King Billy

For more than 2000 generations the Wathaurung had nurtured the land and lived a good life with its bounty. The land and water provided ample food and ingredients for medicines.

Squatters soon arrived. Subsequently 700 of the Wathaurung people that Buckley reported seeing gathered for special occasions, had been to reduced to 297 when counted in 1837 by Foster Fyans, the newly appointed Geelong Police Magistrate. Another count of the local Aborigines was taken in 1842 at Bukar Bulok, now called Fyansford when Willem Ba Ni ip was six years old and was listed in this census as ‘Wormebaneep’. There were only 118 of his people left — 179 fewer than only five years before.[2] Eleven years later 101 people had disappeared. Only nine women, seven men and one child remained in 1853. Willem Baa Ni ip was 17 at this time and counted as a man. For many years, he may have lived inconspicuously at the edges of the white settlements. He may have lived off the land. In the early years of his life he would have learnt to gather plant food, seafood, small mammals and reptiles.[3] However much of the traditional diet had been destroyed by the grazing livestock brought in by the settlers. A lot of the game, fish traps and dwellings were destroyed by the settlers.

John Armstrong, at Mount Duneed squatted on the traditional winter camp of the Wathaurong. When the stations were divided up, John Stewart purchased part of this land. A few acres of land along the banks of Armstrong Creek were used by the remaining ten Wathaurong people. By 1861 there were seven adults now known as the Barrabool tribe. They were moved from Stewarts Reserve to live on one acre of land on the Ghazeepore Road which was declared the Duneed Aboriginal Land Reserve. It had a wooden hut for shelter.

J. M. Garratt, Honorary Correspondent of the Central Board appointed to watch over the interests of the Aborigines, reported in the Geelong Advertiser in 1862 that there was “plenty of wood and water”. He also reported to parliament that he had distributed:

• October 1860, 12 pairs moleskin trowsers, 12 cloth caps, 2 flannel petticoats, 2 common cotton gowns, 12 paris strong shoes.
• December 1860, 1 chest tea, 2 bags sugar, 4 bags flour, 25lbs. tobacco
• May 1861, 24 pairs blankets, 24 pairs trowsers, 24 twilled shirts, 24 blue serge shirts, 24 pairs strong boots, 24 felt hats.
• November 1861, 4 bags flour, I bag sugar, 1 half-chest tea, 10lbs soap
• March 1862, 800lbs flour, 100lbs tea, 300lbs sugar, 12lbs soap, 12 pair blankets, 12 pair trousers, 24 shirts, 6 pair boots, 6 billies and 12 panicans (enamel camping mugs).[4]

The Wathaurong people could not sustain themselves with such small food resources so they would walk to Geelong each day to trade or beg because they were not allowed to stay in the town after sunset.

Frank Armstrong remembered as a young boy, he would see the Barwon Tribe approaching Geelong every morning over an open plain, they would stop at the house and ask for food. He also recalled Willem Baa Niip teaching him to throw a boomerang.[5] Frank described how “Billy” would walk “backwards and forwards as if to gauge the wind. Then when he thought everything was favourable, he would let go. Away it soared until it poised in the air for a second or two, and then returned with not a little force, dropping to earth a little behind us.”

Alexander Webb’s painting of Yarra Street in 1872 shows two Aboriginal men. One seems to be selling boomerangs to a man on horseback. Could the two be Willem Baa Ni ip and his last companion Dan Dan Nook? They were known to make and trade boomerangs. Others of the tribe had died earlier – Dick (1862), Ellen (1864), Jemmy Nelson and Timboo (1866) and Harry Gore (1868). Only Dan Dan Nook and Willem Baa Ni ip were left.