Don't miss the first Melbourne screening of an important new film, The Warrigal Creek Massacre, by former @Swinburne staff Andrew Dodd and Lisa Gye and assisted by current and former Swinburne. 6az Q";cM;|?)/ Bg~VK7QVK_6 +K}\\&h"DmWK+^>Pnu"8H8@sF1jO-@g?XjGs=2]v'x9y[6p X &.-Yl;;]+/[r=w(\QwG SDB?#86mXpqrOzX\R++QkEfz75Br,=t'F4_]Ug@dNq{":Q7 &DvB )vBqKwbm%aM!._aiaekE)hc_9lujzR10IrR--6HWXSA[Wd{DS#~}wDvenr,rFU-}aOe(d}b The story was written anonymously for a magazine for primary school children eighty-two years after the incident described, without attribution, and by someone who was not there. 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. It is cited in the Australian Dictionary of Biography entry for McMillan, which is in turn cited on the Victorian Parliament website. Purchase tickets, He also claimed this appeared to be part of a cover-up due to the arrival of Tyers or Robinson. 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. [11] The violent response from the Kurnai was the same as that meted out to their tribal enemies when defending their territory. The Warrigal Creek Massacre: True Story or Apocryphal? The Scottish colonist and pastoralist, Angus McMillan, led a group of around 20 colonists to attack and kill several groups of Aboriginal people across a number of days. The Balderstones house is just steps from a humble waterway where up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were mowed down, turning the water red with blood, A massacre map of the frontier wars interactive. The region had descended rapidly into crime and violence in the absence of any government authority. The validity of the will remains a problem. Within a period of two years, it appears that Gippsland became a haven for escapees. A Mr. Nelsons house was also attacked a few days before, and the blacks, after wounding a man in his employ, decamped with several articles of his property.[19]. Gardners cover-up conspiracy theory thus rests on an obvious misrepresentation of Hatchers account. In the revised edition of Gippsland Massacres, Gardner reinvented the account, claiming the bones were carried away from the [Warrigal] Creek by the cartload. stream [11] Sydney Morning Herald 6 September 1843, p.2, [13] Port Phillip Patriot 23 December 1841, p. 3, [15] Fels, Marie Hansen (2010) I Succeeded Once: The Aboriginal Protectorate on the Mornington Peninsula 1839-1840 , ANU E-Press, pp 249-271, [16] See also: George Henry Haydon (1846) Five Years Experience in Australia Felix pp151-152 (on-line edition), [17] Port Phillip Gazette 30 April 1845 p.2, [18] Gardner, P D (2005) The Myth of Tribal Warfare On-line essay, [20] Geelong Advertiser 5 August 1843, p.2, [21] Sydney Morning Herald 6 September 1843, p.2. One was a boy at the time about 12 or 14 years old. [9], With an overland route opened by McMillan and a rudimentary settlement and port established on the Albert River at Port Albert, squatters began occupying the plains; by the end of 1844, the entire Gippsland squatting district had been occupied. 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]. [51] The latters wife, Lavinia, published a well-known account of their journey. I welcome you all to (insert place name). Like Dunderdale and Thomas, he did not mention a mythical Highland Brigade and he was clearly not constrained by Gardners imaginary secrecy. Facebook. Macalisters letter to the Sydney Morning Herald in 1843 and a search of Trove and the PROV websites reveal that this statement is incorrect. [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. He added that one of the Kurnai involved in the murder survived and often re-enacted his part in the ambush. This is an opportunity to look back, acknowledge events and move forward together as Australians, united though the country on which we all live and a better understanding of our nations history. First though, it is necessary to establish the circumstances that led to the European settlement of Gippsland and the resulting conflict with the indigenous Kurnai people, which is the root of the massacre story. Launch date: Wednesday 4 AprilStratford Courthouse TheatreFree entry but bookings essentialRegister via Eventbrite http://bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen Angus McMillian and the Highland Brigade rode through Gippsland in 1843, they aimed to murder as many Gunai Kurnai children, women and men as they could.At a quiet bend on a beautiful creek they committed one of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing in the Australian colonies.Drawing on official archives and oral histories that have never died, this is the story of The Warrigal Creek Massacre.Because to move forward we must acknowledge our past.Produced and directed by Andrew Dodd and Lisa Gye.Production and research by Danielle Bowen, Jonathan Boadle, Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell.Supported by Swinburne University. Lachlan Macalisters demand of Gipps to provide protection for the settlers gives the impression that the settlers were on the defensive against both the Kurnai and the convicts. Our land of migrants, from the very first in their canoes or who even walked here. "qd]^vc'OontVsl 0000024227 00000 n In July 1843, up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were killed near the banks of what is now known as Warrigal Creek. The region had descended rapidly into crime and violence in the absence of any government authority. Film Screening The Warrigal Creek Massacre This country has a hidden history that is not widely acknowledged. [25], Tyers noted that the Kurnai were geographically isolated from all of the neighbouring Aboriginal tribes, none of whom could understand their language, and From this circumstance, the Chief Protector [Robinson] on his visit to Gipps Land last year, was unsuccessful in his attempts to communicate with them. The isolation from the other tribes meant that their fierce and predatory habits have received no check.