Everything about George Augustus Robinson totally explained
George Augustus Robinson (
22 March 1791 –
October 18 1866) was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief
Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District (now known as the
state of Victoria) from 1839 to 1849. Prior to his appointment as the Chief Protector of Aborigines by the Colonial Office in Great Britain, he'd been called upon to mount a "friendly mission" to find the 300 remaining aboriginals in
Tasmania.
Early life in England
Robinson was born on
22 March 1791 to William Robinson, a builder, and Susannah née Perry. He married Maria Amelia Evans on
28 February 1814 and had five children in the next ten years. He decided to emigrate and sailed for Hobart Town,
Australia on the
Triton arriving in January
1824 and setting up as a builder. His wife and five children joined him in April
1826.
Time in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)
Conflicts between settlers and
Tasmanian Aborigines had vastly increased during the
1830s, which became known as the
Black War. Robinson was to be brought in as a conciliator. His mission was to repatriate the Aboriginals to the camp of Wybalenna on
Flinders Island.
Robinson befriended
Truganini, to whom he promised food, housing and security on Flinders Island until the situation on the mainland had calmed down. With Truganini, Robinson succeeded in forging an agreement with the
Big River and
Oyster Bay peoples, and by the end of
1835, nearly all the aboriginals had been relocated to the new settlement.
Robinson's involvement with the Tasmanian Aboriginals ended soon after this, though, and the Wybalenna settlement became more akin to a prison as the camp conditions deteriorated and many of the residents died of ill health and homesickness. Because of this, Robinson's place in history is generally viewed as negative, especially within the current Aboriginal community. Most historians agree that his initial intentions were genuine, but his abandonment of the community is viewed as a turning point for the worse for the Tasmanian Aboriginals.
Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip (Victoria)
Robinson became
Chief Protector of Aborigines in March
1839, managing the
Protectorate of Port Phillip with the help of four Assistant Protectors,
William Thomas, James Dredge, Edward Parker and Charles Sievwright. Maria, Robinson's wife died in
1848, the Protectorate was abolished on
31 December 1849 and in
1852 he returned to England.
His journals are regarded as amongst the most important of early documents of the early years of
Victoria, being significant for its observations on
Koorie culture, early
Melbourne personalities, landscape and settler society.
Return to Europe
In
1853 Robinson got remarried to Rose Pyne, they spent the next few years living in Europe before returning to England in
1858. Robinson died on
18 October 1866 in
Bath.
Semi-fictional accounts of Robinson's travels are included in
Matthew Kneale's book
English Passengers and in
T.C. Boyle's short story "The Extinction Tales".
There is a reference to Robinson in the book "The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie" by Gary Crew and Peter Gouldthorpe.
Robert Drewes' 'Savage Crows' also incorporates the work of Robinson into the plot. See also Mudrooroo's critical portrayal of Robinson in
Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World,
Master of the Ghost Dreaming and his Vampire Trilogy:
The Undying,
Underground and
The Promised Land.
Further Information
Get more info on 'George Augustus Robinson'.
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