William Barak, 30 September 1881

'Would you like the Government to give you all the food you want, and all the clothing, and no work? - If they had everything right and the Government leave us here, give us this ground and let us manage here and get all the money. Why do not the people do it themselves - do what they like, and go on and do the work.'

Martin Simpson, 30 September 1881

'Martin Simpson, aboriginal, examined.

Where were you born? - Jim Crow .
Were you here many years before Mr Green left? - I think I was here about ten years before Mr Green left .
You have only just come back? - Yes.
Where were you? - Down on the Murray.
How long were you away? - A little more than twelve months.
Was your wife with you? - Yes.
What made you go away? - I was sent away.
Who ordered you away? - Captain Page.
Why - had you been misbehaving? - We had some words in the hop paddock.
Some of the other men and you? - Yes.
Who was it? - It was Captain Page himself.
What was the cause of it - why did you fall out? - I went fishing one day, on a Tuesday, upon the Yarra, and came back again, and got my rations stopped. I had not enough meat to keep me on, so I went fishing. I asked, "What for?" And they told me that I was away fishing, and not working; and I told him, if I could not get enough here, I must go and catch some fish for myself.
And then you did go? - Yes; I went and got some fish, and came back again, and got my rations stopped for it; and they said, if I did not go to work my services would no more be required on the place. He said I was to go away from the place, so he sent me away .
Are the blacks at the other station allowed to go out to work? - Yes. Are they allowed here? - No; not without they get orders from Captain Page.'

Alfred Morgan, 30 September 1881

'Alfred Morgan, aboriginal, examined.

. Were you the one that went down on that deputation? - Yes.
What was the reason for going down? - We heard that the station was going to be sold and shifted, and we did not want it, so we went down to see Mr Berry. He said that he would see.
Have you any other complaints? - There were many more at the time. Make your own statement - My complaint is that Mr Strickland is not a suitable man here.
Will give your reasons for that? - He does not sympathize with us. He does not go amongst us. When he does he just passes through, makes himself quite a stranger. When we were at work on the road he passed by and never said as much as "good-day," and then my wife heard him say that he would not like to live here at all, because it was just like living in hell. He was repeating the words to some of the men in Healesville. I said "The things you stated in the court was not half so bad as you stated." He got me by the breast and was going to pull me in. I told him to take his hands off me .

You think Mr Green's management better than you do Mr Strickland's? - Yes
Why do you prefer him? - Because we never were in want of anything - potatoes, vegetables, and so on. We always had ground prepared for those things. Since Mr Strickland we have had none.

Did Mr Green sympathize with you more? - Yes; he worked with us, and always made it a practice to go round of a morning after the prayers and visit the huts.'

Letter presented by Tommy Michie [Thomas Bamfield],
30 September 1881

'I report this matter for the welfare of the station. The station has never been improved since the old manager left. No clearing or grubbing done; no potatoes, cabbages, or other vegetables have been grown, and no fencing done since he left. Last time we mustered we counted 300 cattle and horses belonging to the township and cockatoo farmers. Nothing has been put in the orchard, and vegetables have not been grown for the good of our health. Mr Green was very neighborly, and used to gather young men and women, and old people, and teach them like children, saving them from drinking and fighting; every year he used to have a gathering. Mrs Green was like a mother to all the natives, and was good to the women when they were confined, and she used to look after the sick. Under Mr Green we used to kill our own cattle, and grow our own potatoes, cabbages, onions, carrots and pumkins - everything we could grow. We had plenty of milk, butter, and cheese. We get nothing like that now. Nothing has improved since the manager took charge of the station. I do not know what he was put here for. He ought to look around the run and get it made into four or five paddocks for the spring, a paddock for weaners, and a paddock for fat cattle, and kill our own cattle. Clearing and grubbing should be done. The manager is ruining the station. He is not doing his work, only riding about and breaking the Government buggy, and running horses. His daughter rides sore-backed horses; the matter was told to the police, and Captain Page stopped it. Why should he not be fined as well as the poor natives? Why should they take advantage of a poor black because he cannot read and write? I think they have done enough in this country to ruin the natives without taking it from us any more. I went away up country about the Goulburn for a holiday, and Mr Strickland sold all my geese, and would not allow me to keep pigs. The pigs and geese kept me in everything I wanted. We can keep nothing. I did not get paid for the geese, and I expect a pound for the lot.'