[26]. This raises the inevitable question of whether the massacre story, based on Gardners interpretation, should be seen as historical fact or an apocryphal tale. 0000117321 00000 n Some basic research puts Hatchers account into context. Following the screening, VMIAC will facilitate a discussion about the film and its importance in understanding the effects of colonisation and inter-generational trauma and resilience for First Nations peoples. Gardner is dismissive, claiming that Some parts of this account are definitely wrong on the basis that Dunderdale referred to Macalister of Nuntin. From 1839, Angus McMillan tried on numerous occasions to reach Corner Inlet from the Monaro District and finally succeeded in February 1841 when he reached the tidal bank of the Albert River. Some of the tale also bears a resemblance to accounts of the Hospital Creek massacre in New South Wales that emerged between 1911 and 1919, in which the survivor was a one-eyed Aborigine. [33] His work was cited widely in a motion to remove monuments to McMillan put before the Wellington Shire Council in June 2020. The Australian reported in August: The Prince George touched at Port Albert on the 25th ultimo, and reports that the Agenoria is taking in cattle there, the captain of which reported the blacks to be in a very riotous state. Create events for free. 0000003570 00000 n I knew two blacks, who though wounded came out of the hole alive. endobj It also suggests that the squatters were unprepared for the resistance they faced. 0000029696 00000 n 2151 0000005571 00000 n Second, Gardners narrative is based on the assertion that the massacre and Angus McMillan are synonymous, but he has produced no evidence whatsoever to implicate McMillan. 0001064309 00000 n This essay appears in Decembers Quadrant. trailer They say they want to tell the story widely, and take down the monuments to McMillan the butcher of Gippsland. [6=ViWy|4X$l`DvNk#F/W/kO>{Z_:/\ 'lrgQvFY+fGQ 4\y~QVG[\^aeiQ>mx2k |#R[?#5M. The Warrigal Creek Massacre | About the film When Angus McMillian and the Highland Brigade rode through Gippsland in 1843, they aimed to murder as many Gunai Kurnai children, women and men as they could. Considering that Gardner has political motives and a disdain for objectivity, his work should perhaps be seen as a political campaign rather than as history. 0000030150 00000 n [22] Sydney Morning Herald 15 April 1844, p. 4; the article appears to have Lachlan Macalisters turn of phrase. Originally reported by Robinson as such, Gardner has interpreted an obscure comment by Robinson to argue that it was actually a massacre by settlers that Robinson was covering up. hb``0c`` `01$Q3(f`faPS``e` 0=!E Clq.~Jg` `d``A h! Establishing the factual basis of this will require in-depth research to uncover any written evidence before Bells account from 1874, as well as archaeological evidence at locations such as Bruthen Creek and Bundalaguah Swamp. 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. 5 0 obj Production and research by Danielle Bowen, Jonathan Boadle, Jakeb Fair, Alex Owsianka, Don Sheil and Ben Winnell. 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. On the 13th ultimo, Mr. Ronald McAlister was removing his sheep station about two miles from the settlement, when he was attacked by the blacks and murdered; his body was found the following day by a native in his employ. They were feared by their tribal enemies for their ability to attack at nighta skill the Europeans were to encounter.[5]. % He was joined by detachments of the Border and Native Police. But that creek, Warrigal, has seen unimaginable horrors. 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. Elizabeth Balderstone stands next to Warrigal Creek on her farm in Victoria the site of an 1843 massacre. 0000015443 00000 n This special screening is being hosted by the Healesville Local Aboriginal Network (LAN), Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA), Yarra . The history of early Gippsland will invariably include many intersecting and conflicting narratives. In July 1843, up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were killed near the banks of what is now known as Warrigal Creek. At a quiet bend on a beautiful creek they committed one of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing in the Australian colonies. An important part of Australian history, necessary for reconciliation. When Angus McMillian and the Highland Brigade rode through Gippsland in 1843, they aimed to murder as many Gunai Kurnai children, women and men as they could. While we are not personally responsible we continue to live different experiences from these events; some of privilege, some of disadvantage, some unknowing. 