothing makes sense until one day, Bunji receives an ominous invitation to the nearby island of Yarun.
Three ghosts have apparently returned from the dead…
In 1768, James Cook, newly promoted to Lieutenant, replaces the highly esteemed Alexander Dalrymple as Commander of HMB Endeavour. Following secret Admiralty orders, Cook searches for the mythical Unknown Southern Land. Encountering Australia, he charts its eastern coastline but misses Moreton Bay (including Turrbal country and its river). Faithfully following Lord Morton’s advice, Cook does not take possession of the land when he leaves. But on the streets of Batavia, he learns of a dreadful turn of events and is forced to change the course of Australia’s fate forever.
This meticulously researched historic fiction reveals a fascinating Aboriginal culture, the British Empire’s exploration regarding Australia, the voyage of HMS Bark Endeavour including a startling turn of events in Australia’s history that few know about and Aboriginal maps of Brisbane and the SE Queensland region prior to colonisation.
The Interview
Yarraka Bayles and Greg Dodge interview the self published author Nayef Din about his new book and learn and discuss from an Australian Pakistani, raised in Kuwait, about Australia’s early history through his deep research and stories. Greg had read the book prior to the interview and for Yarraka, it was her first time to hear the story and the insights. Here is a classic “Walk in 3 Worlds” moment where three people from diverse backgrounds unpack a First Nations Peoples story (historical fiction) interacting with and around the movement of Non-Indigenous people into the region of South East Queensland from 1768 – 1823 (well researched and documented).
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:04 — 29.4MB)
