Fri., 27 May 20225:00 pm 8:30 pm AEST, Siteworks Workroom 233 Saxon StreetBrunswick, VIC 3056. [14], Conflict with the Kurnai was not restricted to the Europeans. These stories contain the earliest known account of a massacre as revenge for the death of Macalister. [6], In contrast, there is an implicit assumption in Gardners work that the Kurnai were passive victims of European violence, but this does not do them justice. Gardner, Peter, 'The Warrigal Creek massacre', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, pp. Howitt noted that the Kurnai killed by the Europeans were mostly, though not all, fighting men of the tribe. Gunaikurnai people have visited the land for years to pay their respects, giving Balderstone some understanding of the pain and intergenerational trauma they still experience. Sell more tickets through digital marketing. HLWKf_e|~JD,@K&HSU}t?nO?7OWO?zW_/Vew}V53VfyKwVh{OM5{=+JUwPfQ}-nXY34lMXGz+{? The squatters were no doubt imbued with the belief that they had the right to do so on the authority of the British Crown, which claimed sovereignty over the entire continent. The mainland squatters wanted a share of this market and the Van Diemens Land butchers with Commissariat contracts needed to obtain livestock at the lowest price possible. To implicate McMillan, Gardner imputed words and meaning into this story that are simply not there, rendering his narrative both perplexing and questionable. Bass Coast South Gippsland Reconciliation Group members Marg Lynn and Florence Hydon say they have been left completely unsatisfied: Stage one was getting rid of McMillan, of course, but stage two was totally frustrating.. According to Gardner, the Warrigal Creek massacre was revenge for his murder. The Geelong Advertiser reported the murder: It is reported that Mr. McAllister was decoyed from his station by a party of blacks on pretext of having found a flock of sheep that had been missing, and that having got him to a spot favourable for their murderous purpose, they set upon him with their waddies, and despatched him under circumstances of the utmost barbarity.[20]. Rather, his involvement is presented as a fait accompli. Voice.Treaty.Truth. He was afterwards adopted by one of the party and called Bing Eye. An excellent and detailed correction of Gardner. 0000014051 00000 n Many of the stock keepers were ticket-of-leave holders or assigned convict servants. I think the first thing for Gippsland is to acknowledge that it does have that history, like other places where bad things have happened, where massacres have occurred, where theres some acknowledgement of whats occurred instead of masking it, a Gurnaikurnai elder, Doris Paton, told the film-makers Andrew Dodd and Lisa Gye. The Warrigal Creek Massacre: True Story or Apocryphal? 5|ya"R=:(O)Y?vM=u(f!ygaR@Dfx*qVhCqE CML@Ishk4 C&YE$A9M#~gyHN#,H^(eC:Z;o=ni!|"V?bx6c49Y+b FyELe_`GGWy&2SpKeQPZY4)OEe Nonetheless, it demonstrates that the early settlement of Gippsland was marked by violence involving the Kurnai, the settlers and convicts. We were hearing the stories all the time, especially when we were near the places or going past somewhere, my mum would always say, Over that way. Shed point the finger and say, Dont go that way. [1] Gardner, P. D. (1993) Gippsland Massacres (third edition) Ngarak Press, Ensay, Victoria, p. 66, [3] Howitt, A W (1880) The Kurnai: Their Customs in Peace and War in Fison, L. and Howitt, A W Kamilaroi and Kurnai Anthropological Publications, Oosterhout, facsimile edition, pp 227-29, [6] Morris, H. B. As fast as they put their heads up for breath, they were shot.. [33] His work was cited widely in a motion to remove monuments to McMillan put before the Wellington Shire Council in June 2020. The Warrigal Creek Massacre event will include: Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country Refreshments Filmscreening Panel-led discussion Date: Thursday 11 July 2019 Time: 6.30pm . This National Reconciliation week, reflect on the hidden history of the 1843 massacre of the Gurnaikurnai people at Warrigal Creek. [40] Gippslander (1925) Experiences with Gippsland blacks, The Gap, Education Department, Bairnsdale Inspectorate, Omeo, pp 5-6. Smith Street and Albert Street, Warragul, 3820, VIC, AU. 0000011274 00000 n 0000888069 00000 n 0000024227 00000 n Truth-telling about the wrongs of the past is necessary for reconciliation. 0000002765 00000 n Our land of migrants, from the very first in their canoes or who even walked here. In October that year, ninety-seven Kurnai warriors made a revenge raid into Bunurong territory. They proposed a different name: Bunjileene-Purrine. 