equanimity.blog

– Victoria’s Second Largest City.

This week I flew direct from Brisbane to Avalon Airport, grateful to bypass ‘mad’ Melbourne. You couldn’t do that in the 1970s. I spent many weekends in my teens on the Bellarine Peninsular.

Geelong Is a Charming City

It’s traditional buildings are well preserved, but according to my cousins here, it’s rough edge hasn’t changed; violence continues to be a problem.

Pilgramage

I went to visit my twin’s grave on the second anniversary of our birthday since his passing. Upright Burials is a sustainable and simple burial method my cousin, Tony Dupleix manages.

In 1972, Terry suffered a serious horse-riding accident. Some time after his recovery, we were taken every weekend to a holiday house my mother had bought at Barwon Heads. Making use of this asset was more important than our social life. Instead of playing in a big swing band with school friends in Melbourne, we restored two old 1959 Rover 90s. I learn a lot about cars at the expense of social skills.

William Buckley

The Englishman who became Aboriginal and then English again

Not too long ago, I learnt the story of Australia’s most extraordinary tale of a convict gone native. William Buckley, an Englishman, was sentenced in 1803 and taken as a prisoner to a settlement at Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsular. When it failed and the decision was made to up camp and move to Hobart, Buckley and two other convicts made their escape. Buckley alone survived for 32 years, assimilating into the local Aboriginal tribes and reemerging when John Batman landed to found Melbourne in 1835. He had almost forgotten how to speak English. He played a crucial role as intermediary between Batman’s Port Phillip Association and the local natives. He was a repository of deep knowledge of both cultures. However, he felt he lacked the trust of both sides. “Disillusioned, he later went to Tasmania, obtained employment, and married. He died in 1856 at the age of 76.” (AtlasObscura)

32 years is a long time. Buckley made his way north around Port Philip Bay to the Bellarine Peninsular where he spent the bulk of his time among the Wathaurong people. Under the Point Lonsdale lighthouse is a cave. He is said to have spent quite some time there, probably keeping an eye out for passing ships.

Across the Bellarine Peninsular are places associated with William Buckley.

• Bream Creek: – Water and food were abundant, and Buckley is said to have built a hut and set up camp here with the Wathaurong people.
• Aireys Inlet: – Buckley wandered far along the coast, finding water, shellfish and raspberries here and building a hut.
• Indented Head: – Buckley encountered John Batman’s party on June 9, 1835. This marked his return to European society. (Alan Garnar)

In retrospect, I am staggered that I spent so much time on this man’s stomping ground and didn’t learn squat about him. To give my mother and step-father-at-the-time their due, they were quite culturally literate and well-informed. I learnt a lot from them, but this one slipped through, perhaps because history wasn’t their strong point.

What’s in a saying? William Buckley’s adventures have left a lasting legacy on the language. His exploits spawned the saying: “You’ve got two chances, Buckley’s and none!” This refers to an extremely slim chance of success, relying more on good luck than anything else. (Alan Garnar)

You might say the thing William and Terry had in common was “Buckley’s”.