G. A. Robinson
A Journey through the Western District
Aboriginal
people carried out reprisal raids as a result of theft of land. Squatters
sometimes reacted violently. On 8 March 1840 the Whtye brothers (Fighting
Hills case study), who had occupied Jardwadjali land north of Coleraine,
'hunted down the Konongwootong gundidj', (a Jardwadjali clan group), whom
they claimed had stolen 127 sheep. This massacre resulted in the murder
of 'over 40 men, women and children', (Ian Clark states that the figure
could have been as many as eighty people).
The
massacre, of which 'numbers killed were far too great to dismiss this
massacre by referring it to a local magistrate' (Ian Clark, p. 145), was
reported to the colonial government by the Assistant Protector for the
district, C. W. Sievwright. In addition, John Whyte, one of those involved
, reported the matter to the Port Phillip district supertintendent C.J.
La Trobe. But 'as stolen property was involved Whyte had few apprehensions
about the outcome of his interview'. Subsequently no action was taken
by the colonial authorities. (Ian Clark, p. 148).
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Friday, 30 April, 1841
(Dr.Kilgour), He thinks, in reference to the blacks, that the settlers will take the law into their own hands and punish the blacks.
Sunday, 2 May, 1841
Saw a skull hanging up in the hut. Sutton said it was the skull of an old woman he found dead at her miam miam down the creek…he
has a large pack of dogs and a number of firearms. I believe the
dogs are kept as much to hunt natives as kangaroos. They were
fierce at my natives when they came up.
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