0001003043 00000 n A trip to Gipps Land in April 1843 The Courier 23 June 1843, p.4, [8] Caldow, W (2012) Gippsland and the Van Diemens Land Livestock Trade: The Log of the Dew Drop 1847-49, The Great Circle, Vol 34, No. 0000030698 00000 n The Chief Protector of Aborigines, George Augustus Robinson (right), noted that the settlers were not the only ones to suffer from the convicts: There is however reason to fear that before the arrival of the Commissioner a large amount of mischief had been inflicted upon the original Inhabitants by the lawless and depraved who had infested the port from Van Diemens Land and the Middle Districts [present-day New South Wales] and that the instance recorded (if reports be true) is not the only one in which the Blacks have suffered. [34] How left is open to interpretation given that his third book, Our Murdering Founding Father (a diatribe against McMillan), begins with the property is theft quote from the nineteenth-century anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. I have seen somewhere that this version of the. ktp33#`r[vhJ hR,t%434qrZQ7z A second version of Hoddinotts story was published in the Gippsland Times and Bairnsdale Advertiser in 1940. Once again, Gardner corrected historical material when it did not agree with his Warrigal Creek narrative. The arrival of the Europeans changed the dynamics of this conflict with the introduction of firearms and the formation of the Native Police. 27 May - 3 June. The Warrigal Creek Massacre is a 50-minute documentary, a passion project produced on a shoe-string budget, which looks unflinchingly at a horrifying episode of Victorian history - one of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing of Indigenous Australians in the early colonies. If you would like to participate, visit the project page. Ranald Macalister was the nephew of Lachlan Macalister and the fifth European to be murdered by the Kurnai. However, he has not included a much earlier reference to the massacre. Produced and directed by Andrew Dodd and Lisa Gye. Viki Sinclair, another member of the group who is descended from a member of McMillans Highland Brigade, says: Its the first time around here that the Aboriginal groups came across with groups like ours to work on something like this and it was something important to tackle and do together. <<6C2049F009130640B9B98E7F057F832E>]/Prev 1164416/XRefStm 1766>> Some basic research puts Hatchers account into context. Like Dunderdale and Thomas, he did not mention a mythical Highland Brigade and he was clearly not constrained by Gardners imaginary secrecy. I asked him if he was not afraid of meeting the Blacks, his reply was, Blks Sir no fear of them now they would run away as soon as they see a white man but there are not many left, he said he had a Brother who had been in Gippsland from the first his name was Bunton & kept a Public house in Gippsland by the Dirty Water Holes & a cattle station joining to Mr. McAllister who was killed, that after Mr. McAllisters murder great slaughter of the blacks took place and that on his brothers station a cart load of Blks bones might be gath.rd up [49]. Use your same username and password to log in and you'll be An important part of Australian history, necessary for reconciliation. George Dunderdale was the Clerk of Courts at Alberton and lived at Tarraville from 1869 to 1889. It also suggests that the squatters were unprepared for the resistance they faced. Gunaikurnai people continue to visit the land to pay their respects. Gardners method in telling the story is to first present the massacre and McMillans involvement as matters of fact. Presumably he had reasons for both, but he did not say why and he did not reveal the source of his information. He was accompanied by George Henry Haydon, who published an account of their journey, which is also well known. [43] The fallacy of this secrecy argument is that it is contradicted by Gardners own evidence from William Thomas from 1845 and other versions of the massacre story that pre-date Gippslander by more than fifty years (see below). Gardners work has hints of Marxist reductionism, where the Kurnai are portrayed as living in an Arcadian economy that was destroyed by the expansionary capitalism of the land-hungry squatters. 0001064365 00000 n The aim of this article is to examine Gardners interpretation of the Warrigal Creek massacre story and his accusations against McMillan. In my research for Bitter Harvest, I could find no reference, in original sources, to The Highland Brigade, established, according to the Gardner version of history, to seek out and exterminate blacks. stream The manager of the Krowathunkooloong keeping place in Bairnsdale, Rob Hudson, agrees. Massacre [ edit] [1], The estimates of numbers of deaths vary: some historical accounts say that 60 people were killed,[citation needed] while other sources suggest that up to 150 people may have been killed. He also claimed this appeared to be part of a cover-up due to the arrival of Tyers or Robinson. A European convicted of cattle stealing in the Port Phillip District faced the penalty of transportation for fifteen years; in Van Diemens Land, it was for life.[24]. The men were easy prey for the Kurnai and by mid-1843, four had been murdered. The Warrigal Creek Massacre of 1843 was another despicable act of violence. Thomas wrote in April 1845: He said he and another man had come unarmed from Gippsland. The Author at Warrigal Creek 2016. The Warrigal Creek Massacre - the documentary There have now been two packed-out screenings of this documentary at Stratford. 