Found: long-lost grave of Bennelong
Eamonn Duff - Sun Herald - March 20, 2011
An unlikely friendship between a colonial brewer and
the first Aboriginal statesman has helped to reveal
Bennelong's final resting place, writes Eamonn Duff.
Woollarawarre Bennelong is immortalised in every
school history book recounting the early years of white
settlement in Australia. James Squire, meanwhile, is an
ex-convict brewer whose name has recently gained
popular currency as a commercial beer brand. What
most people wouldn't realise is that in the early 19th
History unearthed..... a painting of the kidnap of
century, these two were the best of mates. In fact, the Bennelong (from Mitchell Library, State Library NSW)
history books will soon be rewritten to include the fact
that it was this unlikely friendship that has ultimately led to one of the most significant
historical finds of the past century.
When Bennelong's remarkable life ended on January 2, 1813, not
only did he die on James Squire's farm along the banks of the
Parramatta River - he was buried in the brewer's orchard. While
the grave disappeared beneath generations of urban sprawl,
The Sun-Herald can reveal there is sufficient historical
evidence about Squire's acreage and Bennelong's final resting
place for environmental scientist Peter Mitchell and surveying
experts to finally locate the sacred site, 198 years on.
Before Bennelong met Squire or any other white man, he had
been a senior member of the Wangal tribe, who called
themselves the Eora, meaning ''the people''. But on November
25, 1789, almost two years after the landing of the First Fleet,
Bennelong - the Aboriginal Warrior
his life would change forever. Tracking a shoal of fish in Manly
Bay, Bennelong and fellow tribesman Colby were captured by
colonists, bundled into a waiting long boat and taken to the settlement of Sydney.
The kidnapping was conducted under the orders of Governor Arthur Phillip as part of a plan
to learn more about the Aboriginal people, their language, customs and cultures. In his journal
account titled The Settlement at Port Jackson, First Fleet marine Watkin Tench described
Bennelong ''to be about 26 years old, of good stature and stoutly made with a bold intrepid
countenance which bespoke defiance and revenge''.
Colby escaped within a week but intrigued by all the attention, Bennelong stayed. He proved
to be a swift learner and in no time was communicating in reasonable English and adopting
what must have seemed like a bizarre series of traditions, including formal dining etiquette. In
turn, he taught the settlers the ways of his people.
After six months, however, it seems Bennelong was yearning for his old life. Early one morning,
he fled the governor's house and returned to the Eora. But fascinated, perhaps, by this
strange world he'd witnessed, he maintained contact. He organised for the governor to visit
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him at Manly in September 1790, but the outcome was Phillip was ambushed and speared in the
shoulder. It has always been suggested that the attack may have been prompted by Bennelong
as payback for his kidnapping. Either way, further bloodshed was avoided after Phillip was
finally convinced that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding.
From then on, historians agree, a close, genuine friendship developed between these two
figures. In October 1790, the Eora arrived at the colonial settlement of Sydney under an
agreement which ushered in a new era of peace. No more kidnappings. No more ambush
attacks. Thanks to Bennelong's intermediary skills, the two vastly different cultures would
now live, communicate and trade as one.
For Bennelong, it was arguably his greatest achievement. It strengthened his standing among
his own clan and it brought him new-found respect among the colonists - who in modern-day
terms practically handed him the keys to Sydney. Bennelong was now dining with the fleet's
elite. Captain Phillip, meanwhile, had a brick dwelling built for him at Tubowgule, now known
as Bennelong Point, the site of the Sydney Opera House. The two men also exchanged names Bennelong was known as ''Governor'' while Phillip became ''Woollarawarre'', and later ''beanga''
meaning ''father''.
But in December 1792, after five years as governor, Phillip decided to return to England.
Much to Bennelong's delight, he was invited to sail too. The pair apparently arrived in London
to much fanfare, their unique bond celebrated as proof that two people from such
contrasting backgrounds could exist in harmony. But as Dr Kate Fullagar points out in her
2009 Aboriginal history study Bennelong in Britain, historians these days are deeply divided
about Bennelong's trip to Britain. She states: ''They split between those who claim it was an
instance of patronising celebration and those who declare it was more an example of gross
exploitation.'' Certainly, most available literature portrays Bennelong as a man in his element, a
holidaying stranger who indulged in all the trappings London's high society could offer.
He grew accustomed to wearing ruffled lace shirts and fancy waistcoats typical of the period.
While there is also some debate about whether or not he met George III, he certainly sat in on
several parliamentary debates. He was said to have dined ''as elegantly as the Englishmen,
bowed, toasted, paid the ladies compliments and loved wine''. Unfortunately, the demon drink
would eventually prove to be his undoing.
After growing increasingly ill and homesick, Bennelong farewelled his old friend Phillip and in
September 1795, alongside the colony's new governor, Captain Hunter, he returned to
Australia. Once home, alcoholism consumed him and he ended up being shunned not just by
his original tribe, but by his adopted one. Exiled from both communities, he moved to the
north side of the Parramatta River, between Kissing Point and Parramatta where, according
to written evidence, he became a leader of a hundred-strong local clan.
