IUSSP XXVth International Population Conference
Session 1009 Demography, Human Rights and Ethics
Tours, France 20 July 2005
Blankets, Brass Tags and Bungalows: The Role of Population Data Systems in
Historical Aboriginal Affairs in Northern Territory, Australia (Draft)
Ellen Percy Kraly, Department of Geography, Colgate University
Figure 3
Roper River Police Station
Report dated 7 September 1908
(SA 16922)
Dear Sir
I have the honour respectfully to report for your information
that the undermentioned natives have been supplied with one
blanket each.
Lowrey Polly Little Polly
Judy Rosie Lucy
Linda Dinah Jennie
Nellie Polly Little Nellie
Polly Nellie Kitty
Kitty Jennie Judy
Maggie Judy Kitty
Minnie Jennie Missey
Maggie Ruby Nellie
Dandy Tommy Dodd Peter
Yellow Ginger Jimmy Powder
Judy Tommy Annie
Jimmy Tommy Costello Lucy
Deaf Tommy Kitty Nellie
Bosun Dick Jabarin
I have the honour to be
Sir
Your Obedient Servant
James Kelly ......
Roper River Police Station
Report dated 7 September 1908
(SA 16922)
List of Natives to whom rations have been issued with
quantity supplied.
2. 8.1908 Nellie Aged and infirm
3. 8.1908 Judy Aged and infirm
4. 8.1908 Polly Lot of children
4. 8.1908 Jimmy Aged and infirm
18. 8.1908 Polly Aged and infirm
20. 8.1908 Jabarin Sick and leprous
All received flour, tobacco, tea and sugar.
Signed James Kelly
Figure 4
Correspondence documenting the disposal of children
from a Mission Home.
(NAA A1/15 Item 12/9487)
Darwin
8 April 1912
To the Chief Protector of Aboriginals
Sir
Attached for your information is a list of the children
formerly at the Mission house conducted by Mr Barry together
with information concerning their disposal. You will notice
that all are in good hands and are well cared for.
I have the honour to be
Sir
Yours faithfully
J T Beckett
Chief Inspector
Boys
Jimma Half Caste Cingulee, 8 years. Adopted by Mrs Penne,
is well clothed and cared for and attends local
State School regularly.
[May be Mrs Ponne.]
Albert 16 (full blood aboriginal) cared for same as Geo May,
his half brother, and attends school.
Ranji Half caste, 6 yrs, taken by his uncle W Allen, is well
clothed and cared for and attends local State School
regularly.
Harry Hesselbein 9 yrs, half caste, taken by Mr N Holtze, is well clothed
and cared for and attends school with Mr Holtze's
children.
Andy Hether Half caste, 19 yrs, earns own living in P R Allen's store
and getting on well.
Rupert Hill Half caste, 18 yrs, earns own living at Custom bond store
and getting on well.
Robert Full blood Aboriginal, 17 yrs, taken by Mr Stewart State
School teacher.
Fred Full blood Aboriginal, 16 yrs, taken by department as
office boy.
Girls
Koby Shepherd Half caste European, 10 yrs.
Bachie Shepherd Half caste European, 8 yrs.
Both taken by Mrs (Capt) Edwards, are well clothed and cared for and attend
State School regularly.
Kitty Aboriginal full blood. Taken by Mrs J C Lewis who is training
her in domestic duties.
I have carefully questioned all these children and offered them the choice of
returning to Mr Barry's Mission Home but all are well satisfied with the
arrangements made for them by the department.
J T Beckett
Chief Inspector of Aborigines.
Figure 5
Correspondence about two marriages in 1911
(NAA A1 Item 1912/3519)
(1) Department of Aboriginal Affairs
Office of the Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
Darwin, 11 August 1911
Forwarded through His Honor, the Acting Administrator
The Honble
The Minister of External Affairs
Melbourne
Sir
I have the honor to forward, herewith the copy of a
letter sent to Raymond Cavin of Darwin, granting him permission
to marry the aboriginal woman 'Katy' of the Southport Tribe,
who has been living with Raymond for several years under his
care.
The case was fully investigated prior to the granting
of this permission.
I have the honor to be
Sir,
Your obedient servant
H Basedow
Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
(2) Department of Aboriginal Affairs
Office of the Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
Darwin, 11 August 1911
Raymond Cavin
Cavanagh Street
Darwin
In reply to your communication dated July 31st I have
to inform you that permission has been granted you to marry
the Aboriginal woman 'Katy' of the Southport tribe, who is now
living with you, under your protection.
Please call at this office at an early date.