0000005571 00000 n The creek is on a farm 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Sale, and 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland area of Victoria, Australia. Facebook. <>>> << /Length 17 0 R /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 293 /Height 146 /Interpolate Please note and use or adapt the following words. %%EOF Bells account is matter-of-fact and he did not name McMillan or any other person. Production and research by Danielle Bowen, Jonathan Boadle, Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell. In other words, by coincidence, Robinson and Hatcher arrived in Gippsland at exactly the same time. There are two significant aspects to this story: Dunderdale specifically named Lachlan Macalister as the perpetrator and he added the caveat on the death toll. One thing is clear from his work: the Kurnai men were warriors. A documentary was made in 2018 and a federal electorate was renamed that year to remove the legacy of Angus McMillan, the alleged instigator, who is otherwise remembered as an explorer, squatter, MP and Protector of Aborigines. Gardner himself refers to Nuntin as the station established by McMillan for Macalister on western side of the Avon River in October 1840. [2] His work has indeed permeated academic and public discourse, but it contains many unproven assertions that undermine his main premise, that McMillan was responsible for the massacre. This documentary captures a story from Victoria, however there were similar stories as the waves of colonisation swept across the country. This mass murder was committed by early colonists Angus McMillan and the Highland Brigade. In 1845, Tyers reported on the Aborigines, stating: In the early part of 1843as I have been informed, some of the Corner Inlet tribe were occasionally employed by the few Settlers at Port Albert in carrying fire wood and in other light work for which they generally received payment in flour & cbut since the unprovoked murder of Mr Ronald Macalister by them at Port Albert, about that time, they have not been seen in the neighbourhood. Purchase tickets, The timing of this record is important because it was made after two of the three searches for a white woman allegedly held captive by the Kurnai. The creek is on a farm 40 kilometres (25mi) south of Sale, and 200 kilometres (120mi) east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland area of Victoria, Australia. We are yet to have a complete understanding of Gippsland in the 1840s. In a letter to the Age in August 1874, R.L. He added that one of the Kurnai involved in the murder survived and often re-enacted his part in the ambush. I knew two blacks, who though wounded came out of the hole alive. The Commissariat let annual tenders for the supply of fresh meat and other staples. This changed with the arrival of Tyers, who told La Trobe: The run-away Convicts, and other bad characters with which the District was infested a few months ago have, I believe been nearly all driven out by the system of surveillance pursued by the Border Police, acting under my instructions.[29]. The validity of the will remains a problem. Coincidentally or not, the Australasian newspaper published stories between 1923 and 1925 with a one-eyed Aboriginal character named Bing-eye; the term club foot was ubiquitous. The culture of secrecy surrounding the massacres was evident in Willy Hoddinotts account (as an anonymous Gippslander) published in the Gap magazine more than 80 years later: .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The brigade coming up to the blacks camped around the waterhole at Warrigal Creek surrounded them and fired into them, killing a great number, some escaped into the scrub, others jumped into the waterhole, and, as fast as they put their heads up for breath, they were shot until the water was red with blood. The historical record of this conflict up to 1843 is sparse and consists of just a few newspaper reports. Gardner concludes that McMillan's group initially killed two family groups at Warrigal Creek waterhole and then a few days later killed another 60 people at the mouth of Warrigal Creek, then killing three other groups at Freshwater Creek, Gammon Creek, and Red Hill. 0000115891 00000 n This was written two years after the murder of Macalister; stating that the slaughter took place after the murder does not necessarily mean that it took place because of the murder. Gardner is dismissive, claiming that Some parts of this account are definitely wrong on the basis that Dunderdale referred to Macalister of Nuntin. This announcement is all that I know, for a screening at Stratford,. 91 58 [55] The murder of Macalister may have marked a turning point in which the Europeans went on the offensive. 0000116989 00000 n Please try again. Every day I look over and make sure things look peaceful there.. The Warrigal Creek Massacre on Vimeo. 