Eda Brangy, 17 November 1881

'Miss Eda Brangy, aboriginal, examined.
[The witness handed in the following paper]:-

Coranderrk, November 15th 1881.

Sir,
- I am now about to bring my complaints before you. When we used to have our meals in the big room, we used to be locked up, and if we wanted anything it was given through the wires, just like we were prisoners. We never got any blankets since Mrs. Strickland has been on this station; the only two that got blankets were Bella Lee and Lizzie Edmonds; the blankets that I have got are from Mr. Green's and Mr. Halliday's time. Mrs. Strickland gave Tommy Dunolly a blanket, because his wife was ill, and said that Tommy Dunolly was to return it. And beside, Mrs. Strickland used our blankets on her own bed and on her daughters' beds too. And about the washing I used to do for Mrs. Strickland and receiving no wages for it: I once asked Mrs. Strickland why did not she pay me for washing for her. So she said that she was not going to pay us orphans. Bella Lee and Mary Ann are doing Mrs. Strickland's washing, and they don't receive any wages. Mr. Strickland came home from Healesville one afternoon, and what do you think we saw? A bottle in his pocket containing liquor, because we could smell it as soon as he came near to us. I got three witnesses -Tommy Dick, Alick Briggs, and Joseph Hunter. Mrs. Strickland is supposed to be the matron, but we find it very different indeed. Instead of Mrs. Strickland giving out the orders, the Miss Stricklands give out the orders. What we have to do? Mrs. Green never sends her daughters out to order us about like the Miss Stricklands do. When Mrs. Strickland is inside she would send out one of her daughters to watch us, like a cat watching for a mouse; not so with Mrs. Green. I think we have reason to complain about the treatment we get here. And when we are out of bread we are obliged to send up to Tommy Dunolly, and beside bake damper; and beside Mrs. Strickland keeps back some of the loafs until the baker came, and then she would give us the stale loafs, and take a new loaf for her table. And, again, Mrs. Strickland never come into our bedrooms to see if they are all right; but if she knew that any visitors were coming up to see this station, she would be on the look-out to see that all was clean, and also the big room, and the little children would be made to put on their best dresses; but if anybody didn't come, there would be the difference. The only food we get for breakfast is bread and treacle and sometimes steak. Not so with Mrs. Green; we would get everything we wanted. There were two men here, named Mr. Wilkie and Major Bell. They used to eat the Government rations, and also the Miss Stricklands used to send down milk every morning, and that is the reason that sometimes we used to get short of bread. But if Mrs. Green was back we would be satisfied. Miss Strickland teaches the boys in Sunday school. When they were reading, Miss Strickland says to David Bamfield, "You and your father are leading the people astray, instead of telling them of God." - Sir, I am yours truly, EDA BRANGY.'

