Ravenswood Dreaming, page 28
Obviously, the public flogging, imprisonment and warnings had not deterred Calyute. Between May and September there were nine more major incidents involving the blacks and numerous deaths on both sides. Now a retired member of the military had been wounded and a servant killed in a planned attack in treacherous circumstances.
The fact that the architect and principal perpetrator of this treachery was Calyute did not escape the notice of the governor and the people of Fremantle. He had not long been released from prison and had been flogged severely for his part in the robbery at Shenton’s Mill.
Now he had been the instigator of a treacherous payback killing, in cold blood, of a man who had befriended them. What would he and his warlike band of savages do next. A raid on property and settlers in Fremantle was quite possible.
Governor Stirling had reached his breaking point. The defiance and boldness of the Binjareb must be stopped. He himself could not develop and farm the grant of land he owned south of the Murray River and it was virtually impossible to persuade any settlers or servants to work in that district. Many of the people in Fremantle and Perth were friends of and knew well those settlers who had moved south to the Murray District with Peel and were outraged at this latest atrocity. The garrison of troopers just north of the Murray had to be withdrawn because they had been involved in a skirmish in which several natives had been killed and they now feared for their lives.
Calyute it seemed, had worked out that an attack or raid with a large group of warriors was far more effective and counteracted the superior fire power of double barrelled guns. There was growing concern amongst the officers that he might recruit other tribal groups to join forces with the Binjareb and become a real threat to the main areas of settlement.
In addition, Stirling was fed up with settlers in general being too afraid to begin farming their grants and those that were farming being attacked and robbed. It was time for decisive action. Urged on by Thomas Peel, the Governor decided that the Binjareb must be taught a lesson and a show of overwhelming military superiority displayed.
Public sentiment and the press were behind the governor. The Perth Gazette reported and commented on the killing of Hugh Nesbitt. A copy of the report found its way into the bar of the Union Hotel in Fremantle and was read aloud in full for the benefit of those patrons who could not read. John and his father were enjoying a pint of ale with one of their clients and Dan Mason. They sat and listened. The room remained in absolute silence as the article was read. The final paragraph drew a loud and enthusiastic response from the room undoubtedly fuelled by the copious amounts of liquor that many of them had consumed.
….although we have ever been the advocates of a humane and conciliatory line of procedure, this unprovoked attack must not be allowed to pass over without the infliction of the severest chastisement and we join our brother colonists in one universal call—the last word was drowned out. The room exploded in to an uproar. Kill the bastards. Hang the bastards. Teach them a lesson. You can’t murder and not suffer the consequences.
The reader raised his hand for quiet. When the noise had settled down to where he could be heard, he continued with a raised voice, pausing between each phrase.
……..one universal call, for a summary and fearful example.
We feel and know from experience…….
that to punish with severity…….
the perpetrators of these atrocities…….
will be found in the end…….
an act of greatest kindness and humanity.
(Perth Gazette 1834)
The room was silent and then spontaneous applause broke out amid calls of “here, here” and “well said”.
When the noise level in the room had returned to the restrained din of many male conversations Young John finally spoke. So it has come to this, an undeclared war against the blacks. Bert Anderson, the foreman at the mill south of Clarence, predicted that it would. I warned William about it. He was so enthusiastic and excited about owning his own land. We were clearing it and preparing to plant a crop. Living on our own resources and wits. He was very happy. It was his dream. We let our guard down and became careless. When William was speared it all came flooding back to me. Bert Anderson’s warning. “The blacks will fight for their land and the settlers who have invested a lot of money will fight back. There will be a lot of deaths on both sides before it is over.”
Dan Mason nodded. I risk my life at least once a week. There are now tracks and roads branching out from the settlement east along the river and on out to Kelmscott, south down to Clarence and Rockingham Town and up to Hamilton Hill. The blacks know I carry produce and have often stopped me to ask for flour. They were satisfied with one or two pounds but are now demanding more. A lot of the time I am on my own. It is difficult to get good men to ride with me on a regular basis. Grog is the problem, they are either sleeping it off or too drunk for me to trust them with a loaded gun.
Old John agreed. Yes I’m glad that my sons are working on the river and are unlikely to be caught up in this conflict.
Similar scenes were repeated in other hotels and taverns of the main settlement and Fremantle. There were calls for a revenge attack on the native tribes in the Murray District. Many declared that they would be happy to be part of such a force to teach the savages a lesson they would not forget.
Stirling however, was unable to plan the nature of the reprisals against the Binjareb as he had business to attend to in Albany and would be absent from Perth for a lengthy period. Another month passed.
The settlers were getting desperate and were taking the law into their own hands. It seemed that nothing was going to be done by the authorities to halt the constant attacks by the natives, stealing stock, breaking into stores and spearing settlers.
