| Site Name | Goose Hill - East Kimberley |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name | |
| Language Group, Nation or People | Kitja, Worla |
| Present State/Territory | WA |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | WA |
| Police District | Halls Creek - East Kimberley |
| Latitude | -15.584 |
| Longitude | 128.349 |
| Date | Between 1 Apr 1888 and 30 Apr 1888 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People |
| Victim Descriptions | |
| Victims Killed | 6 |
| Victims Killed Notes | 6- 80 |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Settler(s), Police, Pastoralist(s) |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Horse |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Revolver(s), Winchester(s) |
| Narrative | In September 1888, on what appeared 'a routine police patrol to investigate horse spearing, PC Graham and others, including his native assistant Banjo, shot and killed Aboriginal people at Goose Hill' in the East Kimberley (Owen, 2016, p 236). After rumours circulated that a lot more people were killed, more evidence came out. There were five more colonists including a man called Howard and another called Liddelton with the police party and they had all agreed to launch a punitive expedition to 'teach them a lesson' for spearing colonists' horses. Police officer Richard Troy charged all the men with murder which caused outrage in the town of Wyndham and there were fears the townspeople would try and break the accused out of prison. Though charged, none were convicted due to 'lack of evidence.' When Howard was confronted with the charge of 'murdering five natives', he told police that he thought the killings might have 'blown over', remarking that 'I cannot see that I have done much wrong' (CSO, 'Government Resident Wyndham - Natives (5) shot by PC. Graham & others in April 88). It is possible that over sixteen times more Aboriginal people (including women and children) were killed than the ones mentioned. The Sunday Times September 13, 1908 corroborates much of the detail and suggested that 'as many as eighty natives may have been butchered' (Sunday Times, September 13, 1908, p 3). |
| Sources | CSO, 'Government Resident Wyndham - Natives (5) shot by PC. Graham & others in April 88. Report,' File Note G.B. Phillips, Commissioner of Police to Hon. Colonial Secretary, enclosing reports from Sergeant Troy and statements from PC Graham and native assistant Banjo, 2 October 1888, SROWA, AN 24, Acc. 527, File 2776/1888; Sunday Times, September 13, 1908, p 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/57585524/4330457; Owen, 2016, pp 236-240. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | *** |
