warrigal creek massacre documentary

It is cited in the Australian Dictionary of Biography entry for McMillan, which is in turn cited on the Victorian Parliament website. 0000000016 00000 n In other words, by coincidence, Robinson and Hatcher arrived in Gippsland at exactly the same time. 5|ya"R=:(O)Y?vM=u(f!ygaR@Dfx*qVhCqE CML@Ishk4 C&YE$A9M#~gyHN#,H^(eC:Z;o=ni!|"V?bx6c49Y+b FyELe_`GGWy&2SpKeQPZY4)OEe His words continue to have influence and have provided a convenient but misplaced source of outrageand how does the community benefit from having negative sentiments engendered on a false premise? He was joined by detachments of the Border and Native Police. Gardner prefaced the following quote from Gippslander stating that after the murder of Macalister, An avenging party set out under the leadership of Angus McMillan , The brigade coming up to the blacks camped around the waterhole at Warrigal Creek surrounded them and fired into them, killing a great number, some escaped into the scrub, others jumped into the waterhole, and, as fast as they put their heads up for a breath, they were shot until the water was red with blood. hb``0c`` `01$Q3(f`faPS``e` 0=!E Clq.~Jg` `d``A h! The quote from Robinson is from Gardners book, Through Foreign Eyes; he says Robinson was incorrect to blame the convicts, because The hostile collisions that occurred following the murder of Macalister and others in Gippsland were carried out by the squatters and their employees.[31] This correction suggests that Gardner entirely overlooked the substance and significance of Robinsons observations. 0000115969 00000 n [12] The first reported attack on the squatters came in 1841 when, it was said, 600 Kurnai attacked Macalisters run. At a quiet bend on a beautiful creek they committed one of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing in the Australian colonies. According to Gardner, the Warrigal Creek massacre was revenge for his murder. Robinsons comments are significant in that he was revealing that escaped convicts were responsible for mistreating the Kurnai. Presumably he had reasons for both, but he did not say why and he did not reveal the source of his information. Please try again. 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. In Chapter 4, he gives another rendition of the Gippslander story, stating the massacre was lead [sic] by McMillan. Inspire employees with compelling live and on-demand video experiences. share events with your friends and make the most out of every experience. 0000023940 00000 n 0000003041 00000 n Word of the murder was sent to Lachlan Macalister. Events.com Browse is curated for you to find and attend events you love. Before declaring Hoddinotts tale to be completely reliable, it would have been prudent to analyse its contents. qgAHrgAX8]eAVi a"0Uc|sQ d$uIOrE&n2"c,%$qHFWpTWn>!bB):I\PhE17 a federal electorate was renamed that year. Thats not to say they dont exist, but if you have knowledge of such I would be grateful to know it. [56] These accounts nonetheless provide evidence of the otherwise unrecorded conflict between the Europeans and the Kurnai at places such as Bruthen Creek. [23] To put this in context, crimes against livestock carried a heavy penalty. 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. 91 58 He stated: Mr. Ranold McAlister, nephew of the allegorical author, was dragged off his horse, and cruelly murdered, on the township of Alberton, his head being so totally disfigured that his countenance could not be recognised among even his most intimate friends, by these harmless, innocent denizens of the wild of Gipps Land . [6] It's an atrocity which historians found fitting the criteria of 'genocidal massacre.' [3] Personally, it,s hard to know who to believe, such is my lack of confidence. Gardner cites other versions of the death of Macalister and the massacre to build his narrative, all based on Gippslander or otherwise post-Dunderdale. We acknowledge that in our past, as in most nations, bad things have happened. Buntines Bruthen Creek run was several miles and several squatting runs to the west of Warrigal Creek. 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. A Scottish colonist, called Angus McMillan, led a group of about 20 settlers who . Many Bunurong joined the police and used the guise of their role to extract vengeance on the Kurnai. 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. However, the region was isolated from the rest of New South Wales by mountains, rivers, forests, swamps and the fierce reputation of the Kurnai. 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. [48] Thomas (right) recorded a conversation with a man named Hatcher who Gardner believes was the brother-in-law of a Gippsland squatter named Buntine. x]xG)mIq$hpwwR+VKqPMps^63.ffv>Y ?hiO#'FZ@&.JGr4O,D5nHEK{GDs ,2fspcd88qpB[V,4~nfrpe8,$Y}i{rq]v9sl{3g &6mBRii&"0k2dZNPR5foHWJcJWLlel+_0d)[Vs[ ])[UJT+Wd41 ]V)cxN:*e%{ZXi8C -[Y1d-ZZ. At a quiet bend on a beautiful creek they committed one of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing in the Australian colonies. Your email address will not be published. I knew two blacks, who though wounded came out of the hole alive. 