With the escalation of conflict around the York and the Upper Swan area, settlers were becoming concerned about the possibility of an alliance between two or more Aboriginal groups. They could defend their farms and stock against small groups of marauders but isolated, as they were, a determined attack by a larger force was a different matter. The military would need to step in and take greater responsibility for eliminating the threat.
During August the J Thomas and Co. boats were busy around the port unloading ships’ cargoes and passengers and settlers’ goods. These had to be sorted and consigned to boats going up the river or transferred to coastal ships sailing south to Augusta. So, busy as they were, the conflict boiling up the river was the last thing on their minds. The Thomas brothers were making haste to load cargo and possessions on to the Cumberland which was due to sail that day, the 28th of August. They had secured the contract to load the Cumberland because William Ward, who was now working for the McDermotts, had recommended them as they had two boats and could get the job done quickly. He had also offered his services to help man the boats and shift the cargo and Captain McDermott had agreed that this was a good idea. The urgency of the task was increased as the morning of the day had presented all the elements of a storm brewing in the west. Captain McDermott, master of the Cumberland, had been urging them on as he wished to be underway while there was still a few hours of daylight left to enable him to make a safe exit through Challenger Passage and set his course south. The Thomas brothers managed the task with plenty of time to spare and the captain expressed his gratitude. He went on to explain that settlers and soldiers in Augusta were depending on him for supplies and he also had personal belongings for Captain and Mrs Molloy, the Bussells and the Turners.
John, conscious of his position, tactfully suggested to Captain McDermott that he might have a more comfortable passage if he waited until the storm had passed.
The captain though was of the opinion that the ferocity of the storm had been exaggerated. He was an experienced sailor he said, and knew the coast well. The harbor master, Captain Daniel Scott, had actually been reluctant to allow him to depart but he had insisted and had been cleared to sail. He thanked them again for their speed and efficiency in loading his cargo and cheerfully climbed aboard his boat for William Ward to row him out to the Cumberland.
The storm front was fast approaching and, worried about a high tide, the brothers made haste to pull their boats up well above the high water mark and secure them to posts. They then moved all of their gear, masts, sails, and oars across the road to Richard Thorne’s house and then headed for home to wait out the storm.
The storm raged for two days and when it finally abated the westerly wind continued to blow strongly and giant waves battered the coast for several days. Fishing out in the ocean was out of the question and travel up and down the river was risky and uncomfortable. The taverns and hotels were crowded with boatmen and their crews, warming their backsides in front of the open fires and fortifying themselves with a tot of rum while they waited for conditions to improve. With the main artery of commerce out of action, goods, produce and equipment piled up in Fremantle and on the docks in Perth.
When the clouds cleared and calm had been restored, the foreshores and jetties sprang into life. The debris that littered the beach had to be cleared, boats emptied and cleaned. By 8 am the first of the drays and carts began to arrive and crews sprang into action to load their cargoes and be amongst the first to set sail for Perth, unload, and hopefully pick up a cargo for the return down the river. It took the remainder of the week to catch up with the build up of goods and re-establish the normal routine on the river.
During September the authorities reported that the Cumberland had not arrived in Augusta. No other vessels had reported sighting her and it was feared that she had foundered at sea. This left Mrs McDermott in a very difficult situation financially without a husband to support her. William Ward cut down the amount of time that he worked for her but continued in her employment until she could make some arrangements.
Governor Stirling returned from King George Sound sometime around mid- October. The settlement waited, Fremantle waited, the settlers out on the farms waited. Nothing happened. Were the authorities going to do something about the damned blacks? Every day that passed they became bolder.
Then to the surprise of many people in the settled areas and out on the farm lands, the word on the grapevine was that a significant force led by the governor had left Perth on the 25th of October and headed south.
Then nothing was heard for the next two days and once again, by word of mouth, the news came that there had been a fierce battle on the Murray in which the Binjareb tribe had been vanquished. Two men in the government force had been seriously wounded and they were now at Thomas Peel’s house in Mandurah. Thomas Peel had taken part in the battle and had acquitted himself with distinction.
A detailed official description of the sequence of events leading up to the battle and the outcome appeared in the Perth Gazette on Saturday the 1st of November.
The justification was that lenience and forbearance had not halted the aggressive behavior of the Binjareb towards the other tribal groups and the settlers. It was essential that land owners be able to make the necessary improvements to their holdings and bring the land up to a productive state. The Binjareb were responsible for at least four murders and numerous other crimes against settlers. The punishment meted out to them was severe but justified.