Letter presented by Caroline Morgan, 17 November 1881

'This is my evidence. Coranderrk, November 16th 1881. I have asked Mrs Strickland for a pair of blankets for my sick boy. She told me that she must write to Captain Page first. Then I told her, must my little boy be perishing with the cold till you get a letter from Mr Captain Page? She told me she had orders only to give a pair blankets for every hut. Then I told her, what must I do then, I have three beds? Then she told me that she did not know. I then told her that we always got blankets for the children before she came here. Another time I asked her for three pannicans. She also said that Captain Page never gave her orders to give them out to the huts. I told her that we got knives and forks and pannicans before she came here. She said she would write to Captain Page about these things; but I never heard nothing more about them since until I saw one of Annie Hamilton's girls coming up with a pannican from Mrs Strickland. So I went down and asked her if there were any pannicans come lately. She never said yes or no, but just turned around and said, "How many do you want"? I said, "Three, if you please." So she gave them to me, so I thanked her for them, and then I came away home. My husband also asked Mr Strickland for a pair of boots for my poor sick boy, Marcus, and Mr Strickland said there was none; so he said he would send in for a pair to Healesville; so he sent in for a pair and I got them. So when pay-day came, Mr Strickland took 10s. of my husband's wages to pay for the boots. We thought that Mr Captain Page was to stand responsible for those boots, but it seems we had to pay for them. When my poor sick boy was very bad he was longing for eggs; so my husband tried in the neighborhood and could not get any; so my sick boy was dying. He asked Mr Strickland to send to Mr Captain Page for some eggs; so Mr Strickland said he would see. So when Mr Strickland came up and visited him, the sick boy asked him again about the eggs, and Mr Strickland said, "Well, my boy, if I send to Captain Page he would laugh at me for the idea of sending for eggs to town from up country." So I told Mr Strickland that my husband tried round the neighborhood for some eggs and could not get any. Milk I get very little; I get from half of a cup to a cupfull - never more than. So anything we ask for we get very little of it'

Rev. F.A. Hagenauer, 3 November 1881

'Can you say anything with regard to Coranderrk? - I can say nothing in particular. I have not visited it. All I can say is the influence is of such a nature that we are afraid of them on the other stations. The natives read the newspapers, and say, " The Coranderrk people get this and this allowed; we want that too. What is right to one is fair to another." It unsettles them on the whole.'

Residents of Coranderrk

The following documents were handed in to the Board:-

Coranderrk Station, November 16th 1881.

'SIR,
We want the Board and the Inspector, Captain Page, to be no longer over us. We want only one man here, and that is Mr. John Green, and the station to be under the Chief Secretary; then we will show the country that the station could self-support itself.
These are the names of those that wish this to be done.

Thomas Dunolly

Coranderrk, November 17th, 1881.

SIR,
I have seen in the newspaper that Mr. Captain Page said that we get two suits of clothes per year. That is false. We only get one suit of clothes per year; and it is true that the women have to make flannel shirts for the men out of their flannel which they get for their petticoats. And he said that it never reached his ear about meat. He was told on three occasions about want of meat. On another occasion Alfred Morgan asked Mr. Captain Page about the dray wheels being sold; and he said if there were a hundred words said between here and Healesville, ninety-nine were lies; and he also left orders with Thomas Harris for us to buy straw out of the hay which grows here on the station. And I have seen Mr. Strickland; I and Boby Wandon saw him on the 5th of February 1881 with liquor in him; and when we tell Mr. Captain Page anything, he don't care about listening to anything said. We could see what Mr. Captain Page wanted to do. He did not want to make any improvement on the station. He wanted to leave it open for every visitor to see it laying waste, so the visitors go to Melbourne and report it. It is not our fault, because we were not allowed to go further than the orders left by Mr. Captain Page. I also wish to state that while my wife was sick or in confinement I had to ask for a loan of a blanket on two occasions. The first time I got the loan of a blanket I sent it back, and this time I did not; and I also asked Mrs. Strickland for medicine - I asked for rhubarb, and she gave it to me. She never measured a dose, but just gave me it out of a teaspoon into a paper, so I brought it home; so I got it here, and some pills.

I remain your most obedient servant,
THOS. DUNOLLY.

