Colebee (Dharug)
C. Colebee (fl. 1800–1830, New South Wales, Australia) was a Boorooberongal man of the Dharug people, an Aboriginal Australian people from present-day New South Wales. Colebee and fellow Dharug man Nurragingy were the first Aboriginal men to receive land in recognition of a peace mission between European settlers and Indigenous Australians.
He is not to be confused with Gadigal man Gringerry Kibba Colebee, who was abducted in 1789 with Bennelong.
Early life edit
Colebee's father, Yarramundi, was "Chief of the Richmond Tribe". Colebee also had a sister, Maria Lock.
Colebee and Nurragingy edit
Colebee was involved as an advisor in an early road construction project in the British colony of New South Wales, which was carried out by William Cox,[1] who built the 163 km long road from Sydney to Bathurst from 18 July 1814 to 14 January 1815. This road marked the beginning of the development of the interior of Australia because it made it possible to overcome the Blue Mountains, which were previously considered insurmountable.
Governor Lachlan Macquarie sent Colebee with Nurragingy to the local Aboriginals who were engaged in violent clashes with the Europeans settling there along the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo Rivers and in the South Creek area, which were intended to bring about peace. For their initiative, Colebee and Narragingy were the first Aborigines to receive 30 acres (approx. 12 ha) of land from the British Crown.[1][2]
What is known is that in 1816 Macquarie honoured Nurragingy by presenting him with a King plate engraved with "Chief of the South Creek Tribe". In the understanding of the Aboriginals, this symbol was equivalent to a ruler symbol. Nurragingy was the second Elder after Bungaree to receive such a token.[3]
Blacktown edit
In the 1830s, both Colebee and Nurragingy died - exact dates are not known - after which a dispute over inheritance ensued in court between Nurragingy's sons Bobby and Billy and Colebee's sister Maria Lock. The court awarded the land to Lock, a historically famous figure in Australia for being the first Aboriginal person to legally marry a white man, a British convict.[4]
When she died in 1878, the land was divided among her nine children. The Lock family settled this land until the 1900s. It was only when this family was decimated by a series of diseases and epidemics that they were no longer able to meet their obligations, so Blacktown Council took over the payments and probably bought the area after the Second World War. Walter Lock unsuccessfully sued for the return of the land that had been given the name Blacktown. In mid-2011 it was announced that apartments were to be built on this site. The Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation reported cultural and historical concerns in August 2011, primarily citing the fact that there are burial sites of Aboriginal children there, and ensuring that it will be involved in future planning.[5]
Legacy edit
The suburb Colebee, based in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, is named after him.
References edit
- ^ a b "Colebee | The Dictionary of Sydney". dictionaryofsydney.org. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ "Colebee". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ^ "Untitled Document". www.westernsydneylibraries.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-08-30. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ Bradley, Penelope (18 August 2011). "Darug tribe fight for Colebee sacred site".