Gracetown, Cowaramup Bay the heart of the south west Margaret River Wine Region
Gracetown Massacre?
This was an interesting article posted in the Local Augusta Margaret River Mail.
Gracetown massacre?
JOHN ALFERINK
1/04/2009 9:45:00 AM
THE letters of indignation that sought to diminish Greg Keeley’s reasoned argument against the idea of an Aboriginal massacre at Gracetown were predictable.
Let’s examine the assertions contained in them.
Each of the four letters published seems to elevate the tradition of oral history over that of written–ie European history.
This is definitely not to say that written history is universally reliable but at least it doesn’t change once it’s written down and it can be evaluated, studied and/or refuted as is appropriate.
This is not an argument for the truth or validity of European history over Aboriginal history, it is simply a fact about the recording of it.
The correspondents all point out that the history of our State includes many unlawful killings.
Sadly true–the insensitivity of many early settlers and their universal inability to understand the Aboriginal culture resulted in much bloodshed.
The Perth Gazette of the time is peppered with such sad stories and there are enough of them, reported in what seems to be a fair and impartial tone, to make it fairly obvious that the government cover-up so favoured by the massacre’s advocates would not find a complaisant accomplice in the Gazette.
However, in this case we are dealing with a specific allegation of a specific massacre of a specific number (450) of Aboriginal people in the place now known as Gracetown on Cowaramup Bay in 1857–or 1867 perhaps, as there has been some confusion on the date.
The fact is that the Department of Indigenous Affairs has rejected the application to register the site of this purported massacre.
Why?
Because its Aboriginal Cultural Material committee, consisting of three Aboriginal and three non-Aboriginal members, recognises the spurious nature of the claim.
Let’s be clear about this.
The application for registration (21930) was made just a few months ago and in one of her several letters to the press, Ann Klubal says that the proposed development at Gracetown will have to take this sacred site into consideration.
One just might suspect a motive there?
The Department of Indigenous Affairs in 2009 is extremely unlikely to cover up a massacre that occurred in 1857 (or 1867) despite Lorraine Toone’s dismissal of the integrity of government agencies.
Why on earth would it wish to do so?
What would be achieved?
And what a slight on the DIA officers.
Let us examine some points.
Four hundred and fifty is a very large number of people, given that the estimated number of Aborigines in the South Western part of the State at the time (a line from Geraldton to Esperance) was 10,000 (The first Australians, Western Australia, an Atlas of Human Endeavour, Professor RM Berndt, W Douglas, Dr S Kaldor, SJ Hallam).
A very large number of people to be killed with the single-shot, difficult-to-reload guns of the time, or with some other ghastly weapons that required more close contact.
The Aboriginal population was certainly not without courage and resources and surely would have responded to the atrocity, causing some sort of injuries on the crowd (and it would have needed to be a crowd) of murderers.
Ann Klubal would like us to embrace her picture of the 21st Regiment, Royal North British Fusiliers as the likely murderers.
She asserts there were 150 of them stationed at Vasse.
Oh dear, another whimsicality.
The 21st Regiment in Western Australia in fact comprised two companies, in effect less than 150 soldiers, but they were deployed over the State, and the most the South West ever saw were 12 privates and a sergeant, who moved between Augusta and the Vasse.
Of course 12 armed privates and a sergeant could in fact do quite a bit of damage if they were so inclined, but the sad fact is that they could hardly have been involved in an 1867 (or 1857) massacre when the Regiment actually left Western Australia for India in 1840.
The 63rd Regiment, also mentioned, was actually relieved by the 21st, and left in 1834 (Conquest and Settlement, Geoff Blackburn).
If some examinable evidence can be produced that the massacre of 450 Aboriginal people on Cowaramup Bay did happen, I would be more than happy to accept it as fact.
In the meantime, I must remain a sceptic.
I would ask to see some bones (other than those of a lone Aboriginal woman in a cave, as duly authenticated and registered), I would ask to see some mention of it in writing or some contemporary hint of such a terrible enormity.
I would like to know who is supposed to have done it, I would like to know who covered up the bodies and exactly where they are so that perhaps some archaeological work can be done to prove or disprove.
This matter is not an attack on Aboriginal culture, for which I have the greatest respect.
It is not a denial that atrocities took place in our early days.