Dick Richard

This is evidence. - About two years ago that Mr. Capt. Page let me go for the good of my health to Framlingham station. I asked for to go there. He told me to stay for three mouths, so I stayed for three months. So I wanted to come back. Mr. Goodall, the manager of that station told me that this station was to be broken up. So we said to him (that is, to Mr. Goodall) we must go home and see about it. So we walked to Camperdown; we stopped there for a week, and we also asked Mr. Dawson to write to Capt. Page for a pass for us while we were staying, and we started away to Colac walking. So when we got to Colac Capt. Page sent an answer back to the station-master, stating that we must go back to Framlingham. It was too wet up at Coranderrk, yet we stopped there for a couple of days, and Mr. Smith, the station-master at Colac, telegraphed to Mr. Capt. Page, and he received no answer; and so I told Mr. Smith I could not wait any longer - I must go on. So Mr. Smith told us, 'You go to the next railway station' - that is Berragooder - 'If I get an answer I will send it to you.' So we stayed there one night, at Berragooder. So in the morning we went to the railway-master at that station. He told us, 'Here, go in the train as far as Geelong,' so we did go as far as Geelong. We came to Mr. Garrett in Geelong. Mr. Garrett said, 'Well, what are you going to do?' 'Well, we are going to walk.' So Mr. Garrett said, 'Not while I am here you won't walk it'; and said that Mr. Capt. Page ought to be ashamed of himself for not sending us a pass, and he gave us a note to take to the railway-master to get our pass; so we got our pass for Melbourne. Then I came home. So when I worked on here pay-day came, and Mr. Capt. Page sent up to Mr. Strickland to take ten shillings of my wages, which Mr. Strickland did. That was the ten shillings for the fare from Geelong to Melbourne in the railway; so Capt. Page robbed me.
-
DICK RICHARD. X"

Thomas Mickey/Thomas Michie/Thomas Bamfield

'Since Mr. Capt. Page took the charge of the Coranderrk station he got my geese sold by Mr. Strickland when I went up with my wife and family up the country for a month, and he made me sell my pig also and my ducks. And as for Capt. Page saying that we got cows, it is untrue, for Capt. Page told me not to touch any cow in the yard, and told me to go out of the yard and to go to Mr. Strickland and get milk from the house; and Jack Briggs was milking that morning, and I could not get any milk for the baby. And then Capt. Page went to the township and stopped the police from summoning Mr. Strickland for the sore-backed horses, and then he went back to Melbourne; and he was never a friend to the blacks, and Mr. Strickland also. And Mr. Strickland fetched the police and told me to clear out of the hut in spite of me; and then Capt. Page would not let me and William Barrick and Johney Terrick pick hops afterwards; and Mr. Strickland stopped my rations and told my wife and children to go down to the house and eat there, which they did not go, because I went down to my friend, Mrs. Bon, and Mrs. Bon and I went to Capt. Page's office, and he was not in, and then we went to Mr. Jennings' office, and I asked him if I could get a pair of boots and a coat, and he said he would not give me any order, and told me to go home; and that is all the thanks I got from him - from the member of the Board. And we don't want any Board nor inspecting Capt. Page over us - only one man, that is Mr. John Green, and the station to be under the Chief Secretary; and we will show to the country that we can work it and make it pay, and I know it will.
-
THOMAS MICKY

William Barak

Coranderrk Station.
I went to Mr. Strickland, and Robert Wandon with me, to ask him for a pass the time my boy was very bad, and he gave me the pass, but no money for the road; and Mr. Strickland told me that he would write to Capt. Page to meet me at the coach office in Melbourne, and when I went to Melbourne nobody was there to meet us, and we went up to the stables, and we went to Richmond, to look for my friend, Mr. Williams, but he had left the house, and we, did not know where to go, and it was dark and cool, and I told my boy that we would go to Kew to Mrs. Bon; and I had to carry my boy to Mrs. Bon, and it was late in the night, and we had supper there, and we went to an hotel and Mrs. Bon gave me a shilling for my bed; and Mrs. Bon went with us to Mr. Dow's office. He was not in - only his brother and I think Mrs. MacDonald, that sent me to the hospital, and I left him there. And I saw Capt. Page next day in the hospital, and he said, 'Why did you not come up to the office?' And I said to him, 'I had no letter from Mr. Strickland to you.' And Capt. Page said to me that he got a letter from Mr. Strickland, and I and Capt. Page waited till five o'clock. And in the morning I went to Mr. Strickland for my ticket and Robert Wandon with me, and I said to Mrs. Strickland, 'Will you give me a letter for Dr. Elms to see my boy?' And she said, 'I'll see Mr. Strickland'; and he said, 'No,' because he could not alter the ticket. 'If my boy is very ill, I will bring him back again; but if not, I will go on to Melbourne.' And we don't want any Board nor inspecting Capt. Page over us - only one man, that is Mr Green, and the station to be under the Chief Secretary; and then we will show to the country that we can work it and make it pay, and I know it will.
-
WILLIAM BERRICK