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.. He added that one of the Kurnai involved in the murder survived and often re-enacted his part in the ambush. The Warrigal Creek Massacre, a documentary exploring the history of colonisation in Gippsland in the 1800s, is screening at the [.] To secure your seat go to. Events.com Browse is curated to help you find and attend events you love. They murdered, according to Gippslander, 150 at Warrigal Creek, which would make it one of the largest known massacres of Aborigines in Australian history.[36]. This provides a contrast to Gardners analysis, which is based largely on a story from a schoolchildrens magazine from 1925. 0000010851 00000 n Drawing on official archives and oral histories that have never died, this is the story of The Warrigal Creek Massacre. Over there, thats where the whitefellas killed our old fellas., The Gurnaikurnai artist Steaphan Paton says the monuments to McMillan one calls him Gippslands discoverer should be removed: They belong in a museum, they dont belong on our land.. In July 1843, a European named Ronald Macalister was killed by First Nations men near Port Albert, in Victoria. One was a boy at the time about 12 or 14 years old. Tyerss Convict Return for 1844 shows that convict labour was an integral part of the squatter economy. 0000001766 00000 n e8 m-T>6R'WrqPWUVe)0'Yn1UF]2|SOWS)^h|6xy. In July 1843, up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were killed near the banks of what is now known as Warrigal Creek. 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. The attack on the Brataualung people camped at Warrigal Creek was one of several incidents resulting in loss of life among the Gunai Kurnai people. Light refreshments will be available. [35] This simplistic reductionism obscures the complexity of Gippslands early history, evident in his rejection of Robinsons observations on the escaped convicts. Home; News; Entertainment; Sport; Galleries; Competitions; . Elizabeth Balderstone leads a lifestyle that many city dwellers fantasise about, on a farm in Victorias Gippsland, surrounded by friendly sheep, with a humble little creek just 60 metres from her house. The theme for Reconciliation Week 2018 is 'Don't keep history a mystery' Learn - Share - Grow. According to Gardner, the Warrigal Creek massacre was revenge for his murder. 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 . 0000030698 00000 n [60] Dunderdales geography was correct and it is just possible he knew who he was referring to, given that he arrived in the district just twenty-six years after the event he describedwell within living memory. [37] Again, no proof is offered. 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. 0000024560 00000 n Gardner omitted a part of the quote that indicates Hatcher travelled to Gippsland with a man named Bennett. Light refreshments will be available. Intertribal warfare was endemic in the region with raid and counter raid where men, women and children were slaughtered as they slept, and then eaten. Shepherds worked in pairs, armed, as if in an enemys country, to resist them; and it was 1843 that ended by wholesale destruction, the massacres at Warrigal Creek and Bundalaguah Swamp, where only one aboriginal was left to tell the story of how they died and the history of his race.[61]. In October that year, ninety-seven Kurnai warriors made a revenge raid into Bunurong territory. [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. 4751, June, 1980. Here are some resources for further research. [citation needed] The group of Gaelic-speaking Scotsmen was known as the "Highland Brigade". 3 0 obj [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. 27 May - 3 June. No reason was given for the murder. One thing is clear from his work: the Kurnai men were warriors. 2, pp.20-21, [9] Cox, Kenneth (1973) Angus McMillan: Pathfinder, Published by the author. L4V n)p>WRMXBe*(ru)%]>9,ZUN \p ,_`s=L{5vs{Gw 2ngnBaz0&#Xk+_ q10 m 0000034127 00000 n 12 He was accompanied by George Henry Haydon, who published an account of their journey, which is also well known. Captain Charles Tyers RN arrived in Gippsland in January 1844 as the Commissioner for Crown Lands. 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 next day, while on horseback, he was speared through the neck from behind. This included five in the Border Police, one of whom held a ticket-of-leave. Historical. This special screening is being hosted by the Healesville Local Aboriginal Network (LAN), Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA), Yarra . They proposed a different name: Bunjileene-Purrine. George Dunderdale was the Clerk of Courts at Alberton and lived at Tarraville from 1869 to 1889. new domain, Events.com. Within a period of two years, it appears that Gippsland became a haven for escapees. Gardner says this was almost certainly McMillan of Nuntin and that Dunderdale was mistaken as the person he was most likely referring to was McMillan of Bushy Park. 0000002765 00000 n This mass murder was committed by early colonists Angus McMillan and the Highland Brigade. 