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Edward Smith Hall

George Edward Curlewis 1837 - 1861Born: 9 October 1837 Bungonia New South Wales Death: October 1861 Paroo River New South Wales Nationality: Australian Occupation: Explorer Parents: George Campbell CurlewisMatilda Martha Birnie Hall

George Edward Curlewis

(1837 – 1861) was an early Australian explorer who was killed by his aboriginal guide whilst on an expedition in the NSW/Qld outback in 1861/2. He was born in Bungonia near Goulburn, New South Wales and moved to the Colony of Port Phillip around 1845-6 with his parents. After his father died in 1847 he moved to Geelong, Victoria and later worked on properties in northern Victoria. His first exploratory expedition was with Ernest Giles in early 1861. In October 1861 he sets off again to explore the area north of Menindee where he was killed by his aboriginal guide on the Paroo River.

Early life.

George Edward Curlewis was born at “Ravenswood” Bungonia in New South Wales on 9 October 1837 to George Campbell Curlewis and Matilda Martha Birnie Hall daughter of Edward Smith Hall. He moved with his parents to the colony of Port Phillip in September 1845.     After his father died in July 1847, the family moved to Geelong where he was educated at Mr Behan’s School for Young Gentlemen.   His uncle William Hall writes of him at the time “ George is a very nice boy and if he had been differently brought up would have been a much better scholar….. he does not I think, express himself properly when talking of his Mamma with the respect and veneration which I think is due from a son to his mother…… He is very hasty when spoken to; cannot bear to be contradicted  and when he does ……..but will have it he is in the right."

His mother died in Tasmania in 1854 and for the remainder of his childhood he was brought up by his uncle Septimus Lord Curlewis.

His late 20’s were spent working on various cattle stations in northern Victoria.

Explorations

In 1861 he joined Ernest Giles in his first journey of exploration. In his monograph Australia Twice Traversed: [1]Giles writes that was exploring for pastoral runs at the time that Burke and Wills were undertaking their expedition. They met up with Howitt who was looking for them and at one stage considered pushing onto the Cooper to assist the search but decided against it for lack of  provisions. Curlewis with Conn another member of this expedition returned to Menindee after having collected a dispatch from Howitt at Pariah Creek concerning the search for Burke and Wills which was subsequently sent on to the Royal Society in Melbourne Curlewis then states his intention in a letter to the Argus to set off again to search for arable land for settling and also search for some graves which he had been shown by the aborigines and which he believed were of European men.  He took with him a Mr McCulloch and said he was heading for Mt Murchison on the Darling.

Death and Search for Body

No more is heard of them until April 29 1862  the Argus  reported that “Letters have been received in town which lead to the apprehension that some contretemps has occurred to Mr Curlewis, who was out exploring north of Menindie, on the confines of Queensland, as his horses have made on the Darling”

George’s brother Frederick then conducted a search for him in August of 1862.  He met some natives who told the story that George and Mc Culloch picked up a black known on the Darling as Peter whom they took with them as a guide and to whom George gave a tomahawk etc.   At one of their camps, a place called Wallerun  Peter persuaded four other natives to assist him in murdering George and Mc Culloch. He removed their firearms whilst they were sleeping then “tomahawked the poor follows, George defending himself for some time with a fire-stick”.  The natives then stripped their bodies and threw them in the water and took the things that were of use to them. Frederick was able to find   the spot where the murder took place but was not able to find George’s body.  He did find few items, a stirrup-iron, a club which was clotted with blood and a spear, but “want of provision” compelled them to return. Their supper that evening consisted of a rat between five of them. In January 1865, an account of George’s death was sent to the Age in Melbourne by the explorer Duncan McIntyre.  He was able to find George’s grave and remains and talked to the “blacks” who described how they had been murdered which verified the account given to Frederick  The skulls that McIntyre found had been fractured by blows from some heavy weapons so they were undoubtedly the remains of the two explorers. McIntyre reinterred the remains, marked the spot and made a special note of the locality “as Mr Curlewis was well known to Mr McIntyre and he was desirous of doing all in his power to honor the memory of the unfortunate deceased.

In the meantime, there had been efforts to track down Peter, the native who had murdered Curlewis and McCulloch and after several unsuccessful attempts he was captured. In an escape attempt, he was shot dead.

Motives for the murder

MacIntyre said the reason given for the murder was that George had coerced a blackfellow to accompany him and that this man, not liking to go persuaded four others to assist him in killing the white men.

Another source published in the South Australian Register quoted a Captain Cadell who professed to be conversant with the whole facts and said that the attack was made on the men in revenge because of the abduction of a native woman.

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