H Basedow
Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
(3) Department of Aboriginal Affairs
Office of the Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
Darwin, 22 August 1911
Forwarded through His Honor, the Acting Administrator
The Honble
The Minister of External Affairs
Melbourne
Sir
I have the honor to forward, herewith, the copy of a
letter giving permission to Mr C J Williams of Melville Island
to marry an aboriginal girl named 'Kitty'. The latter, it
appears was responsible some time ago for the saving of Mr
William's life.
I have the honor to be
Sir,
Your obedient servant
H Basedow
Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
(4) Department of Aboriginal Affairs
Office of the Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
Darwin, 22 August 1911
Mr C J Williams
Melville Island
Darwin
Permission has been granted you to marry the aboriginal girl
named 'Kitty' (Kula Maru) now living with you, under your
protection at Cooper's Camp, Melville Island.
You will please call at the Police Office at your
earliest convenience and produce this letter.
H Basedow
Chief Protector and Chief Medical Inspector
Figure 14
Correspondence about Douglas and Ooloo Stations 1950
(NAA F315 Item 49/393A)
Letter dated 14 July 1950
Acting District Superintendent
Douglas and Ooloo Stations, Daly River
Douglas Station on Douglas River (Permanent running
water), is 20 miles by road from the turnoff at the 115 miles
on the bitumen, ie 135 miles by road from Darwin.
The Douglas River is a tributary of the Daly River.
Ooloo Station is situated on Ban Ban Lagoon, half a
mile off the Daly River and 15 miles from Douglas Station.
Mr Paddy Liddy (quadroon), son of Tom Liddy, owns and
manages Douglas Station, his father, Tom Liddy, owns and manages
Ooloo Station.
Douglas Station has been moved from the old site at the
junction of Hayes Creek with the Douglas River to a new site
a few miles up the Douglas and Paddy Liddy is building a new
station. Douglas Station was practically occupied by Defence
personnel during the war.
The two stations work together at present, the one
mustering camp works both properties. I told Mr Liddy one
employment return would serve the two stations.
The station homestead at the Douglas is built of bush
timber and corrugated iron and has a part cement and part ant-
bed floor. Furniture was of the simplest kind but included a
refrigerator. Other station buildings comprised meat house,
harness room and a native kitchen off the harness room, all of
bush timber framework.
For water supply there is a hand pump from the river
with a pipe reaching halfway to the house. There is no bath
room at the house and no garden.
The station buildings at ooloo Station on Ban Ban Lagoon
comprised one bush timber framed homestead with cement floor
and one sawn timber framed building, 3 feet off the ground with
sawn timber flooring. Furniture was of the simplest but
included a refrigerator and wireless.
Water supply was by engine and pump from Ban Ban Lagoon
to overhead tanks. Water is laid through the station. There
is a bathroom and small vegetable garden.
When I arrived at Douglas Station Paddy and Tom Liddy
had not arrived back from a visit to Darwin and the station
was out of beef and stores. Mrs Paddy Liddy (nee Ruby Stott)
was at the station.
Tom Liddy and Paddy Liddy arrived from Darwin the same
evening, they brought a load of fuel but few stores apart from
flour, tea and sugar.
The Liddy's deal with Ah Toy of Pine Creek and the
natives buy their goods there.
A list of all aborigines on the two stations is attached
to this report.
The following part-aborigines are on the station :-
Bob Cadell - born on Ooloo Station on 1st July 1932.
Mother Ruby Jingala (Dilinara tribe) full blood
aborigine, father European. He has made application
for exemption. He is paid one pound per week in
addition to food and clothing. Tom Liddy has agreed
to raise his wages if his exemption is granted. He
lives in the station homestead with Tom Liddy.
Rankine 'Liddy' - born at Douglas Station on 1st July 1938.
Mother Lulu Jagala (Nagaman tribe), full blood aborigine,
father European.
Billy 'Liddy' - born on Adelaide River near Humpty
Doo Station on 1st July 1938. Mother Goyder Guda
(Marananggu tribe) full blood aborigine, alleged
father W Nokes European.
Rankine and Billy attended school in Pine Creek for 12
months but as accomodation arrangements were not satisfactory
they have not returned.
Tom Liddy claims to have adopted Rankine and Billy
although they are not his children and will arrange for their
education.
The Liddys had forwarded no employment returns and
their records were very primitive. Paddy Liddy, who does the
office work for the two stations, had a copy of the Pastoral
Regulations obtained from the Pastoral Leases Association.
I explained the sections of the Regulations to him.
From his crude records and information he gave me I
made out an employment return for Douglas and Ooloo Stations
showing credits and debits for each native employee for the
period 1st January 1950 to 30th June 1950, and made out an
authorisation to cover clothing and cash given to his employees
over thus period.
I impressed on him that in future he must obtain an
authorisation from an authorised protector before paying cash
or issuing goods against the credits of his employees.