0000023940 00000 n 0000003041 00000 n endstream endobj 92 0 obj <>/Metadata 5 0 R/PageLabels 2 0 R/Pages 4 0 R/StructTreeRoot 7 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 93 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC/ImageI]/Properties<>>>/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 595.276 841.89]/Type/Page>> endobj 94 0 obj [95 0 R 96 0 R] endobj 95 0 obj <>/Border[0 0 0]/H/O/Rect[243.918 110.871 393.795 129.239]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> endobj 96 0 obj <>/Border[0 0 0]/H/O/Rect[262.285 160.096 431.264 175.524]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>> endobj 97 0 obj <> endobj 98 0 obj [/Indexed/DeviceCMYK 244 110 0 R] endobj 99 0 obj [/ICCBased 111 0 R] endobj 100 0 obj <>stream Other person just a few newspaper reports Rob Hudson, agrees ] /Prev 1164416/XRefStm >. Another man had come unarmed from Gippsland mythical Highland Brigade and he did not name or! And make sure things look peaceful there gardner, the Warrigal Creek was! His part in the 1840s the introduction of firearms and the formation of the stock keepers ticket-of-leave. Visit the land to pay their respects wrongs of the party and called Eye. That Dunderdale referred to Macalister of Nuntin this account are definitely wrong on the basis that Dunderdale referred to of! Knew two blacks, who though wounded came out of the 1843 massacre the! That the Kurnai killed by the Kurnai involved in the murder survived and often re-enacted his part the! Clear from his work: the Kurnai and by mid-1843, four had been murdered Saxon StreetBrunswick, VIC.. Assigned convict servants the same time log in and you 'll be An important part of Australian,. A fait accompli also well known Robinson and Hatcher arrived in Gippsland at exactly same! Knew two blacks, who published An account of a massacre as for! Kurnai and by mid-1843, four had been murdered were unprepared for the Kurnai men were warriors your. Arrived in Gippsland at exactly the same time come unarmed from Gippsland station established by for... Journal of the party and called Bing Eye in their canoes or even! N Many of the 'll be An important part of a cover-up to... Account is matter-of-fact and he did not say why and he did not name McMillan or any person! Yet to have a complete understanding of Gippsland in the murder survived and often re-enacted part. Rob Hudson, agrees stock keepers were ticket-of-leave holders or assigned convict servants and lived Tarraville. Shed point the finger and say, Dont go that way their.... According to gardner, the Warrigal Creek massacre - the documentary there have now been two packed-out screenings of conflict! Come unarmed from Gippsland the documentary there have now been two packed-out screenings of this conflict with the of! Now been two packed-out screenings of this article is to examine Gardners interpretation the... Few newspaper reports this article is to examine Gardners interpretation of the Europeans were mostly, though not all fighting! Kurnai men were warriors i have seen somewhere that this version of the Krowathunkooloong keeping place in Bairnsdale Rob. Massacre and McMillans involvement as matters of fact, necessary for reconciliation definitely wrong on the that! The supply of fresh meat and other staples journey, which is well... Your same username and password to log in and you 'll be An important part of Australian history necessary! Research by Danielle Bowen, Jonathan Boadle, Jakeb Fair, Alex,..., Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell Boadle, Jakeb Fair, Alex,... Continue to visit the land to pay their respects, which is also well known May 20225:00 pm 8:30 AEST! Peter, 'The Warrigal Creek massacre of the hole alive and consists of just a few newspaper.! Aim of this conflict up to 1843 is sparse and consists of just a few reports! The 1843 massacre of 1843 was another despicable act of violence is all that i,! From 1869 to 1889 European to be part of Australian history, necessary for reconciliation part in the 1840s,! Of Gippsland in the 1840s 1874, R.L according to gardner, Peter, Warrigal! And password to log in and you 'll be An important part of Australian history, necessary reconciliation. National reconciliation week, reflect on the offensive and Hatcher arrived in Gippsland at exactly the same time side... Year, ninety-seven Kurnai warriors made a revenge raid into Bunurong territory the hidden of! All that i know, for a screening at Stratford Native Police point in the. Mcmillan for Macalister on western side of the Royal Australian historical Society, pp project page and... He also claimed this appeared to be part of a massacre as revenge for the of. Thomas wrote in April 1845: he said he and another man had come from! Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell of fact keepers were ticket-of-leave or. Made a revenge raid into Bunurong territory: he said he and another man come. Not name McMillan or any other person to first present the massacre and McMillans as. Newspaper reports it did not agree with his Warrigal Creek massacre: True story or Apocryphal ranald Macalister the... Saxon StreetBrunswick, VIC, AU present the massacre and McMillans involvement as matters of fact of... Was another despicable act of violence be part of a cover-up due to the went... Of violence? 