1930 Palm Island tragedy
In 1930, the Superintendent of the Palm Island aborigines settlement on Palm Island in Queensland, Australia; shot and wounded two people, and set fire to several buildings, killing his two children. The next day, the Superintendent was shot dead. An official inquiry by the Queensland Attorney General followed. Those involved in the shooting death were charged with murder, but during the trial, the Crown Prosecutor was ordered by the Supreme Court to dropped the charges.
Background
Visiting justice T. Nevitt wrote a report regarding the administration of the Palm Island settlement finding that there had been long-term bickering between the Superintendent Robert Henry Curry, and the Medical Officer Dr. C. Pattison. The report showed that on 11 January 1928, the Chief Protector of Aboriginals, J. Bleakley, reprimanded the Superintendent and the Medical Officer for a Christmas altercation in 1927. It was also found that the Superintendent, the Medical Officer, and a nurse Mrs. Hazeldine; had given alcoholic drinks to natives. In releasing the report, Queensland Premier Moore said that he was informed by his Department that the discipline at Palm Island was good and management effective. The Premier stated that Superintendent Curry did his job well although he was cranky-tempered at times.[1]
2-3 February 1930
Mr Robert Curry had been the Superintendent of Palm Island since the settlement had been moved from Hall River twelve years earlier.[2]
During the night of Sunday, 2 February 1930, Robert Curry shot and wounded both Dr. Pattison and his wife. He set fire to his own house, killing his two children Edna and Robert Curry.[3] He set fire to the schoolhouse, a store, and the residence of the Assistant Superintendent Thomas Hoffman.[4]
Between forty and fifty native children were pupils of the burned school.[5]
After daylight the following day Curry destroyed the supply launch boat Esme, leaving the island at dawn for Fantome Island[6] in the only other launch on the island Rita. On Fantome Island he informed the Lock Hospital attendant Mr Morcom of the events of the previous day and told her that he intended to lay the Rita off Curacoa Island and chase down any boat that left Palm Island. According to the hospital attendant he then intended to return to Palm Island and "clean off" the rest of the whites, imprison them in the police boat and "have a bit of fun with them".[7]
Curry returned late afternoon of Monday 3 February brandishing two revolvers where he was met on the beach by a small party of young Indigenous residents. He was shot four times wounding him in the lower portion of the abdomen, upper portion of the thighs and in each wrist. The Superintendent died within two hours of being shot.[8][7]
Police and Dr Taylor from Townsville were dispatched to Palm Island after the fact. Curry was attended to medically by Dr and Mrs Paterson and Mr Morcom and were commended by Dr Taylor in the media.[7]
Dr and Mrs Paterson were treated at the Townsville Hospital.[9]
Arrangements were made in the following days for provisions to be supplied from Townsville to replace those destroyed on Palm Island.[9]
At about the same time three Aboriginals absconded into the bush. A search party of police and other Aboriginals searched the island. At one point the escapees and a member of the native police fought in an exchange of spears. The escapees hailed a Japanese beche-de-mer boat and escaped to the mainland where they were soon found and returned to Palm Island.[10]
Inquiry
There was an official inquiry into the deaths, held in Townsville. On 15 April the Queensland Cabinet met and Attorney General MacGroarty announced that the Government would prosecute as murder the death of the Superintendent.[11]
In May, Medical Officer Pattison and Assistant Superintendent Hoffman were charged with procuring indigenous resident Peter Prior to murder the Superintendent, based on testimony from the foreman in charge of a sawmill on Palm Island. The wife of the storekeeper also testified against Hoffman, claiming that Hoffman offered "some boys" £1 for the first to shoot or spear Curry.[12] Pattison denied giving a gun to Prior.
The Trial
At the murder trial of Hoffman and Prior, Townsville Supreme Court Judge Douglas directed the Crown Prosecutor to withdraw the charges, saying that the prosecution should never have been launched and that the shooting was justified.[4]
Later
Dr. Pattison resigned as medical officer at the Palm Island aborigines settlement as of 15 September 1930.[13]
References
- ^ "Palm Island". The Mercury (Hobart). 13 February 1930. p. 5.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement". The Queenslander. 12 April 1919. p. 13.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Tragedy". The Brisbane Courier. 6 February 1930. p. 15.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ a b "The Palm Island Murders". Northern Standard (Darwin, NT). 19 August 1930. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Residence and Native Schoolhouse Destroyed by Fire in Tragic Circumstances at Palm Island". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 February 1930. p. 14.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "The "Courier" Budget of Pictorial News". The Brisbane Courier. 6 March 1930. p. 16.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ a b c "Palm Island Tragedy". The Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA). 11 February 1930. p. 19.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Tragedy, Further Particulars". The Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA). 5 February 1930. p. 19.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ a b "Measures for Relief". The Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA). 11 February 1930. p. 19.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Escapees". The Brisbane Courier. 24 June 1930. p. 14.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Tragedy". The West Australian (Perth, WA). 16 April 1930. p. 14.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Tragedy". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 May 1930. p. 14.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthor=(help) - ^ "Palm Island Doctor". The Cairns Post. 30 September 1930. p. 11.
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