Indigenous Australians

In earlier decades, TLM-P was a young man determined to own a successful station and, like other colonists, did not comprehend the rights of Indigenous owners. As outlined earlier on this site, while at Hawkwood station he had no compunction about taking part in a murderous reprisal after the Hornet Bank massacre yet earlier had ridden long distances with a young Indigenous boy ('Johnny') when he was scouting the land. He admired bushcraft and physical toughness in men and perhaps largely because of those qualities, commented that, in his experience, Aboriginal Australians with exposure to white culture made good companions.¹⁾ We have more information than usual about his interactions with, and attitude to, Indigenous Australians because

His memories are a fascinating mixture of brute power and respect; ignorance and at least an attempt to learn Indigenous customs and language, though it is also clear he mostly communicated in Pidgin English.

TLM-P gave numerous examples of Pidgin speech, and described Indigenous people (almost all men, there is little reference to the women) as having acute powers of sight and observation, a talent for mimicry, and a deep-seated sense of humour. He recalled one boy who he called 'Johnny' who rode with him to inspect the land after he had bought Hawkwood. He recalled that one of his Indigenous workers at Bromelton was one he called 'Charlie'. 'Charlie' had been a potential outcast due to strict Indigenous marriage laws: he had married 'Sallie' despite it being forbidden for him to marry into her tribal group. TLM-P said he persuaded the tribe to accept the transgression, and that Charlie (perhaps because he was estranged from his extended family) stayed with him 'for years'. Charlie was either forgiven or eventually allowed back into tribal life. Like many Indigenous workers, he juggled seasonal obligations as a station worker with traditional obligations. 'Charlie' told TLM-P he had been ordered to attend a corroboree and that he 'must go'. He did, but got sick and died. TLM-P later learnt that Charlie had tried to send a message asking TLM-P to take a dray to collect him and ensure he would not die. 'Poor Charlie - had I got the message I should certainly have gone'. This is not to suggest, however, that he or any of his compatriots rose above his culture's assumption of the superiority of British people and one incident he described frightening Charlie for allowing a one remaining good horse to be 'broken down' by pretending he would hang and kill him - far from a harmless prank given how easily he could do so without legal consequences.²⁾