Rations
Rations issued to employees and dependents are mainly
bread, beef, syrup, tea and sugar. Paddy and Tom Liddy apparently
live largely on the same diet.
Cows are milked in the wet season and early dry season,
milk is available over this period.
Accomodation for natives
On Douglas Station there are two native huts, 20' x 12'
and 12' x 12' and a native kitchen. The 20' x 12' hut is well
ventilated and is a useful type of native hut. Frameworks are
bush timber with antbed floor. Ooloo Station has three native
cottages, 12' x 12' with verandah, bush timber framework and
antbed floor.
The native accomodation and rations are below the
standard required by the Regulations but are in keeping with
the employers accomodation and rations.
As the employers improve their standards improvement
will be expected in accomodation and rations for their
employees.
One family of eight children is eligible for child
endowment. I obtained details for their claim. Mr Liddy
informed me that his solicitor Mr J W Lyons would be
entering a claim for child endowment for this family.
G Sweeney
Patrol Officer
14. 7.1950
Douglas and Ooloo Stations, Daly River
Goyder Guda Marrananggu F 40y Cook
Billy Nokes (now Liddy) M 12y H/C, son
Luly (Lulu?) Jagala Wagaman F 30y Housegirl
Rankine 'Liddy' M 12y H/C, son
Maudie Nga-dja Wagaman F 70y Mother of Topsy Ngul-bandi
Peter Gujada Wagaman M 45y Stockboy
Dolly Gad-burr Wagaman F 40y Wife
Teddy Boy Ga-rin-ba M 14y Son
Don Bu-lam-bul M 12y Son
Lena Ju-lu-luk F 11y Daughter
Willie Gul-ma-jang-in M 8y Son
Jessie I-bur-burin F 6y Daughter
Doris Ma-gai-yan F 3y Daughter, twin
Clara Gum-bit-bida F 3y Daughter, twin
Peter Garrng-nei-i M 3m Son
Maggie Nilyari F 60y
(Mother of Lily, Lulu and Ruby.)
Sambo Yu-bi-ran-ma Jamijung M 28y Stockboy
Lily Bam-wulu F 22y Wife
Tom Wyatt Jabada Wailbri M 35y Stockboy
Ruby Jingaia Bilinara F 40y Wife
Robert Cadell M 18y H/C, son
Topsy Ngul-bandi Wagaman F 50y Housegirl
(Husband Paddy Sammy is in the Leper Station, Darwin.)
Other examples of the above type of report
Henbury Station
Figure 14 (cont)
Further examples
(NAA F315 Item 49/393A)
Henbury Station
Wages Head stockman, Sonny Swan, three-quarter white, three
pounds ten shillings per week, graduating on a scale of proficiency
and length of service to one pound per week. Food and clothing provided
and dependents kept. House girls ten shillings per week with clothing
and food provided.
Half-Caste Out of 31 coloured people on the station only two
are exempt, namely Gordon Abbott and Kenneth Swan. These were granted
as a result of War Service. The remainder have been born and
brought up on Henbury and are quite satisfied with their conditions.
Some of the children have received education at Hermannsburg, but
have not progressed very far. The overcrowding of Hostels in the
Alice Springs area, prohibits the children from receiving schooling,
so I would suggest that next year if the position has eased, some of
the younger, near white kiddies could be brought in. Mr Pearce is
giving all the youths a good training in stockwork, and is keen on
educating the others.
General Mr Pearce has a very sympathetic attitude towards his
employees, and does his utmost to help in every way. While I was
there an application was made to me by a coloured boy Jim Kernan
to marry a coloured girl Vera Armstrong. I obtained the consent of
the girl's father in writing. Mr Pearce is assisting his employee
to make application for child endowment.
Napperby Station
Manager Bennett Webb is the manager but at the time of
our visit he was not present, Mr W A Gibson being left in charge.
Gibson is a white man legally married to Lucy (described as a
half-caste but who, in my opinion, is at least three-quarter
black).
Half-castes There were no half-caste children on Napperby
at the time of our visit. However, the two who were located there
last year are still camping away from the station, their mother
having apparently got wind of our intentions to move them. It
will require a special patrol to apprehend then but, in view of
the fact that the school year is now half-way through and that
St Mary's Hostel is close to saturation point with the existing
staff, I recommend that it be left until next January to send
out and pick them up. There are two of them - one boy, Texas,
aged approximately 7 years and whose father is alleged to be a
Mr Dixon, and one girl, Lily, aged approximately 5 years and
whose father is alleged to be Mick Kelly of Coniston Station.
Their mother originally came from Gordon Downs.
Figure 15
Example of Removal of part Aboriginal Children
Taken from a Report by Patrol Officer E C Evans dated December 1949.