0000024533 00000 n 0000012931 00000 n 0000115969 00000 n 0000014051 00000 n L4V n)p>WRMXBe*(ru)%]>9,ZUN \p ,_`s=L{5vs{Gw 2ngnBaz0&#Xk+_ q10 m E lizabeth Balderstone leads a lifestyle that many city dwellers fantasise about, on a farm in Victoria's Gippsland, surrounded by friendly sheep, with a humble little creek just 60 metres from. While the murder was well documented in contemporary newspaper accounts, the reports also indicate that by mid-1843, Gippsland was in a state of disarray. 0000034127 00000 n 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Nonetheless, it demonstrates that the early settlement of Gippsland was marked by violence involving the Kurnai, the settlers and convicts. 0000021061 00000 n 4751, June, 1980. [2], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}374014S 1463957E / 37.67056S 146.66583E / -37.67056; 146.66583, Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:43, List of massacres of Indigenous Australians, "Victoria's Deadly & Proud campaign remembers Indigenous victims of Warrigal Creek massacre in South Gippsland", "Living on a massacre site: home truths and trauma at Warrigal Creek", "Victoria to introduce Australia's first truth-telling process to address Indigenous injustices", "Victoria to establish truth and justice process as part of Aboriginal treaty process", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warrigal_Creek_Massacre&oldid=1141638012, "The Settling of Gippsland - A Regional History", by Patrick Morgan, published by Gippsland Municipalities Association, Traralgon, 1997. Robinsons comments are significant in that he was revealing that escaped convicts were responsible for mistreating the Kurnai. His body was mutilated and stripped, and it was found the next day by an Aboriginal boy in his employment. 29 May 2018. Messrs. Pearson and Cunninghame have been the latest sufferers by those cannibals; it is not only the stock they kill we feel the loss of, but running the remainder off their runs, and the expense the proprietors are put to in collecting their cattle, and procuring guns and ammunition for everyone engaged in their employment.[22]. This article has been rated as Stub-Class on the project's quality scale. Balderstones home was built 20 years after the massacre which happened just steps from the front door. In July 1843, a European named Ronald Macalister was killed by First Nations men near Port Albert, in Victoria. 5|ya"R=:(O)Y?vM=u(f!ygaR@Dfx*qVhCqE CML@Ishk4 C&YE$A9M#~gyHN#,H^(eC:Z;o=ni!|"V?bx6c49Y+b FyELe_`GGWy&2SpKeQPZY4)OEe 91 0 obj <> endobj The answer is in three parts. 0000117691 00000 n 27 May - 3 June. share events with your friends and make the most out of every experience. Every day I look over and make sure things look peaceful there.. 0000033752 00000 n [46] Gardner admonished Hoddinott, stating, in this account he failed to implicate McMillan as he had done 15 years earlierbut neither version implicated McMillan.[47]. Perhaps the most revealing example of Gardners influence is Cal Flynns Thicker Than Water, in which McMillan is denounced by his own descendant. { L{ c$Nb`6`4` ` DwG'g5A$Y&e&i 64*6Cs!k >/Filter/FlateDecode/Index[7 84]/Length 22/Size 91/Type/XRef/W[1 1 1]>>stream The official reports from Tyers to La Trobe from 1844 to 1845 thus describe the situation in Gippsland where the settlers were being attacked by the Kurnai and their stock was being killed. 16 0 obj Warrigal Creek Massacre Documentary This documentary will be shown at the Regent Theatre in Yarram on 10 July at 7.30pm during Naidoc Week. According to Tyers, at least fifty Kurnai were killed by the Native Police and other Aborigines attached to the search parties. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a77bf3dc11d263ed9065ff8247406b97" );document.getElementById("bc64d4fe72").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. He recorded that there were fifty-five Prisoners of the Crown in Gippsland, nine of whom were in government service. << /Length 17 0 R /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 293 /Height 146 /Interpolate Gardner prefaced the following quote from Gippslander stating that after the murder of Macalister, An avenging party set out under the leadership of Angus McMillan , 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 a breath, they were shot until the water was red with blood. y]\lt`(+WT5[y&Z}_~PbEH/XFN4Kz+Vb)44BQ?Zh*Y Eo4/xhJk Convicts were present in the early years of settlement in Gippsland in two very different ways: first, as the slave labour of the squatters, and second, as escapees congregated around Alberton. 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. This land was never ceded. It is free to attend this event, but bookings are essential. Because to move forward we must acknowledge our past. This implied that the other four police were assigned servants, or white slaves, as John Pascoe Fawkner, the editor of the Port Phillip Patriot and a fierce critic of the convict system, called them. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. [38], I knew two blacks who, though wounded, came out of that hole alive. 0000030698 00000 n 0000002733 00000 n 0000003041 00000 n There exists little to no official documentation of the Warrigal Creek Massacre. 0000003656 00000 n Required fields are marked *. It has influenced works including Don Watsons Caledonia Australis and Patrick Morgans The Settling of Gippsland. One was a boy at the time about 12 or 14 years old. He was shot through the foot and was so injured that he was called Club Foot.