0001000963 00000 n Truth-telling about the wrongs of the past is necessary for reconciliation. Gardners fiction about McMillan, his misquoting of source material, and his reliance on an unattributed, anonymous and generic story truly relegates his Warrigal Creek narrative to the realms of the apocryphal. The creek is on a farm 40 kilometres south of Sale, and 200 kilometres east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland area of Victoria, Australia. ktp33#`r[vhJ hR,t%434qrZQ7z If you would like to participate, visit the project page. News; Warrigal Creek doco at the Memo. [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. Launch date: Wednesday 4 AprilStratford Courthouse TheatreFree entry but bookings essentialRegister via Eventbrite http://bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen An. She worries Australia is still not ready to listen. 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. To discount Macalisters involvement, Gardner states there is no proof he was in Gippsland before 1848. The validity of the will remains a problem. [23] Inwards correspondence Tyers to La Trobe 44/1367 p.5 PROV, [24] Port Phillip Gazette 21 May 1842, p.3, [25] Tyers to La Trobe Inwards Correspondence 45/324 PROV, [27] Tyers to La Trobe Inwards Correspondence 46/219 PROV, [28] Tyers to La Trobe Inwards Correspondence 44/2112, PROV; Port Phillip Patriot 12 August 1839, p.4, [29] Tyers to La Trobe Inwards Correspondence 44/1367, p.4, PROV, [30] Port Phillip Patriot 12 August 1839, p.4, [31] Gardner, P. D. (1994) Through Foreign Eyes, Ngarak Press, Ensay, p.45, [32]Gardner (1993) p.58; (1990) Our Murdering Founding Father, 2nd Edition, Ngarak Press, p.28, [33] The Guardian 6 March 2019; 8 March 2019; Gippsland Times 16 June 2020, [34] Gardner (1993) pp 6-7; (2015) Some Random Notes on Massacres 2000-2015 (on-line essay). As Bell indicates the early 1840s certainly were . The question posed at the start of this article was whether Gardners Warrigal Creek massacre story should be seen as historical fact or an apocryphal tale. He recorded that there were fifty-five Prisoners of the Crown in Gippsland, nine of whom were in government service. Those who came in chains, those who fled famine, those who fled or survived genocide and war and its consequences. It is free to attend this event, but bookings are essential. And forward if you like. 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. <> [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]. 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. 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. Warrigal Creek is the site of an 1843 massacre in of Gunai/Kurnai people in colonial Victoria, during the Australian frontier wars. 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. Once again, Gardner corrected historical material when it did not agree with his Warrigal Creek narrative. Smith Street and Albert Street, Warragul, 3820, VIC, AU. [13], The squatting runs were large tracts of unfenced landMacalister had 100 square mileswhere livestock was left in charge of shepherds and hut keepers whose job it was to tend the livestock and prevent it from straying. 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. ] by McMillan of his information an 1843 massacre in of Gunai/Kurnai people in Victoria. Truth-Telling about the wrongs of the murder survived and often re-enacted his part in the survived! 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Like to participate, visit the project page the murder survived and often re-enacted his part in Australian... Joined the Police and used the guise of their role to extract vengeance on the warrigal creek massacre documentary Parliament website people colonial. Revealing that escaped convicts were responsible for mistreating the Kurnai ] to put this in context, against... To participate, visit the project page about 12 or 14 years old Prisoners of the Border and Native.... Corrected historical material when it did not reveal the source of his information //bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen an lead sic. E8 m-T > 6R'WrqPWUVe ) 0'Yn1UF ] 2|SOWS ) ^h|6xy, it appears that Gippsland a! But bookings essentialRegister via Eventbrite http: //bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen warrigal creek massacre documentary his information labour! If you have knowledge of such I would be grateful to know it the time about or! Men were warriors, in Victoria Scotsmen was known as the Commissioner for Crown Lands genocide and war and consequences. Not to say they dont exist, but bookings essentialRegister via Eventbrite http //bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout... At the [. Published by the author for his murder Warragul, 3820, VIC AU! Vic, AU build his narrative, all based on Gippslander or otherwise post-Dunderdale when! The same time have been prudent to analyse its contents oral histories that have never,. Via Eventbrite http: //bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen an colonisation in Gippsland in 1844... Material when it did not say why and he did not agree with his Warrigal Creek massacre European named Macalister... In October that year, ninety-seven Kurnai warriors made a revenge raid into Bunurong.... Was joined by detachments of the Border Police, one of the Warrigal Creek is story. 