Day 12

Kwiais

Constable Macky

Harry Tilmouth

Burying the dead in Central Australia

Burials were difficult for Europeans living in the Centre. The heat and the lack of ready access to good quality timbers for the building of coffins meant most people ended up being buried in a fairly rudimentary way. In his book “Camel Pads”, a semi-fictional account of a padre’s journey through the bush (but which includes real people), R.B Plowman recalls a woman at William Creek who ordered a coffin for herself, despite being in good health. He remembers that on seeing the coffin, many people in the shanty town laughed, while others who knew the story behind it ‘smiled tolerantly’. ‘Some months previously the grown up only son of the shanty-keeper’s wife had been accidentally killed out bush. They brought him home for burial, only to find that there was not enough sawn timber to make a coffin. He was buried in a blanket – as is so often of necessity the bush way. The mother grieved at what she had considered the indecent burial of her son; and, fearful of suffering such indignity herself, ordered her coffin in good time.’(Plowman, 258-59)

Arch Grant’s book, “Camel, Train & Aeroplane”, provides several accounts of some of the challenges associated with burying people in the bush. Skipper Patrridge, whose story dominates the narrative, recalls visiting Joe Breaden’s place at Todmordern when Paddy McGovern, one of the station workers, died. Partridge recalls how he and another station worker constructed a coffin out of two sheets of galvanised iron and the lids of kerosene cases. Patrirdge’s account of the burial is as follows: ‘At 10am we buried him and the picture of that, my first burial in the heart of the bush, will ever abide with me. From the slight rise one could see away over the Alberga Creek to the north, tier upon tier of scrub. Then there was a brighter green, that of the gums which showed where the main channel ran. A cool breeze – for a change had come while Paddy was dying – came over the rise and flattened the dresses of the women who stood round the grave. Above us and occupying as it were a point of vantage sat the blacks full of eager curiosity to see this, the first burial on Todmorden. Surrounding the open grave itself were girls and women. One can see them plainly now all dressed in snow white save the central figure of the mourners, his widow whose deep mourning accentuates the brightness of the scene. Behind them the men who had been companions in labour with Paddy and how now stood in awkward silence feeling no one knows how much for Mrs Mac and wishing that some of her burden could be lifted and placed on their shoulders. They would work till they dropped in their places rather than thus have to stand silently by and see a woman suffer. ‘With the exception of three or four of us, all present were Catholics so we took the R.C form of burial service. At the head of the grave I stood with Thelma and Mollie on either side of me to give the responses – and as the Latin sentences rolled forth with their fineness of diction and stateliness, one’s mind went back to the Ciceros and Muretus’ of Roman history who swayed the minds and hearts of hearers, who appealed, stormed and grandly led a people by the eloquent use of the same language. No wonder the Romans were a fine type of men for the glory of their language is enough to inspire the dullest.’ (Grant, 74-75).

The terrain itself also provided cause for consternation. As Arch Grant writes: ‘One funeral Skipper conducted while in Scone gave him much enjoyment to remember. One of the old Scottish farmers had died and was buried in a private cemetery. Local men volunteered to dig the grave but ran into difficulty when they encountered shale before reaching what they considered to be a satisfactory depth. They decided to use gelignite to help them. They drilled a hole, inserted the charge and lit the fuse, but the charge failed to explode. None had any experience in withdrawing a charge so they decided that they would have to leave things as they were. Skipper remembered that never had a casket been lowered into a grave with greater care than that one, and never was a grave filled with greater reverence’ (Grant, 143)

Snowy Pearce

Lill

The qualities of a good stockman

In a hasrh environment like Central Australia, hardiness and endurance were key qualities for the stockman. Other key qualities according to'The Stockman', a book on the history of Australian pastoral history, include resourcefulness, courage, adaptability, and the capacity to combine the skills of the adventurer with masterful practicality. Most stockmen tended to be 'laconic' and 'stoic', refusing to admit defeat until a solution could be found. Chapter three of the Stockman makes the following assessment: 'Unlike the average city person, he must be self-sufficient. He must come to terms with solitude: be alone for long periods without feeling lonely. He must be able to summon instant courage when yarding cattle or riding a bucking horse, without the stiffening of an audience to cheer him along. Of all Australians, he is the truest human product of the country, since his environment has shaped what he is' (Sawrey, et al, 113-14)

New Crown Point Station

In 1880 W. Willoby applied for 1000 square miles in the vicinity of Charlotte Waters. He formed a partnership with fellow South Australian pastoralist Heywood, solicitor J.H Gordon, and teamster Joe Harding. In 1885 Harding brought the first cattle to the property, then called ‘Crown Point’ after distinctive formations near the first homestead. When the homestead was relocated sometime after 1910 it was called ‘New Crown’. By 1886 the founding partners had over 7000 cattle on the run, which even then, was one of the largest in the Centre. The initial cost of development was too much for the partnership, and they sold out in 1886 to flour miller James Cowan for a very low price. Crown Point was one of the first stations in the Centre to have a white woman in residence – first Mrs Thomas Margarey, and then Mrs Alec Ross. Baldwin Spencer visited in 1894 and described the influence of the women at the homestead…”Everything was green, the verandah overgrown with creepers was cool and restful, we had fresh vegetables…’ •The property was acquired by Kidman’s Crown Pastoral Company in 1910. It was used as a depot for the Company’s other interests. For a time it was managed by Tom Pearce – a Top End pioneer and Mine Host of We of the Never-Never.