Movement of Part-aboriginal Children
Only five part-aboriginal children of those listed
by you in your memorandum dated 26th August 1949 were
removed by me. They were :-
Dora, aged 9 yrs
Rita, aged 8 yrs
Captain, aged 7 yra
Peggy, aged 7 yrs
Florrie, aged 5 yrs
(All fron Wave Hill)
Of the others listed the position is as follows :-
ex Willeroo Station - not visited.
ex Delamere Station - not visited.
Larry ex Timber Creek - Absent at the time of my visit.
Constable Mettam promised to hold him id advised
prior to my next visit.
David ex Waterloo - Hidden by his mother who had received
advice of my intentions from Wave Hill. She has
promised to hand him over next year.
Shanus ex Limbunya - Absent with his mother at Ord River
Station.
John ex Wave Hill - Deceased. My enquiries revealed that
John died of pneumonia shortly after the visit of
Patrol Officer Sweeny and myself in September 1947.
Mary ex Wave Hill - Absent at the time of my visit.
Alleged to be in the Pigeon Hole, Victoria River
Downs area.
Kim and Mitze ex Victoria River Downs - Removed by
Constable Potts.
Rosie ex Gordon Creek - not visited.
Sandy and Ah Lai ex Pigeon Hole - not visited.
The half-caste named Harold at Newry Station, who I
was instructed to commit to the care of the Manager, is now
an inmate of the Derby Leprosarium.
Comment The removal of the children from Wave Hill
by MacRobertson Miller aircraft was accompanied by distressing
scenes the like of which I wish never to experience again.
The engines of the 'plane are not stopped at Wave Hill and
the noise combined with the strangeness of an aircraft only
accentuated the grief and fear of the children, resulting in
near-hysteria in two of them. I am quite convinced that news
of my action at Wave Hill preceded me to the other stations
resulting in the children being taken away prior to my arrival.
I endeavoured to assuage the grief of the mothers by
taking photographs of each of the children prior to their
departure and these have been distributed among them. Also
a dress length each was given the five mothers. Gifts of
sweets to the children helped to break down a lot of their
fear and I feel that removal by vehicle would have been
effected without any fuss.
Leprosy There are indications thet there is still at
least on suspect case of leprosy at Waterloo and also one at
Mistake Creek. Dr Black advised me, after we had left these
stations, that he considered at least one native at each of
these stations to be a leper. There were no obvious signs to
my layman's eyes. There is, however, a young male native at
Legune, Bob Koolimbin, whom the Manager considers might
possibly be a suspect. His father died in the Derby
Leprosarium and this may be influencing his judgement because
there are as yet no obvious signs such as the thickening
above and loss of the eyebrows, or discoloration of the skin.
I will make a point of again examining this native when next
I visit Legune.
Figure 25
Census of Inmates and staff - Retta Dixon Home 16 April 1957
(NAA F1/0 1955/253)
Group Boys Girls Total
Wards Non-Wards Wards Non-Wards
<= 5yrs 2 7 2 4 15
6-11 yrs 15 9 22 6 52
12-15 yrs 8 2 14 2 26
>15 yrs 2 1 3
Totals 27 18 39 12 96
Plus 5 women inmates, under the Ordinance 5
Total Inmates 101
Wards, Post School
Elaine Kelly 14 yrs Assists duties in Home
Joyce Croft 15 yrs Assists duties in Home
Glenys Braun 14 yrs Assists duties in Home
Vera Doran 16 yrs Casual day work at one pound per day.
Four regular days per week.
Samuel Fejo 15 yrs In Alice Springs
Roger Roman 17 yrs In Alice Springs
David Ross 14 yrs Assists in Home
James Anderson 17 yrs Working at Hume Bros, Stuart Highway, Winnellie
Will be 18 yrs old on 6 May 1957.
Names of Children not Committed to the Home
Glenys Braun
Maralyn Braun
Ralph (Stanley) Braun
Anthonia Braun
Ian Tilmouth
Margaret Tilmouth
Henry Crosbie
Jock, Vincent Crosbie
Josephine Crosbie
(Under State Children's Council)
Peggy Gallagher
(Contribution made by father.)
Tommy Allan
Leslie Allan
Marie Allan
Fay Allan
(Contribution made by father Jack Gallagher.)
Peter Winsley
Marie Holtze
William Rotumah
Peter Rotumah
Joseph Rotumah
(Supported by father Charlie Rotumah.)
William Dempsey
Dennis Dempsey
Norman George
Joan George
Edward George
(All supported by mother Mrs Norman George.)
Allan Austral
Marlene Hayes
Nola Hayes
Jennifer Hayes
(Mother working on kitchen staff, cares for these 4 children.)
McKenzie Croft
Stanley Croft
(Mother on laundry, cares for 2 boys.)
_________________________________________________________________
|