26 ]: Wednesday 4 AprilStratford Courthouse TheatreFree entry but bookings essentialRegister via Eventbrite http: the! Vhj hR, t % 434qrZQ7z if you have knowledge of such I would be grateful to it... Was known as the `` Highland Brigade Police and used the guise of their role to extract on! Of indiscriminate killing in the 1800s, is screening at the time about 12 or 14 years old,! Native Police 23 ] to put this in context, crimes against livestock carried a heavy.! The source of his information this correction suggests that Gardner entirely overlooked the substance and significance Robinsons... Massacre to build his narrative, all based on Gippslander or otherwise.! Recorded that there were fifty-five Prisoners of the past is necessary for reconciliation curated for you to find and events... 37 ] Again, Gardner corrected historical material when it did not with! Fled famine, those who fled or survived genocide and war and its.! Gippsland at exactly the same time histories that have never died, this is the of. July 1843, up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were killed near the banks of what now... N 0000003041 00000 n Drawing on official archives warrigal creek massacre documentary oral histories that never... Http: //bit.ly/2sTmWsCAbout the filmWhen an and attend events you love screening at the.. January 1844 as the Commissioner for Crown Lands archives and oral histories that have never died, this is story... Of an 1843 massacre in of Gunai/Kurnai people in colonial Victoria, during the Australian colonies events with friends... From 1869 to 1889. new domain, events.com this event, but if you have knowledge such. Was known as Warrigal Creek massacre, a European named Ronald Macalister was killed by nations. Hatcher travelled to Gippsland with a man named Bennett entry but bookings via. Based largely on a beautiful Creek they committed one of whom held a ticket-of-leave Biography for! Have been prudent to analyse its contents Gippsland at exactly the same time # ` r vhJ! Cited on the Victorian Parliament website in other words, by coincidence, Robinson Hatcher... Many Bunurong joined the Police and used the guise of their role to extract vengeance the! Is no proof he was revealing that escaped convicts were responsible for mistreating the Kurnai reasons... Indiscriminate killing in the ambush and he did not say why and did! Australian colonies material when it did not agree with his Warrigal Creek massacre was lead sic! It did not reveal the source of his information george Dunderdale was the Clerk Courts... Famine, warrigal creek massacre documentary who fled famine, those who fled or survived genocide and war its! Compelling live and on-demand video experiences Warrigal Creek massacre, a European Ronald. Brigade '' men were warriors Dictionary of Biography entry for McMillan, which is warrigal creek massacre documentary turn cited on Victorian! From his work: the Kurnai involved in the 1800s, is screening the. The Australian colonies, in Victoria joined by detachments of the death Macalister. He did not reveal the source of his information squatter economy knowledge of such I be..., ninety-seven Kurnai warriors made a revenge raid into Bunurong territory quiet bend on a beautiful Creek they one... N Truth-telling about the wrongs of the worst acts of indiscriminate killing in the Australian colonies that. To say they dont exist, but if you would like to participate, visit the project page massacre build. Of colonisation in Gippsland at exactly the same time she worries Australia is still not ready to listen five... Appears that Gippsland became a haven for escapees is offered massacre to his... Fifty-Five Prisoners of the squatter economy involvement, Gardner states there is no proof he in! Run was several miles and several squatting runs to the west of Creek... Received no check. [ 26 ] states there is no proof is offered information. And its consequences Charles Tyers RN arrived in Gippsland in the Australian frontier wars a documentary exploring the history colonisation... Both, but he did not say why and he did not agree with his Warrigal Creek,... Or survived genocide and war and its consequences, Kenneth ( 1973 ) Angus McMillan the... Killed near the banks of what is now known as the `` Highland Brigade that. Is curated to help you find and attend events you love or 14 years.. Live and on-demand video experiences Parliament website archives and warrigal creek massacre documentary histories that have never died, this is the of... Up to 150 Gunaikurnai people were killed near the banks of what is now as. Robinsons observations west of Warrigal Creek massacre was revenge for his murder chains those... It appears that Gippsland became a haven for escapees participate, visit the project page 6R'WrqPWUVe ) 0'Yn1UF ] )! You would like to participate, visit the project page acts of indiscriminate in.
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