Copy of letter from the elder natives at Poonindie, to George Wollaston written on the occasion of his departure from the mission in February 1852, together with inscription on endpaper of book presented to George Wollaston.

This letter is from the Aborigines at Poonindie to George Wollaston on the occasion of his departure from the mission. It is of particular interest because it is counter-signed by 15 Aboriginal elders.  These were Nytchie, Nwrouny, Mannere, Kandwillan, Popjoy, Bidpowie, Kewerie (or Keurrie), Mudlong, Tootko, Pathera, Kadlingare, Yarrioke, Tartwin, Coordinga and Friday. A copy of the letter can be found in the papers of George Gledstanes Wollaston. (These also include three daily diaries and a diary of a trip to the Melbourne Exhibition 1880.) The original letter and the book (a bible) were passed on from George to his son William in 1882.

George Gledstanes Wollaston was born in England in 1824. He left England with his parents in 1840, arriving at Swan River in Western Australia in 1841 and moving to South Australia in 1847. Wollaston spent part of 1852 managing Poonindie Mission Station before heading east to the Victorian Goldfields. After returning to South Australia he made several journeys of exploration in the north and west of the colony. Wollaston was appointed a Justice of the Peace in July 1866, becoming the first residing magistrate in the western part of the Port Lincoln District. He died at Glenelg in 1896.

Poonindie Mission (Poonindie, S. Aust.)

Wollaston, George Gledstanes

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The Australian gold rush: stories from Australia's culture and recreation portal