Massacre at Gordon Brook Station, Clarence River

Date: 1 Sep 1842 – 30 Sep 1842
Place: Gordon Brook Station, Clarence River
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
In early November1842, a group of Bundjulung people stole a flock of sheep at an outstation of Gordon Brook Station on the Clarence River, owned by Messrs Sandeman and Company. In reprisal the overseer led some stockmen to the Bundjulung camp and killed 20 of them. The massacre was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 1842, p.2. On 14 December 1842, Gordon Sandeman published a letter in the Sydney Morning Herald, p.3, denying the massacre and his overseer's involvement. This appears to be the code of silence being imposed in the aftermath of a frontier massacre.
Notes:
CorroborationRating: *
LanguageGroup: Bundjalung
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 20

People involved

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Sources

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Gordon Brook Station, Clarence River
    1 Sep 1842 – 30 Sep 1842 — Gordon Brook Station, Clarence River — massacre
    In early November1842, a group of Bundjulung people stole a flock of sheep at an outstation of Gordon Brook Station on the Clarence River, owned by Messrs Sandeman and Company. In reprisal the overseer led some stockmen to the Bundjulung camp and killed 20 of them. The massacre was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 1842, p.2. On 14 December 1842, Gordon Sandeman published a letter in the Sydney Morning Herald, p.3, denying the massacre and his overseer's involvement. This appears to be the code of silence being imposed in the aftermath of a frontier massacre.
    Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 23 November 1842, p.2 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12411438; 14 December 1842, p.3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12417951.