Richmond River massacre
Encyclopedia
The Richmond River massacres were a series of murders of groups of Indigenous Australians and Europe
ans in the region around the Richmond River
in north-eastern New South Wales
in the mid-nineteenth century.
The following is a reminiscence of Mr. T.J. Olive of Woodburn, recorded in 1928. Mr Olive claimed his father George was a squatter and had taken part in the 1842 massacre
.
tribes-people at Evans Head
by Europeans, was variously said to have been in retaliation for the killing of 'a few sheep', or the killing of 'five European men' from the 1842 'Pelican Creek tragedy'.
It is also referred to as the 'Goanna Headland massacre'.
Golf Course, the Native Police killed between 30 and 40 Bundjalung people
, including men, women and children while they slept, and many who got away were badly wounded.
It is believed that some Aborigines from north of the Tweed River
had murdered some Europeans and that the murderers had fled south towards the Richmond River
.
On the night prior to the raid, the police contingent which included both Native Police trackers and European troopers, stayed at James Ainsworth's father's Public House, 'The Sailor's Home'. At 3 am the following morning the Native Mounted Police patrol rode out to where between 200 to 300 tribes-people lay asleep in camp. The Arakwal East Ballina clan of the Bundjalung Nation had a camping ground on the slope of the hill facing the valley near Black Head. The troopers and trackers surrounded the camp and opened fire at close range. After the carnage, the Native Mounted Police patrol then headed north towards the Tweed River.
The matter was reported to the NSW Government but no action against the perpetrators was taken.
When the Aboriginal survivors eventually returned to the camp, they sought no reprisals and took no revenge against the Native Police trackers and European troopers involved in the massacre.
There is an Aboriginal oral tradition that tells stories of escape, of people who were shot and were laid to rest in the forests north of the camp, and of those who were driven off the cliff at Black Head.
There is a belief that some victims of the massacre were never buried, their bodies being either dumped off the cliff at Black Head or abandoned on Angels Beach.
During the early 1860s a mass poison attempt was made against the clan using poisoned flour given to make damper
. After taking the flour to their camp, the old people and children of the Arakwal tribe refused to eat the damper as it was a new food. Upon waking the next morning, survivors found nearly 150 adults dead.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans in the region around the Richmond River
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
in north-eastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in the mid-nineteenth century.
Pelican Creek tragedy
In 1842, five European men were killed at Pelican Creek, 10 kilometres north of Coraki. The incident led to a reprisal known as the Evans Head massacre.The following is a reminiscence of Mr. T.J. Olive of Woodburn, recorded in 1928. Mr Olive claimed his father George was a squatter and had taken part in the 1842 massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
.
Squatters and Sawyers had set up a storehouse at Pelican Creek where sailing vessels left supplies and picked up loads of red cedar. Soon after the storehouse was established provisions were left with five men and one boy who were to guard the supplies before they were redistributed to other areas. One morning at dawn the Aboriginals crept up and massacred the men. Only the boy who escaped into the bush was left to tell the tale. Later when teamsterTeamsterA teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
s arrived at the storehouse, they were shocked to find the horribly mutilated bodies of the five men and that all the goods had been stolen or totally destroyed.
Word soon spread to other Europeans who became frightened. They formed a mounted posse and had a simple plan to take revenge with their muskets and pistols. They mustered all the men who could be spared and when the avenging party got together it numbered eleven. They advanced the theory that the foul deed was the work of the coastal tribe.
Evans Head massacre
The 1842 massacre of 100 Bundjalung NationBundjalung people
The Bundjalung people are those Australian Aborigines who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales , 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park and Mount Warning Bundjalung people...
tribes-people at Evans Head
Evans Head, New South Wales
Evans Head is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Richmond Valley Shire. At the 2006 census, Evans Head had a population of 2,631 people. It is 726 kilometres north of Sydney, and 11 kilometres east off the Pacific Highway from Woodburn...
by Europeans, was variously said to have been in retaliation for the killing of 'a few sheep', or the killing of 'five European men' from the 1842 'Pelican Creek tragedy'.
It is also referred to as the 'Goanna Headland massacre'.
East Ballina massacre
In 1853-4, at an area close to the present day East BallinaBallina, New South Wales
Ballina is a town on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire Local Government Area. It had a population of 16,477 in the 2006 Census.-Location:...
Golf Course, the Native Police killed between 30 and 40 Bundjalung people
Bundjalung people
The Bundjalung people are those Australian Aborigines who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales , 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park and Mount Warning Bundjalung people...
, including men, women and children while they slept, and many who got away were badly wounded.
It is believed that some Aborigines from north of the Tweed River
Tweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...
had murdered some Europeans and that the murderers had fled south towards the Richmond River
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river in the north-eastern corner of New South Wales, Australia. It runs for approximately 170 km from the foothills of the Border Ranges past the towns of Kyogle, Casino, Coraki, Woodburn, where it turns northward and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Ballina. It has a...
.
On the night prior to the raid, the police contingent which included both Native Police trackers and European troopers, stayed at James Ainsworth's father's Public House, 'The Sailor's Home'. At 3 am the following morning the Native Mounted Police patrol rode out to where between 200 to 300 tribes-people lay asleep in camp. The Arakwal East Ballina clan of the Bundjalung Nation had a camping ground on the slope of the hill facing the valley near Black Head. The troopers and trackers surrounded the camp and opened fire at close range. After the carnage, the Native Mounted Police patrol then headed north towards the Tweed River.
The matter was reported to the NSW Government but no action against the perpetrators was taken.
When the Aboriginal survivors eventually returned to the camp, they sought no reprisals and took no revenge against the Native Police trackers and European troopers involved in the massacre.
There is an Aboriginal oral tradition that tells stories of escape, of people who were shot and were laid to rest in the forests north of the camp, and of those who were driven off the cliff at Black Head.
There is a belief that some victims of the massacre were never buried, their bodies being either dumped off the cliff at Black Head or abandoned on Angels Beach.
South Ballina poisoning
The Arakwal South Ballina clan of the Bundjalung Nation, numbered about 200 people during the early development of Ballina Township.During the early 1860s a mass poison attempt was made against the clan using poisoned flour given to make damper
Damper (food)
Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travelers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is an iconic Australian dish...
. After taking the flour to their camp, the old people and children of the Arakwal tribe refused to eat the damper as it was a new food. Upon waking the next morning, survivors found nearly 150 adults dead.
See also
- Australian frontier warsAustralian frontier warsThe Australian frontier wars were a series of conflicts fought between Indigenous Australians and European settlers. The first fighting took place in May 1788 and the last clashes occurred in the early 1930s. Indigenous fatalities from the fighting have been estimated as at least 20,000 and...
- List of massacres of Indigenous Australians
- Myall Creek massacreMyall Creek massacreMyall Creek Massacre involved the killing of up to 30 unarmed Australian Aborigines by European settlers on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek near Bingara in northern New South Wales...
Further reading
- Ainsworth, J. (1922). Reminiscences: Ballina in the early days: 1847-1922. Beacon Press, Ballina.