Topics: Events
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1868 - North West - view
40 or 50 Aborigines come in for their “annual gift” of blankets at Maitland in the Hunter Valley. One “black lady” comes in for her blanket mounted on a very good horse with side-saddle, lady’s riding skirt. A local newspaper observes an “unusual number of children amongst whom [was] a perfect white child which at first [the correspondent] could scarcely believe belonged to our native [A]borigines
1871 - North West - view
Newspapers in Newcastle and Maitland run stories on “Old Ned’s” struggles to hold onto the land he has long farmed at Lake Macquarie after a white man “free selects it”
1872 - North West - view
Billy Murphy is the purported “last king of the Hunter Aboriginal people”. Of mixed descent, Billy grows up at Segenhoe, receives a land grant and is recognised with a brass king plate inscribed “Yellow Billy”
1872 - North West - view
The following year, Billy and Annie thank “Her Majesty’s Government for granting us land” and request tools, seed, bullocks and horses to “start us”. Billy’s two requests are written in the frail hand of John McLeod who writes at the bottom of each page “God Bless Queen Victoria”
1874 - North West - view
Billy Musclebrook and his wife Maria Freeman , their son and daughter, brother, uncles and “other Blacks” of the Segenhoe clan petition the government for land adjoining Billy Murphy’s. John McLeod also writes their requests. McLeod dies soon after his second letter on their behalf and government takes no further action
1874 - North West - view
Willie Price asks for land in 1873 at Nelson’s Bay near Karuah, and he too is told that as an existing coastal reserve is in force, his land will be secure enough if it was held only as ‘permissive occupancy’. Although Price is unable to gain further security over the land, the Lands Department is prepared to confirm his right of occupation in 1892
1878 - North West - view
Her entry in the Prospect St. Bartholemew Church burial register reads, “Last of the Blacktown Blacks’. Her lands at Liverpool and Blacktown are divided between her 9 surviving children
1879 - North West - view
Mathews becomes involved with local Aboriginal people and interested in their cultural heritage
1879 - North West - view
Blankets are distributed to Aboriginal people living in a camp on the site that later becomes the St Clair Aboriginal mission
1879 - North West - view
Death of Hiram. He is said to be “the last full blood” to have practiced Aboriginal traditional culture connected to art work in a cave
1879 - North West - view
Billy is charged for “feloniously” stealing from Owen Sullivan one pipe, one purse and a small amount of cash
1880 - North West - view
The following year it advocates the establishment of a protectorate for the Aborigines. One protector for the colony: George Thornton, former MP is appointed and surveys the conditions and needs of Aborigines (Brook 1st edit, p5). Concerned about the great number of “half-castes” in the census, Thornton argues that government should limit aid to the “true Aborigines only”
1880 - North West - view
Sarah Lewis (ex Wallace) dies
1880 - North West - view
Lingering fear is apparent by young Aboriginal boys. This may be caused by John Henry Fleming (a Hall relative involved in the Myall Creek Massacre)
1881 - North Coastal - view
“Aug 2 nd Went by steamer to Manly, broke up camp, brought
Harry, Eliza, Harriet and 5 children to Mr Hills. All readily consented to
come. Trip in steamer lovely view – great crowd of blacks in Mr Hill’s yard –
fire, plenty of food and blankets … alright except Mrs Beckett and Charley
Abbot’s wife … I went to railway station about passes. Mr Gribble (Head of
another mission station, Warangesda) to Botany Bay for Ellen and boys. ... Met
Sir H Parkes... [the Premier, who] consented to blacks getting the same rations
at Maloga [a mission station in Victoria run by Matthews] as in Sydney”.
1881 - North West - view
The Aborigines of the district assembled at the Windsor Court House on the Queen’s Birth Day, for the yearly distribution of blankets
1882 - North West - view
Fiaschi later hires many local Aborigines from the Sackville Reach Aborigine Reserve and Italian immigrants.