On the night of the 25th of October the government force had proceeded south to Thomas Peel’s house and he and one of his servants joined the group. A few days later they were joined by ten soldiers making twenty five in all. From there they proceeded to a place ten miles up the Murray River to a camping spot known as Jim Jam where they spent the night of the 27th October
At daybreak they continued further up the river towards Pinjarra which had been declared as a future town site. They became aware of a large Aboriginal camp alongside the river. Fifteen of the group doubled back to a ford and crossed the river and concealed themselves on the opposite side of the river to the Aborigines, leaving a few men at the ford to guard the pack horses and supplies.
Captain Ellis and four others attempted to communicate with the Aborigines to ascertain whether it was Calyute’s group. The Aboriginal men grabbed their spears and formed an aggressive and threatening line. Ellis and the four other horsemen charged through the line, shooting as they went, and became involved in a melee killing and wounding enough men and women to cause the Aborigines to panic and run for the river. Some tried to swim or wade across and some hid amongst the exposed roots and fallen trees along the bank. They were then caught in a withering cross fire from the riflemen on one bank and the horsemen on the other bank. Some tried to float down the river but were pursued and shot. Approximately twenty five to thirty were killed, no wounded men were left alive.
At the camp sight one woman was dead and two women were wounded. Several children were killed.
Captain Ellis was hit in the temple by a spear and fell from his horse and was severely concussed. Constable Heffron received a serious spear wound to his arm.
Eight women and some children were captured.
It was decided to release the women after a warning which they were instructed to take back to other members of their tribe.
“If they again attempted to spear white men or their stock, or to avenge in any way the punishment which has been inflicted on them for their numerous murders and outrages, four times the present number of men would come among them and kill every man, woman and child. Not one Binjareb would remain alive this side of the mountains.”
The brutal raid on the Binjareb and the threat issued by Governor Stirling greatly reduced attacks on settlers and stealing and destruction of property in the Murray Region. It also ensured that attacks by the Binjareb tribe on settlers and property around the Swan and Canning Rivers virtually ceased. The Aboriginal groups in this area were still subjected to raids on their territory from the Binjareb to hunt game and steal women.
Problems with the natives were now generally limited to the Upper Swan and York District where the intensity increased as the settlers intent on farming and grazing pushed the frontier out into the Balardong country. In these regions the cycle of stealing and shooting and the inevitable payback spearings continued. The inadequacy of the authorities to police the area so remote from Perth meant that the settlers were more inclined to take matters into their own hands and the natives reacted accordingly.
Interestingly Robert Milne did not, or was not given the opportunity to, comment in the press about the routing of the Binjareb Tribe. The raid had been the talk of the settlement and, apart from a few settlers, everyone agreed that it was well over due and that the blacks had been taught a lesson. Robert Lyon had for many months been advocating a policy of negotiation and allocation of land and access to the river for the native tribes. Yet he did not comment publicly. One got the feeling though, that he had been making his position heard in private conversations with many members of the Agricultural Society. As on the 7th of November he was expelled from the society on the pretext that he had dealt unfairly with a fellow member over a land transaction. Lyon maintained that the real reason for his expulsion was his stance on the treatment of Aboriginals.
With the frontier of the settlement pushing out to the Upper Swan, York and Toodyay, the settlers in these districts now took their cue from the attitude of the government and the example set by the Governor with the raid on the Binjareb. There were instances of settlers organizing their own raids on Aboriginal camps which resulted in killings on both sides.
Despite these difficulties between the settlers and the Balardong tribal group the business and commerce of the main settlements continued to grow and trade on the river grew with it. The Thomas family continued to prosper. The purchase of the new block of land in the heart of Fremantle had been finalized. Old John had commenced the necessary improvements to the block and was planning the new building that would serve the double purpose of accommodating his family and be the headquarters for their business. It seemed that the Thomas family could look forward to a bright and prosperous future
Part 7
FISHING AND TROUBLE
The increasing population of the two major settlements meant that the demand for fish as a valuable source of protein had increased dramatically. In addition, now that the weather was warming up the frequency of ships calling in to the colony had increased. The captains of these ships were always on the lookout for cargoes to back-load for the Asian markets in Singapore and Jakarta and to markets in Mauritius. Salted and dried fish in sufficiently large quantities to export were snapped up and fetched good prices.
William Ward was on a day off from his job on the McDermott’s property and he and Old John were sharing a bottle of porter wine on the foreshore in Fremantle after a hard day out in their boats. William had been fishing and was packing up. Old John had just finished unloading a cargo of potatoes from Guildford. One of his clients had presented him with the wine to try so he invited William to sample it with him. The two men made themselves comfortable on the sand with their backs against the stern of William’s boat. Old John uncorked the wine and splashed a generous sample in William’s mug and then did the same for himself.
What will we drink to? Old John turned his head to look at William.
William paused for a few seconds then raised his mug to Old John’s.
