| Narrative | In July 1841, Chief Protector GA Robinson, on a tour of the Western District, heard that in November 1840, the hutkeeper employed by Horatio Spencer Wills, lessee of Lexington, La Rose and Moekpilly Stations, was killed by three Aboriginal men in revenge for killing a Wurrung or Jardwadjali [Pirtpirtwurrung speakers?] Aboriginal man and an Aboriginal woman. Wills, William Kirk, lessee at Burrumbeep station, and the overseer, Andrew Rutter, then attacked the Aboriginal camp and 'shot two women who had infants... the latter were left without milk' (Robinson, 29 July, 1841, cited in Clark, 1998b, p 336). At about the same time, Wills, AT Thompson, Capt. RH Bunbury and Capt. R Briggs, the lessees of other nearby stations, shot another three Aboriginal men and two women. Another report by Assistant Protector ES Parker suggests that a further three Aboriginal men were also shot by three other employees at Kirk's station. In all ten Aboriginal people were killed by squatters in this region at this time. It is possible that all three incidents were part of the same killing spree to disperse Aboriginal people from the station (Clark, 1995, pp 73, 77). |
