One hour after midnight on April 17, 1816, a mob of Aboriginals from Dharawal country – we now call it Macarthur – who had set up camp on a bush site near Appin were attacked by soldiers of the fledgling colony.
Only two women and three children survived the attack, according to the account of Captain James Wallis, who led the attack on the orders of Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
The death count among the Tharawal people was 14 – but it was almost certainly higher because when the firing started it drove many in the camp towards a precipice, with a gorge beneath that.
It was a terrible tragedy and not least because it was part of reprisals against Aboriginals when attacks led to a deterioration in relations with the European settlers in 1814, just 28 years into the establishment of the colony of NSW.
What made it an even worse tragedy was that not all Indigenous people took part in acts of aggression against the white settlers between 1814 and 1816.
As these escalated in severity and frequency, so too did retaliation between the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area and the European settlers.
Eight days before the Appin massacre, on April 9, 1816, Governor Macquarie ordered the military to arrest all Aborigines in the southern districts because of their hostility in the previous two years and their recent attacks on settlers.
However, according to the Campbelltown Aboriginal History Booklet, the orders made no distinction between groups of friendly and aggressive Aborigines.
“A report submitted by a captain of soldiers sent to the Cowpastures detailed the considerable support the Europeans gave the Dharawal people who had become entangled in this war,’’ according to the Booklet.
“Among those who showed their contempt for the way the local Aboriginal people were being treated were John Warby and Hamilton Hume.
“Hume is noted as lying to the soldiers in an attempt to protect the local people, and Warby is suspected of having set off to try and warn the Dharawal people.’’
Warby’s descendants are still living in Campbelltown, including Roy Warby, the well known accountant.
All this means it’s possible those who died that night may have had nothing to do with acts of aggression against the white settlers.
What we do know is the story of the Appin Massacre had been largely forgotten for almost 200 years, but in 2000 a commemoration ceremony was held near the attack site, which is now inside the Cataract Dam compound.
Unfortunately, it was cancelled this year because the site was inundated in the recent heavy rains.
But the Cataract ceremony is one of two: the second is held by Campbelltown City Council every year, and this one did go ahead yesterday morning in the forecourt of the administration building in Queen Street.
And while it was a sombre occasion which included lowering the council flags to half mast and a minutes’ silence, there was something to lift the spirits of the local Indigenous people who were in attendance, as well as the VIPs.
These included federal members Dr Mike Freelander, Anne Stanley, deputy mayor of Campbelltown Cr Warren Morrison and other councillors.
Dharawal elder Glenda Chalker, a familiar figure at such ceremonies, revealed that the Cataract Dam site of the Appin Massacre was close to getting a state heritage listing.
“It’s happening soon, we hope, and it will be great news when it does,’’ Auntie Glenda said while delivering the Welcome to Country address.
Mayor George Greiss also made a short speech afterwards.
“It is important that we acknowledge and learn from the mistakes of the past so that we can move forward together as a community,’’ he said.
“That’s why we are here today, paying our respects to those who died on that day and who will never be forgotten.’’
The mayor also thanked Uncle Ivan Wellington for conducting the smoking ceremony and Auntie Glenda Chalker for her speech.
