Episode 2 - Captain Moonlite LAWLESS – THE REAL BUSHRANGERS IS AN ORIGINAL LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY SERIES COMBINING SCIENCE AND HISTORY IN A WAY WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN AUSTRALIA. At the core of this series is a bold vision to investigate Australian colonial crimes and mysteries using modern day science and technology. Hosted by respected journalist Mike Munro (himself a descendant of bushrangers) we fol- low investigations into the past and deliver the fndings in the present to living descendants of both bushrangers and those who fought against them. In each fascinating episode, we focus on a single bush- ranging legend; NED KELLY (Victoria), BEN HALL (NSW), CAPTAIN MOONLITE (NSW) and the last of the wild colo- nial boys - PATRICK & JAMES KENNIFF (Qld). All are larger than life characters involved in iconic events heavily shroud- ed in mystery, folklore and fantasy. The bushrangers are heroes to some, villains to others and for their descendants who carry their legacy today; they are a cause of either pain and shame, or pride and glory. There are always two sides to every story. But how do we separate fact from fction? Enter Mike Munro and the specialist LAWLESS in- vestigation team; Dr Kiera Lindsey (Historian), Adam Ford (Archaeologist) and Prof Roger Byard (Forensic Pathologist). Together they use their respective skills to apply an objective and rigorous analysis of these pivotal events. They revisit existing and new historical evidence st and use 21 century high-tech science to get beyond the CONTENT HYPERLINKS myths. Using archaeology to literally break new ground and the latest forensic methods to test the historical evidence, the team illuminate a fact-based version of our history. In each case the key question they seek to answer is – what really happened? The team’s fndings are fnally revealed to living descendants at each episode’s end. Mike and the team frst tackle the most controversial of Australian legends, the story of Ned Kelly and the killings of Stringybark Creek (1878). This was the event that made Kelly a wanted outlaw, created the ‘Kelly gang’ and ultimate- ly led to his hanging. The episode on Captain Moonlite’s last stand (1879) looks forensically at one of the most violent gunfghts of the bushranging era and solves a 140-year-old mystery. The violent death of Ben Hall (1865) is put under the microscope as the team examines the circumstances surrounding the shooting of one of Australia’s most popular heroes. And in the fnal episode, Mike Munro faces his own © ATOM 2017 © ATOM lawless ancestry on the trail of his great uncles, Patrick and James Kenniff who were convicted of the most ghoulish and grisly crime in Queensland’s colonial history in 1902. 2 ‘LAWLESS - The Real Bushrangers’ blends science and history to deliver powerful documentaries that will have an impact and an enduring legacy. This series will change how Australians see their folk heroes, and themselves. Curriculum Links ‘LAWLESS - The Real Bushrangers’ can be linked directly to the follow- ing subject areas of the Australian National Curriculum: • Year 9 History, Year 9 and 10 Science * Relevant Content Descriptions for Year 9 History Overview of the making of the modern world • The nature and extent of the movement of peoples in the period (slaves, convicts and settlers) (ACOKFH015) • The emergence and nature of signifcant economic, social and political ideas in the period, including nationalism (ACOKFH019) Depth Study: Movement of peoples (1750 – 1901) • Changes in the way of life of a group(s) of people who moved to Australia in this period, such as free settlers on the frontier in Australia (ACDSEH084) * Relevant Content Descriptions for Year 9 & 10 Science: Science Enquiry Skills • Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scientifcally (ACSIS198) • Use knowledge of scientifc concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent with evidence (ACSIS204) • Evaluate conclusions, including identifying sources of uncertainty and possible alternative explanations, and describe specifc ways to improve the quality of the data (ACSIS205) Science as a Human Endeavour • Scientifc understanding, including models and theories, is contest- able and is refned over time through a process of review by the scientifc community (ACSHE157) • Advances in scientifc understanding often rely on developments in technology and technological advances are often linked to scientifc discoveries (ACSHE158) • People use scientifc knowledge to evaluate whether they ac- cept claims, explanations or predictions, and advances in sci- ence can affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities (ACSHE160) • Formulate questions or hypotheses that can be investigated scien- tifcally (ACSIS164) • Plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods, including feld work and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; © ATOM 2017 © ATOM assess risk and address ethical issues associated with these meth- ods (ACSIS165) • Critically analyse the validity of information in secondary sources and evaluate the approaches used to solve problems (ACSIS172) 3 Episode Two Captain Moonlite Andrew George Scott (A.K.A. Captain Moonlite) The LAWLESS team undertakes the frst full archaeological was a preacher, a conman and a gentleman – investigation of the site of Moonlite’s last stand to un- certainly not your average bushranger. After an earth remaining evidence of the gunfght still buried in the ground and piece together the puzzle of this event. Using 11-year life of crime Moonlite’s career ends in a forensic ballistics and pathology the team determine which violent gun battle that results in the death of two gun could have been the murder weapon. With new evi- of his gang and a NSW policeman. The event dence and insights the LAWLESS team complete a digital seals his fate, sending him on a one-way trip to reconstruction of the event to determine almost 140 years the gallows. But should Moonlite have swung for after the gunfght, just who was the likely killer. In one fnal this crime? Controversial primary evidence raises twist, a secret from Moonlite’s private life is exposed to reveal another dimension to this complex and enigmatic questions as to whether he actually fred the fatal character. Fascinating and with an incredible human story, shot, and if he didn’t do it, then who did? this investigation forever changes our view of the iconic Australian ‘bloodthirsty bushranger’. * Activity: Profle and Timeline of Captain Moonlite As a class, brainstorm your existing knowledge, ideas and questions about Captain Moonlite. Using information from this episode, as well as your own research, students are to produce a hard copy or digital biography of Captain Moonlite. Information to include: • Family background and early life © ATOM 2017 © ATOM • Initial run-ins with the law • Siege at Wantabadgery and subsequent trial • Legacy within Australian history and folklore 12 If creating a digital biography, students can use tools such as glogster (http://edu.glogster.com/) or padlet (https:// padlet.com/) In this episode, we see reenactments of the events at the Wantabadgery Siege. Using these scenes, as well as your own research, create a digital or hardcopy timeline of the events that took place over these days. Include relevant images. Suggested tools for creating a digital timeline This episode, “Captain Moonlite”, is an excellent intro- include: https://timeline.knightlab.com/ or http://timeglider. duction to how scientifc investigations can evolve upon com/ the discovery of new evidence. Some spectacular fnds in the feld allows the team to not only eliminate the pos- * Activity: The Scientifc Method – sibility that bushranger Moonlite murdered Constable Identifying and Answering Questions Webb-Bowen, but then conduct a secondary investiga- tion identifying the real killer. Teacher introduction: The following activity is intended to use LAWLESS to model the scientifc method as applied to this investigation. This activity is separated into three INQUIRY components – Inquiry, where students consider how the LAWLESS team of experts identify their research question; “Did Captain Moonlite fre the fatal shot that killed Evidence and Analysis, where students identify how evi- Constable Webb-Bowen? And if he didn’t, who did?” asks dence is interpreted and guides further investigation; and Mike Munro in the introduction to the second episode of Conclusion and Refection, where students are encour- LAWLESS, “Captain Moonlite.” Of course, that’s a two- aged to refect upon the reliability of the team’s conclusion part question, which somewhat tips its hand to the fasci- and how it is – or isn’t – supported by the evidence. nating twists and turns in this episode’s investigation. Researchers often begin investigations by establishing a ‘null hypothesis’ – a commonly held view that they’ll attempt to disprove. The ‘alternative hypothesis’ is, as its name suggests, the inverse of this null hypothesis. • Suggest a null hypothesis for the LAWLESS team in this episode. • What would the corresponding alternative hypothesis be for your null hypothesis? Scientifc inquiry will often divide one core question – or hypothesis – up into constituent questions with tighter fo- © ATOM 2017 © ATOM cus. That’s particularly true in a group investigation, where different members may choose to explore questions that play into their area of expertise. 13 CONCLUSION Science is a fexible discipline, adapting to new discover- ies. That’s especially evident in this episode. After