It is simply a search for the truth about a specific claim and a hope for historical accuracy.
Gracetown massacre?
JOHN ALFERINK
1/04/2009 9:45:00 AM
THE letters of indignation that sought to diminish Greg Keeley’s reasoned argument against the idea of an Aboriginal massacre at Gracetown were predictable.
Let’s examine the assertions contained in them.
Each of the four letters published seems to elevate the tradition of oral history over that of written–ie European history.
This is definitely not to say that written history is universally reliable but at least it doesn’t change once it’s written down and it can be evaluated, studied and/or refuted as is appropriate.
This is not an argument for the truth or validity of European history over Aboriginal history, it is simply a fact about the recording of it.
The correspondents all point out that the history of our State includes many unlawful killings.
Sadly true–the insensitivity of many early settlers and their universal inability to understand the Aboriginal culture resulted in much bloodshed.
The Perth Gazette of the time is peppered with such sad stories and there are enough of them, reported in what seems to be a fair and impartial tone, to make it fairly obvious that the government cover-up so favoured by the massacre’s advocates would not find a complaisant accomplice in the Gazette.
However, in this case we are dealing with a specific allegation of a specific massacre of a specific number (450) of Aboriginal people in the place now known as Gracetown on Cowaramup Bay in 1857–or 1867 perhaps, as there has been some confusion on the date.
The fact is that the Department of Indigenous Affairs has rejected the application to register the site of this purported massacre.
Why?
Because its Aboriginal Cultural Material committee, consisting of three Aboriginal and three non-Aboriginal members, recognises the spurious nature of the claim.
Let’s be clear about this.
The application for registration (21930) was made just a few months ago and in one of her several letters to the press, Ann Klubal says that the proposed development at Gracetown will have to take this sacred site into consideration.
One just might suspect a motive there?
The Department of Indigenous Affairs in 2009 is extremely unlikely to cover up a massacre that occurred in 1857 (or 1867) despite Lorraine Toone’s dismissal of the integrity of government agencies.
Why on earth would it wish to do so?
What would be achieved?
And what a slight on the DIA officers.
Let us examine some points.
Four hundred and fifty is a very large number of people, given that the estimated number of Aborigines in the South Western part of the State at the time (a line from Geraldton to Esperance) was 10,000 (The first Australians, Western Australia, an Atlas of Human Endeavour, Professor RM Berndt, W Douglas, Dr S Kaldor, SJ Hallam).
A very large number of people to be killed with the single-shot, difficult-to-reload guns of the time, or with some other ghastly weapons that required more close contact.
The Aboriginal population was certainly not without courage and resources and surely would have responded to the atrocity, causing some sort of injuries on the crowd (and it would have needed to be a crowd) of murderers.
Ann Klubal would like us to embrace her picture of the 21st Regiment, Royal North British Fusiliers as the likely murderers.
She asserts there were 150 of them stationed at Vasse.
Oh dear, another whimsicality.
The 21st Regiment in Western Australia in fact comprised two companies, in effect less than 150 soldiers, but they were deployed over the State, and the most the South West ever saw were 12 privates and a sergeant, who moved between Augusta and the Vasse.
Of course 12 armed privates and a sergeant could in fact do quite a bit of damage if they were so inclined, but the sad fact is that they could hardly have been involved in an 1867 (or 1857) massacre when the Regiment actually left Western Australia for India in 1840.
The 63rd Regiment, also mentioned, was actually relieved by the 21st, and left in 1834 (Conquest and Settlement, Geoff Blackburn).
If some examinable evidence can be produced that the massacre of 450 Aboriginal people on Cowaramup Bay did happen, I would be more than happy to accept it as fact.
In the meantime, I must remain a sceptic.
I would ask to see some bones (other than those of a lone Aboriginal woman in a cave, as duly authenticated and registered), I would ask to see some mention of it in writing or some contemporary hint of such a terrible enormity.
I would like to know who is supposed to have done it, I would like to know who covered up the bodies and exactly where they are so that perhaps some archaeological work can be done to prove or disprove.
This matter is not an attack on Aboriginal culture, for which I have the greatest respect.
It is not a denial that atrocities took place in our early days.
It is simply a search for the truth about a specific claim and a hope for historical accuracy.
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