Massacre at Darkie Point, Ebor

Date: 23 Aug 1852 – 30 Sep 1852
Place: Darkie Point, Ebor
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
The murder of 5 members of the Meldrum family in the Bald Hills area was reported in August 1852:
'On the 23rd instant, information was given to the Armidale
police that a most dreadfull massacre had been committed the day before, at the Bald Hills' station,
(Mr. Allen's) in this district, near the Clarence line
of road. The unfortunate sufferers were Mary
Mason, and her two children, of the respective
ages of 3 and 18 months, and John Meldrum ...
On the information being received,
the chief constable proceeded to the scene, but
could not succeed in capturing any of the scoundrels;
in fact, the police force in this district is so miserably deficient in numbers, that life is not safe even
in the vicinity of the town from these savages. We
trust that the Inspector-General of Police will see
the necessity of immediately supplying the deficiency: otherwise it is likely that the people will
either leave their various employments in the bush,
or take the law into their own hands'
(The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 18 Sep 1852, p 3).


According to an article published in 1932, Major Parke led a group of colonists who shot a 'great number' of Aboriginal people in reprisal for the killing of the Meldrum family. The date given as '1856' in this article is most likely a misprint, as the murders occurred in 1852.
'In 1856 aboriginals attacked
Meldrum's home and killed all the inmates with the exception of a baby
who had been thrown against a wall
and left there stunned. A man named
Imray (or Emery), who had been out
on the run shepherding sheep, on his
return to the homestead found the
bodies of the murdered people and also
discovered the baby which had re
covered and was lying beside a cat.
The blacks who were responsible for
the tragedy were tracked over the
rough country and were discovered on
a creek on the Macleay. A great number of them were shot by Major Parke
and other residents of the district who
had joined in the chase' (Dungog Chronicle: Durham and Gloucester Advertiser, 7 Jun 1932, p 4).


Indigenous historian Callum Clayton-Dixon summarised the sequence of events thus: 'Following the killing of several colonists in the Bald Hills area in August 1852, a group of Aboriginal people were chased to the edge of a sheer bluff south of Ebor and were either shot or pushed over the edge, probably both. Constable Michael Clogher and Major Edward Parke were two of the main perpetrators' (Clayton-Dixon 2019, p.138).
Notes:
CorroborationRating: *
LanguageGroup: Baanbay
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 6

People involved

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Sources

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Darkie Point, Ebor
    23 Aug 1852 – 30 Sep 1852 — Darkie Point, Ebor — massacre
    The murder of 5 members of the Meldrum family in the Bald Hills area was reported in August 1852:
    'On the 23rd instant, information was given to the Armidale
    police that a most dreadfull massacre had been committed the day before, at the Bald Hills' station,
    (Mr. Allen's) in this district, near the Clarence line
    of road. The unfortunate sufferers were Mary
    Mason, and her two children, of the respective
    ages of 3 and 18 months, and John Meldrum ...
    On the information being received,
    the chief constable proceeded to the scene, but
    could not succeed in capturing any of the scoundrels;
    in fact, the police force in this district is so miserably deficient in numbers, that life is not safe even
    in the vicinity of the town from these savages. We
    trust that the Inspector-General of Police will see
    the necessity of immediately supplying the deficiency: otherwise it is likely that the people will
    either leave their various employments in the bush,
    or take the law into their own hands'
    (The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 18 Sep 1852, p 3).


    According to an article published in 1932, Major Parke led a group of colonists who shot a 'great number' of Aboriginal people in reprisal for the killing of the Meldrum family. The date given as '1856' in this article is most likely a misprint, as the murders occurred in 1852.
    'In 1856 aboriginals attacked
    Meldrum's home and killed all the inmates with the exception of a baby
    who had been thrown against a wall
    and left there stunned. A man named
    Imray (or Emery), who had been out
    on the run shepherding sheep, on his
    return to the homestead found the
    bodies of the murdered people and also
    discovered the baby which had re
    covered and was lying beside a cat.
    The blacks who were responsible for
    the tragedy were tracked over the
    rough country and were discovered on
    a creek on the Macleay. A great number of them were shot by Major Parke
    and other residents of the district who
    had joined in the chase' (Dungog Chronicle: Durham and Gloucester Advertiser, 7 Jun 1932, p 4).


    Indigenous historian Callum Clayton-Dixon summarised the sequence of events thus: 'Following the killing of several colonists in the Bald Hills area in August 1852, a group of Aboriginal people were chased to the edge of a sheer bluff south of Ebor and were either shot or pushed over the edge, probably both. Constable Michael Clogher and Major Edward Parke were two of the main perpetrators' (Clayton-Dixon 2019, p.138).
    Source: Clayton-Dixon 2019; The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 18 Sep 1852, p 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/101732642; Dungog Chronicle: Durham and Gloucester Advertiser, 7 Jun 1932, p 4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/141145816