Getting Away with Murder: Who Was Really Responsible for the Deaths of Hugh and Donald Macquarie?

09/14/2018.Reading time 17 minutes.

By Peter Bell and Lynley Wallis The remote nature of colonial Qld meant it was possible not to see another human being for weeks, if not months. This isolation was one reason why squatters sometimes had no qualms about dispensing illegal “colonial justice” to Aboriginal people (although after the Myall Creek trials of 1838 squatters […]

‘To be Seen and Not Heard’: Children and the NMP

08/23/2018.Reading time 14 minutes.

By Lynley Wallis and Heather Burke Given the work with which they were routinely engaged, it is hard to reconcile the idea of a Native Mounted Police camp replete with happy children scampering through the bush, bursting with laughter. But in many cases this must have been a relatively common occurrence since, as we noted […]

‘A Large Comet Appeared in the West’: The Daily Journals of Three NMP Camps

08/08/2018.Reading time 16 minutes.

By Heather Burke Jonathan Richards (2005:1–9) has pointed out the rich veins that can be tapped when searching for Native Mounted Police (NMP) records in the Qld State Archives by burrowing through general file series, such as the Colonial Secretary’s inwards and outwards correspondence, the inquest files of the Justice Department, or the Executive Council […]

Treachery or a Matter of Survival? The Attempted Murder of Sub-Inspector Brabazon Stafford

07/20/2018.Reading time 21 minutes.

By Heather Burke .. six of the Native troopers at the Laura [have] done their level best to disperse Sub-inspector Stafford and his camp-keeper … the occurrence shows vividly the dangers to which Native Police officers are exposed from their own men, who when they break the bounds of discipline become so many wild beasts […]

‘My Darling Lis’: John Kenny’s Letters to his Wife Eliza

07/05/2018.Reading time 19 minutes.

By Heather Burke We’ve written before about specific NMP officers who were eulogised in later life (Piecing together the officers’ list and Stanhope O’Connor). In reflecting on the various episodes in long and sometimes highly eventful careers, such accounts tend to portray these men as figures from a “Boy’s own” tale: full of adventure, exploration […]

Shots Fired … But in What Direction and How do we Know?

06/21/2018.Reading time 16 minutes.

By Tony Pagels The role of the Native Mounted Police (NMP) was to control and disperse Aboriginal opposition to ensure European settlement was a success in Queensland (Qld). This was achieved by the Force having the best available weapons and employing military-type tactics. But when a firearm was discharged 140 years ago how can we […]

“All Mere Youths” When Taken Away: Recruiting Aboriginal Boys and Men to the NMP Part III

05/25/2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

By Lynley Wallis and Heather Burke We have previously written about the processes of recruiting Aboriginal men to the NMP (Recruiting Part 1 and Willing Volunteers?). However, we didn’t have room there to consider another element of the trooper experience: the interpersonal relationships that existed, both amongst the troopers, and between them and the officers […]