'The Cooranderrk [sic] Aboriginal Station

A deputation of a somewhat novel description waited upon the Chief Secretary yesterday afternoon, in the Parliamentary buildings. It consisted of six aboriginals from the station at Cooranderrk, who came to lay before Mr Macpherson a long-standing grievance, which was felt by many of the inhabitants of the station, at the removal of Mr Green, the superintendent, a couple of years ago. Mr Cameron, M.L.A., introduced the men, who stated their complaint very respectfully and intelligently, and whose whole demeanour indeed, throughout the interview, was of a character which formed a refreshing contrast to the conduct exhibited by some of their white masters during some recent political meetings in a certain suburb of Melbourne. Mr Green, it appeared, during a long residence of some 14 years at the station, had secured the affections of most of the simple-natured residents, and even an absence of two years was not sufficient to wholly remove his memory from their evidently yet uncivilised minds. As one of them asked the Chief Secretary, "How would he like it himself" if he lost a master who had been kind to him? Mr Godfrey, the vice-president of the Aboriginal Board, who was present at the interview, explained to the Chief Secretary the circumstances of Mr Green's removal, and said the fault had lain altogether with Mr Green himself, who was one of the most impracticable men he (Mr Godfrey) had ever met. Things which were absolutely necessary to be done at the station he raised continual objections to having done, and would not perform the slightest improvement without specific instructions from the Aboriginal Board or the Chief Secretary. Mr Godfrey mentioned that Mr Green had never taken any steps to have the station properly fenced in to prevent the ingress of stray cattle, and he asked one of the blackfellows who formed the deputation, why the late superintendent had neglected this matter. The aboriginal showed by his reply that the characteristics of Government departments are not totally unknown even to the untutored sons of the soil. The man said he supposed plenty of letters had been sent by Mr Green to the Aboriginal Board about the matter, but no doubt, "in the usual way," nothing was done in regard to it. Mr Godfrey, however, stated that not a single letter could be found in the department regarding the subject. Another reply from one of the petitioners showed the aboriginal mind to be of a liberal character. He was asked were there not some well-founded rumours of drunkenness at the station. "Yes," he answered, "but if a blackfellow stopped two or three months without ever tasting a nobbler, and then took one or two, and lay down and had a sleep, what harm did that do to anybody." Mr Macpherson, in replying to the deputation, said he took the opportunity of contradicting a rumour which had got abroad at the station that the Government intended to remove the inhabitants from their present situation. The Government had no such intention, and would, on the contrary, do everything they possibly could to render Cooranderrk a home for the aboriginals who resided there. He promised to visit the station himself as soon as possible, and to inquire into any grievances or complaints which might be brought under his notice'.