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The earliest wri,en account of the Murdering Creek massacre –
a le,er from WC Low to David Bull, 1944
Meredith Walker
David Bull, covering le?er to Secretary RHSQ, September 13, 1949
“ I think you can place every reliance on what
he writes “ ,
Three le?ers from William Clark Low to David Bull 1944-‐45,
Royal Historical Society of Queensland archives.
Found by Dr Ray Kerkhove, when researching the Omber industry in
Buderim & Sunshine Coast
William Clark Low’s residence, Yandina c1900 Picture Sunshine Coast, Nambour Library
Four sons of James and ChrisOna Low, John, James, Ewan and William c1877
Extract staOons map
EG Heap ‘In the Wake of the Ra^smen’ part 1, Queensland Heritage,
1965
Yandina StaOon
Murdering Creek boundary of Yandina StaOon and later Sunshine Coast Council &
Noosa Shire Council
Extract from Parish of Weyba 1914 The earliest map with the creek named
ç Noosa Heads
Lake Weyba
John Windolf (2001) &
Frances Windolf (2007) have researched the Murdering Creek
massacre
alsols Ray Gibbons – the most perservering researcher
Earliest publicaOons menOoning Murdering Creek year Author Publica0on Comments
1966 EG Heap ‘In the Wake of the Ra^smen’, part 3, Queensland Heritage 1961
Single sentence. Added a^er type sedng. Not referenced. Acknowledgments include RHSQ
1974 Stan Tu? Pioneer Days pp83-‐84 Not referenced, based on Bull’s then unpublished book
1982 2001
David Bull Colin Monks
Short Cut to Gympie Gold pp 33-‐34 Nooosa: the way it was and the Way it is Now
Wri?en 1950. Not referenced, WC Low’s account the major source + Bull’s interpretaOon. Family story: the Kabi Kabi are lured to Murdering Creek by the offer of food. Monks family at TewanOn 1870 onwards. Later published accounts (eg Nancy Cato) are based on Bull and/or Tu?,
with the author’s interpretaOon or elaboraOon, and/or oral history.
The veracity of William Clark Low’s account 1944 Were those people in the area ? [could they have been involved?] Sco, ( lease holder), Chippindall (manager Yandina staOon), Jones brothers, Constable Farquarson, others – George Browne? Other circumstan2al evidence? Other family stories? [Monks, Browne] Does the landscape support the account? Conclusions Date who was involved? What happened? deaths? & Consequences/results
Context
Ray Kerkhove Map: Sites of purported massacres and affrays near Murdering Creek c 1850s-‐1870w
William C Low “ … in fact Chippindall’s life was never safe he never went on the run without a Revolver with him, In fact Sandy Fleming Aboriginal said it was very common to see a spear coming through the scrub when on the run” Chippindall family history is of trouble with the blacks at Yandina StaOon.
Gympie Times 5th May, 1869, p 2 “The blacks have lately been spearing ca,le in the most wonton manner on the Yandina run, and unless checked at once will be emboldened by impunity and commit more serious crimes. It would not be creditable to the Execu]ve were such a state of things allowed to con]nue in the main road between Brisbane and Gympie.” Could the massacre have occurred following this report?
Scarred tree, near Murdering creek repro canoe, Lake Cootharaba, Noosa, 2012 (photo James Muller)
Q. Could it have happened as described?
Conclusions Date? – 1869 Time: – Late May -‐ Early June Whose involved? The manager of Yandina StaOon -‐ William T Chippindall? Dick and Arthur Jones? George Browne-‐ involved with this event or others? + persons unknown Was there more than one massacre at Lake Weyba? Other scenarios?
Acknowledgements • Dr Ray Kerkhove –co-‐researcher and discoverer of the le?er in
RHSQ archives • Audienne Blyth, (nee Low) historian, Yandina • Colin Monks, historian, TewanOn • Robin Wells and Discover Eumundi (map collec]on) • Dr Elaine Brown, historian, Gympie • Murray Browne, descendant of George Browne, manager Yandina
StaOon c1871-‐1891 • Lyndon Davis, Kabi Kabi elder and his wife Nikki Davis, Yandina • Val Donovan, Royal Historical Society of Queensland • Ray Gibbons • Heather Johnston, co-‐ordinator Buderim SAILS • Kaye Nardella, curator, and Bill Kitson, volunteer, Museum of
Lands, Mapping & Surveying, Woolloongabba • Prof Lyndall Ryan,