[39]. He was accompanied by George Henry Haydon, who published an account of their journey, which is also well known. <<6C2049F009130640B9B98E7F057F832E>]/Prev 1164416/XRefStm 1766>> endobj Their prior absence from the discourse may indicate the level of research in this area. /TT4 13 0 R /TT6 15 0 R /TT1 10 0 R >> /XObject << /Im2 16 0 R /Im3 18 0 R 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. In other words, by coincidence, Robinson and Hatcher arrived in Gippsland at exactly the same time. [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. In other parts of the District, prior to my arrival, they had occasionally come into collision with the Settlersthe consequence of which was the murder of four shepherdsand as far as I can learn without any provocationthey have also committed, and are still committing, many depredations on the stock of the Settlerswhich from the nature of the country, and the known fact of their carrying on their depredations at night, it is difficult to prevent. [45] Hoddinotts tale thus appears to contain generic elements from the period. In an essay on Gippsland from April 1843, Henry Bebb Morris described a mock fight between six Kurnai men using spears, boomerangs and waddies: they are small men, and when in repose would not be remarked for beauty or figure, but under the excitement of the fight they put every muscle into motion, and threw themselves into attitudes which would have graced a Grecian warrior. They travelled with Edward Hobson, who was attempting to find an overland route to Gippsland. [30] Escapees living outside the law would therefore have posed a dire threat to the Kurnai. 0000002765 00000 n The Warrigal Creek Massacre, a documentary exploring the history of colonisation in Gippsland in the 1800s, is screening at the [.] The historical record of this conflict up to 1843 is sparse and consists of just a few newspaper reports. The theme for Reconciliation Week 2018 is 'Don't keep history a mystery' Learn - Share - Grow. stream The Warrigal Creek Massacre, a documentary exploring the history of colonisation in Gippsland in the 1800s, is screening at the Memo in Healesville on Wednesday 27 February at 6:45pm. Howitt noted that the Kurnai killed by the Europeans were mostly, though not all, fighting men of the tribe. The Warrigal Creek Massacre - the documentary There have now been two packed-out screenings of this documentary at Stratford. Just before European settlement, the Kurnai raided as far as Brighton and Arthurs Seat on Port Phillip Baya distance of at least 120 kilometres as the crow fliesand they are believed to have wiped out about half of the Bunurong. Bookings free, but essential. Once again, Gardner corrected historical material when it did not agree with his Warrigal Creek narrative. Gardner accepted Hoddinotts Gippslander story literally and uncritically, stating that it is completely reliable due to its vividness and detail. No wild beast of the forest was ever hunted down with such unsparing perseverance as they are. He was hit in the eye by a slug, captured by the whites, and made to lead the 'brigade' from one camp to another.". He was hit in the eye by a slug, captured by the whites, and made to lead the Brigade from one camp to another. Searching for information on frontier conflict in old newspapers (film or hard copy) was the proverbial "needle in a haystack" task - time consuming and exhausting with few . 0000024998 00000 n Gardners evidence for Angus McMillans involvement in the Warrigal Creek massacre consists of a story written for The Gap school magazine in 1925 by William Hoddinott under the pseudonym of Gippslander. But I wish to look forward, unimpeded by SJWs. Hoddinott said that more than 100 Aboriginal people were killed on that day. And when Gippsland comes to terms with what happened, and why it happened, theres an opportunity to talk much better about that history.. [50] This raises two issues: first, this is a fallacious misuse of the material; Hatcher said the bones might be gathered uphis might be has transmogrified into Gardners were. 'Conspiracy of silence': how sabotaged inquiries fed massacre denials, Telling the truth about Australia's past will be painful but it will be liberating | Karen Mundine and Richard Weston, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. External Lived Experience Employment Opportunities, Complete the VMIAC Conference 2023 Survey, CEO Update with Craig Wallace | 17.02.2023, New Consumer Register Opportunity: Access Policy & Triage Guidelines, CEO Update with Craig Wallace | 03.02.2023, CEO Update with Craig Wallace | 20.01.2023. Before declaring Hoddinotts tale to be completely reliable, it would have been prudent to analyse its contents. Welcome to you all., Read Quadrant online or as a printed magazine Starting at $88.00 a year. The Commissariat let annual tenders for the supply of fresh meat and other staples. Its part of our life and its not that I dont stop and think about it. The murder of his nephew gave him both a professional and a family interest in chastising the criminals, and he soon organised a party to look for them. 0000001766 00000 n Bells account is matter-of-fact and he did not name McMillan or any other person. Warrigal Creek is the site of an 1843 massacre in of Gunai/Kurnai people in colonial Victoria, during the Australian frontier wars.