In the same year that Bennelong returned from Britain, Squire arrived on the same side of the
Parramatta River after being handed a 30-acre (12-hectare) land grant. In the years that
followed, the canny brewer purchased further plots from struggling farmers. By 1806, he had
amassed more than 1000 acres on which he grew hops and established the first brewery. While
there is no evidence to explain how Bennelong and Squire first met, historians surmise that
Bennelong regularly ''wandered'' on to the brewer's property and that over time, the pair
became such good friends he later lived on the land. Bennelong eventually died at the farm on
January 2, 1813 - some say after a short illness, others say after drowning in a vat.
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Either way, the brewer insisted on burying his dear friend personally and later erected a plaque
in his honour. The Reverend Charles Wilton, minister of the parish of the Field of Mars, wrote
at the time: ''He lies interred, between his wife and another chief (Nanbarry), amidst the
orange trees of the garden.'' A few days later, Bennelong's obituary in the Sydney Gazette was
far from flattering, stating: ''His propensity for drunkenness was inordinate and when in that
state he was insolent, menacing and overbearing.'' A contributor for the newspaper wrote the
tribesman had been ''much addicted to spirit drinking and for the last five months of his life
was seldom sober''.
While Bennelong has rested in peace, the world above has continued to develop. An archived
photograph taken of Squire's property circa 1900 is said to show ''the known grave site of
Bennelong'', with a Mitchell librarian having noted on the back: ''Very near the righthand
corner was the black man's grave, a slightly raised mound covered with old bricks made in
Squire's time.'' The unmarked site was allegedly found again in 1927 by Charles Watson, a
descendant of Squire, who was told by his mother about a black man's grave underneath a
tennis court that had been built behind the brewer's old house. In the decades that followed
roads were laid down, further clouding Bennelong's location. In 1970, a local elderly man who
had visited the site in 1927 with Watson insisted the grave was now part of a suburban
allotment on the intersection of two streets in Putney.
Today, a memorial plaque sits in Cleves Park, Putney, to mark the approximate area where he
is believed to be buried. After almost two centuries, the speculation is finally over.
Reading ON the lines
1) Who wrote this article? ....................................................................................................................................
2) In which newspaper was it first printed? .....................................................................................................
3) When does the author say Bennelong died? ................................................................................................
4) Bennelong was from which Aboriginal nation? ..........................................................................................
5) Who was Governor of the ‘colony of NSW’ in 1790? ..................................................................................
6) What famous building is located on Bennelong Point in Sydney? ...........................................................
7) Who was kidnapped with Bennelong? .........................................................................................................
Reading Between the lines
8) What does the author say was the relationship between Bennelong and James Squire? ......................
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9) What do you think the author means when he writes that Bennelong was: ‘shunned not just by his
original tribe, but by his adopted one.’ .........................................................................................................
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10) In a journal kept by a man at the time Bennelong was said to: ''to be about 26 years old, of good stature
and stoutly made with a bold intrepid countenance which bespoke defiance and revenge''. This is a primary
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source (the man who wrote it was actually there at the time). Re-write this description in everyday
modern language: ............................................................................................................................................
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Reading Beyond the Lines
11) The author says that Bennelong referred to Captain Phillip as ‘father’, but in Aboriginal culture
people are called by their relationship to you – not their name eg: aunty or uncle. Do you think that
Bennelong called Phillip ‘father’ because he respected him and was his friend? OR do you think he
was careful around him and scared of him? What evidence from the text helped you to make this
decision? ...........................................................................................................................................................
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a) What other information would you need to ‘really know’..................................................................
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12) Do you think in this article that the author has stereotyped Aboriginal people as ‘drunks’ and
‘alcoholics’? .......................................................................................................................................................
13) Give evidence from the text to support your answer (what does the author say or ‘infer’ in his
writing) ..............................................................................................................................................................
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14) Using the Internet research Bennelong and find information of:
a) Who was the first Aboriginal man ‘kidnapped’ by Captain Phillip? .................................................
i)
What happened to this man? .............................................................................................................
b) Which Aboriginal man travelled to England with Bennelong in 1790? ............................................
i)
What happened to this man? .............................................................................................................
ii) Do you think that Aboriginal people have a right to have the remains of this man returned to
Australia for burial? ............................................................................................................................
iii) If your father travelled overseas and died in England would your family want his body
returned to Australia for burial? .......................................................................................................
15) Why do you think strong Aboriginal men in the early 1800s were called ‘chiefs’ by the convicts and
colonists at the time?........................................................................................................................................
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Extension / For Fast Workers:
Do some internet research on:
 Australia’s First Cricket team to play against England. Who were they? When was it?
Which was the ‘better’ team?... ........................................................................................
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 In the space below write a ‘response’ to this article which could be included after the
article online. (an example has been included for you for ideas)
feedback
Eaamon - From an Aboriginal perspective (and stories) your delivery of this piece was from a strongly
'non-Indigenous' perspective. It is NOT a culturally safe piece of text AND in many ways it can be seen as
'adding' strength to the stereotype of 'drunk blacks'. eg you talk to alcohol and drunkenness - without
mentioning that this was common place for all men - not just the Aboriginal 'captive' - To be honest I
would get drunk everyday too if I was forcibly removed from my wife, family and culture too. From the
simple readings I have done Bennelong didn't choose to stay initially as he was 'tied up' for several years
and escaped several times but was re-captured each time...
A better end to your story could’ve been ‘A combination of low resistance to disease, a history of trauma
and alcohol use were most likely to have been a significant contributors to Bennelong’s death just as the
new year dawned in 1813".
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