Arrival of Native Police (1842)

In August 1842 a group of Native Police began their first expedition into the Western District. Their mission was to prevent further attacks on sheep and settlers. The team proceeded from Melbourne, and passed Lake Corangamite and the stony rises to The Grange, a pastoral run established by the Wedge family on the site of present-day Hamilton (about 250 kilometres west of Melbourne). Police Magistrate Acheson French welcomed their arrival on 12 September and was impressed by their competency and conduct. As an example, French reported that he had sent some Native Police troopers to track a group of local Aboriginal people who had made a menacing visit to his own pastoral run. The troopers found the group and told them that rather than taking sheep from the settlers they should go to the Aboriginal Station at Mount Rouse where they would receive food and shelter.

Image 18: William Strutt, Aboriginal troopers, Melbourne police, with English corporal, pencil and watercolour, 1850, in Victoria the Golden: scenes, sketches and jottings from nature, 1850-1862. Reproduced with the permission of the Parliamentary Library, Parliament of Victoria.

By 22 November 1842, Commandant Henry EP Dana and his Native Police had returned from this first expedition. Dana confidently reported to Superintendent Charles La Trobe that the troopers had shown admirable conduct, even under difficult circumstances. As one example of their effectiveness, Dana cited how they had driven between 200 and 300 Aboriginal people from the Lake Boloke area to the Mount Rouse Aboriginal Station. In addition, Dana singled out two troopers, Buckup and Yupton, for a favourable mention. The two men had rescued Dana from drowning when he tried to cross the Wannon River in flood. In concluding his report, Dana expressed the hope that the expedition had made a lasting impression on the minds of the Aboriginal people of the Portland Bay region. He speculated that the

fear with which the wild blacks regard the [Native Police troopers], and their knowing that now they can be followed to any place they go to, will have a good effect in preventing them from thinking that they can commit depredations with impunity.

The glowing reports for the expedition of 1842 indicate that the Native Police had demonstrated their capabilities and usefulness. The expedition of the following year, however, involved a number of incidents that drew criticism and negative attention.