| Narrative | The Bussell family of four brothers John, Joseph Vernon, Alfred and Charles were early colonists in 1831 in the town named after them – Busselton. Conflict started between the Bussells and the Noongar Wardandi traditional owners and escalated over the next four years, as increasingly severe tactics were used to stop the Wardandi from visiting their farms. They shot at 'intruders', made a wooden cannon to fire at them and took hostages, on one occasion holding a 'little girl', and another four women and a child (Shann, 1978, pp 98, 106). On 23 June 1837, a calf went missing. Allegedly Gaywal and Kenny had speared it. In retaliation on 28 June 1837, Henry Chapman and his brother, Alfred Bussell, an unnamed Corporal, a man named Moloney and Elijah Dawson went to Yulijoogarup and were involved in a massacre in which at least nine of the tribe were shot down. Brothers Vernon and Alfred Bussell later 'went down to the estuary, and saw that the natives had been afraid to return and bury their dead.' (Shann, 1978) 'In a letter to John Bussell in England, Charles wrote that "the war with the natives had been properly conducted", and was pleased that no European had died, although the family had been reprimanded by the WA government for taking the law into their own hands.' (Allbrook, 2014, pp 150-151). |