Robert Wandin

This is my evidence:-

I have heard in the newspaper that Mr. Capt. Page said that no one ever complained to him about meat. I for one told Mr. Strickland to write to Capt. Page to give us a little more meat while we were digging in the hop paddock. So Mr. Strickland wrote, and he received an answer from Capt. Page, telling him that if I was not satisfied with what I was getting he would send me off the place.
- ALICK CAMPBELL, X Witnesses
- Thos. Dunolly and Bobby Wandon.

William Parker

Coranderrk, November 17th, 1881.

SIR,
I am now about to state my complaints. I asked Mr. Strickland to send for the doctor in Lillydale, and he said to me that he gets a good rap on the knuckles; so I said to him, 'never mind.' This was when my little child was sick, but she is dead now. As for milk, I had to buy it the time my little child was sick. When I used to ask for milk they used to give me skim milk, what was no good for a sick child. I was speaking to Mr. Capt. Page about work, such as mending the drays and yokes, and making coffins. I asked Capt. Page would he give me a little encouragement to mend those things. The answer he gave me was, 'If you don't mind your business, or don't keep quiet,' he would put me off the station. There are Government tools for the use of the station, so I made a coffin the other day for one of our friends. I sent my wife down to Mrs. Strickland for a plane, and she could not get it, so I told Thomas Harris if I could not get a plane I would not do anything without I have one. So Thomas Harris went down and asked Mrs. Strickland, and Thomas Harris could not get the plane, but had to have a little talking over it first. They were not willing to give the plane till Thomas Harris said he would report them; so they gave it out. On the 21st of January 1 got a loan of £1 of Thomas Harris. I got this money to pay for horse stabling. I got the loan of Mr. Green's buggy and Mr. Harris's horse to take her to the hospital, and it was through Mr. Green I got her into the hospital, and Mr. Green was in time to help me in. If it was not for Mr. Green I would not have taken her in. I had two flannel drawers made out of my wife's flannel when she got them for petticoats.

I remain your obedient servant,
WILLIAM PARKER.

Mrs. Hamilton

'My child took bad on the Sunday morning, from eating corn beef boiled with cabbage. On Sunday night I gave her a good bath and I gave her a dose of castor oil, and in the morning I found out that she was full of worms. She was everywhere playing. On Monday morning or Tuesday I took her down to see Mrs. Strickland, to see what was good for the pimples, and she give me the medicine and it didn't do her any good, so I went to prayers on Thursday night, and she asked me if they were getting little better, and I said, 'they are getting no worse;' and she told me that I must not come in to prayers until my children are better. I did not like the word, but I like to go to prayers. She was frightened of me for fear they might catch it from me. So I went down for a bit of meat one day - my children were crying for soup. She made me stand where the bell is, and so I said, 'You must come up to my place to see what I want for my children.' They came up for nine days to see me and soon got tired of me. Only one daughter - that's Miss Alice - came, not Mr. Strickland and not Mrs., and the youngest took only three days after we got the medicine from Mr. Green; but as they never came in my place, only stood outside very near in the street, and I after them to throw things back to them. Mrs. Dean is the only one that came in my door and looked at them close. She came in my place every day and saw my children playing every day. They were not in bed. They said it was scarlet fever, and I couldn't get any medicine in the house so I showed my daughter to Mr. Green, and I got my medicine from him. And the doctor said it was the scarlet fever, and he took it by the sore throat. We all had the sore throat at the time. They never come near me until poor David died. That is the time they came in my door, but I find that she didn't give anything for my children, and my children were wishing for milk and sago and oatmeal, and she did not send it up without asking. And she told everybody not to come in my place. I had nobody to send down for the things; she ought to send her daughter with those things.'