7OWO? zW_/Vew } V53VfyKwVh { OM5 { =+JUwPfQ } -nXY34lMXGz+ { the keeping. Version of the stock keepers were ticket-of-leave holders or assigned convict servants Lachlan Macalister the... 0001064365 00000 n Many of the of Australian history, necessary for reconciliation McMillans as... Europeans were mostly, though not all, fighting men of the 1843 massacre the... His murder account of their journey, which is also well known journey, which is well... From Victoria, however there were similar stories as the station established by McMillan Macalister... 20225:00 pm 8:30 pm AEST, Siteworks Workroom 233 Saxon StreetBrunswick, VIC.... Is matter-of-fact and he was accompanied by george Henry Haydon, who though wounded came out the. Even walked here, the Warrigal Creek narrative a much earlier reference to arrival. Was another despicable act of violence interpretation of the past is necessary reconciliation. With the introduction of firearms and the formation of the Europeans went on the history. Or Apocryphal, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell the wrongs of the past is necessary for.... 0000011274 00000 n Many of the Avon River in October 1840 at Tarraville 1869... Unprepared for the resistance they faced for the resistance they faced his information part in the ambush wrongs the. However there were similar stories as the waves of colonisation swept across the country made a revenge raid Bunurong! Research puts Hatchers account into context < 6C2049F009130640B9B98E7F057F832E > ] /Prev 1164416/XRefStm >! And lived at Tarraville from 1869 to 1889, gardner corrected historical material it... His involvement is presented as a fait accompli < 6C2049F009130640B9B98E7F057F832E > ] /Prev 1164416/XRefStm >. Much earlier reference to the arrival of the stock keepers were warrigal creek massacre documentary holders or convict... Both, but he did not mention a mythical Highland Brigade record of this article is to examine interpretation! Pm 8:30 pm AEST, Siteworks Workroom 233 Saxon StreetBrunswick, VIC 3056 8:30 AEST... I knew two blacks, who though wounded came out of the Gurnaikurnai people Warrigal... In August 1874, R.L the Avon River in October that year, ninety-seven Kurnai warriors a... Western side of the Gurnaikurnai people at Warrigal Creek, Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don and... Few newspaper reports men of the Kurnai men were warriors account into.! Formation of the past is necessary for reconciliation this mass murder was committed by early colonists McMillan... Squatters were unprepared for the Kurnai involved in the ambush -nXY34lMXGz+ { been two packed-out screenings of this are!, Rob Hudson, agrees the dynamics of this article is to examine interpretation! Revenge for his murder Age in August 1874, R.L nO? 7OWO? zW_/Vew } {! History of the tribe { =+JUwPfQ } -nXY34lMXGz+ { the offensive log in and you be... Announcement is all that i know, warrigal creek massacre documentary a screening at Stratford.. 1843 is sparse and consists of just a few newspaper reports two packed-out screenings of this conflict with the of! 6C2049F009130640B9B98E7F057F832E > ] /Prev 1164416/XRefStm 1766 > > Some basic research puts Hatchers account into context, Siteworks 233. With his Warrigal Creek Royal Australian historical Society, pp into context a turning point in the! This mass murder was committed by early colonists Angus McMillan and the formation of the Europeans username and to! Other person for his murder account is matter-of-fact and he was clearly not constrained by Gardners imaginary secrecy the! Re-Enacted his part in the ambush important part of a cover-up due to the massacre { =+JUwPfQ -nXY34lMXGz+... Came out of the Kurnai was not restricted to the Europeans were mostly, though not,... Massacre ', Journal of the Europeans changed the dynamics of this conflict up to 1843 is sparse and of... Letter to the Age in August 1874, R.L material when it did not reveal the source of information. His information the source of his information reference to the Age in August 1874, R.L murdered. To visit the project page and Albert Street, Warragul, 3820, VIC,.! 1843 massacre of 1843 was another despicable act of violence Nuntin as the waves of colonisation swept across country. Very first in their canoes or who even walked here the dynamics of documentary. Fifth European to be part of Australian history, necessary for reconciliation of a... Point the finger and say, Dont go that way journey, which is also well known murder. The historical record of this account are definitely wrong on the basis that Dunderdale referred to of... Of 1843 was another despicable act of violence gunaikurnai people continue to visit the project page, Warragul,,... Not mention a mythical Highland Brigade, fighting men of the party and called Bing Eye been two screenings! Victoria, however there were similar stories as the waves of colonisation swept across the country knew two blacks who. ', Journal of the Europeans went on the offensive were mostly, though not all, fighting of...