Shameful Names: Bunbury
Why is 45,000 years of history named after one man, who was there for less than two?
"Ngulla boodjar, our land, they call this ngulla boodjar our land. Nitcha ngulla koorl nyininy. This is our ground we came and sat upon." -Noongar Elder Tom Bennell
Shameful Name: Why is Bunbury named as such?
The colony of Western Australia was 'founded' after much of the rest of Australia, and many of the people who came to colonise were either military officers aware of the original Aboriginal occupants, or whom were fledgling pastoralists. These two went hand in hand, resulting in much bloodshed and violence. Historians have often pointed to any language irregularities as a sign of the times and cannot be placed in a modern context.
Henry William St Pierre Bunbury arrived in Western Australia in 1836 from NSW, staying for less than 18 months. A military officer, he was sent on various expeditions around the Perth area, and the South West, to establish military outposts, and help pastoralists.
Bunbury is Western Australia’s third largest city, located 170km from the capital Perth, on the Indian Ocean.
The area, which includes Bunbury, is the traditional home to the Noongar nation and the Noongar people: A culturally diverse group of communities and people who have lived in the Booja land – the southwest of the state - for over 45,000 years.
The entire south-west of the state, which comprises the Noongar Nation, is part of the Southwest Boojarah group and there are 14 distinct groups in the Noongar culture bloc.
Newspaper clippings and diary entries show Bunbury discussing the death of Aboriginal people at the hand of pastoralists (the term natives is used) as well as a distinct lack of enjoyment for the area.
Historian Jim Cameron has lauded Bunbury as an important figure in Western Australian history.
"He was not in favour of discrimination and was certainly not in favour of what he saw as victimisation."
There is arguments from both Cameron, and fellow historian Cara Cammilleri, that Bunbury's work in the region paved the way for what is now known as the modern South West. Furthermore, evidence exists that his treatment of Noongar people wasn't as abhorrent as other settlers, especially people such as Governor Stirling, for whom Bunbury was ambivalent towards.
Bunbury's diary gives in depth detail of his time in Western Australia
There is two points that need to be analysed here:
1. Is Bunbury not being as aggressive to First Nations people than other solider's at the time considered good? Or simply the minimum standards required of a soldier?
2. Is this a reasonable case to have a large city named after him?
For the second point, his lack of interest and love for the new colony and his statements on First Nations people leaves a lot to be desired.
The following is from his diary on July 10th, 1836.
"I hope, however, it will not last very long [being in the colony] as the Natives seem inclined to be quiet since I shot a few of them one night. I have no doubt, however, that ere [sic] long they will revenge the death of those we shot by spearing some White men when they can meet them alone and unarmed."
Perth historian Chris Owens has been at the forefront of analysing and criticising Bunbury's legacy. He states that Bunbury wrote of shooting at least 25 Aboriginal people himself in multiple locations.
He argues that the town is named after him because of his colonising strengths. Governor Stirling, no stranger to violence, named the town after Bunbury whilst he was still in the area.
"Secure possession of the colony through murder, however illegal it may have been ... and you were celebrated.”
Colonisation: Bunbury's path
Perth. 1836
Perth. 1836. Click to expand.
This is where Bunbury arrives. His diary states, with some sarcasm, that:
Williams, May 1836
Williams, May 1836. Click to expand.
A small town even now, Williams was an outpost to which Bunbury was sent in may 1836 for "about three weeks." On his return, he stated that he was to "make war on the native"
York, July 1836
York, July 1836. Click to expand.
Bunbury was sent to the York area by Stirling to protect pastoralists and "make war on the native."
Busselton, 1837
Busselton, 1837. Click to expand.
Busselton was founded by the Bussell family in 1832. Seen above is the first dwelling in the district.
Is changing the name the solution?
Historical revisionism is a complicated issue but one needs to analyse it from a modern viewpoint. Whilst accepting that times, views and language were different almost 200 years ago, this doesn't necessitate a continued acknowledgement of people who perpetrated violence.
The South-West Land council have been involved in renaming much of the Noongar nation with aspects of the original language. Bunbury has a reconciliation action plan that integrates the views of the local community with those of First Nations people. Recently, there has been a number of changes.
Mrs Lera Bennell, Aboriginal Elder-in-Residence at Edith Cowan University's Bunbury campus, was the subject of a collaborative portrait made by internationally renowned Nomad Two Worlds photographer Russell James and West Australian artist Clifton Bieundurry for ECU's art collection as part of the 2016 NAIDOC celebrations.
- Blackboy path in a suburb of Bunbury has has been renamed Balga path, a Noongar word for "grass tree."
- in 2021, the city of Bunbury moved forward with a "dual-naming" policy
- Wardandi elder Lera Bennell (left) has constantly advocated for change, arguing that Bunbury has a "black history." In recent times she has got Noongar names in the Bunbury cemetery and on street signs.
What is of more importance for groups like the Gnaala Karla Boodja land council, is the treaty process in Western Australia. This has been formally accepted and will allow, amongst other things:
- Noongar Standard Heritage Agreement - standard processes for determining when and how to carry out heritage surveys on Noongar Lands.
- Noongar Heritage Partnership Agreement - collaboration framework for identifying, recording, protecting and managing Noongar Heritage values and sites.
At the current time, the changing of the Bunbury name is not on the cards, despite the history that it brings. However, the introduction of widespread Noongar language signage, and a Treaty which incorporates far more than just naming convention, are both seen as important steps to not implementing historical revisionism, but formulating a new future.
Sources:
Bunbury, L.-C. W. (1930). Early Days in Western Australia Being the Letters and Journal of Lieut. H. W. BUNBURY. (H. S. Bunbury , & W. Morrell , Eds.) London: Oxford University Press.
Cameron, J. (2014, June 9th). 9 June, 2014 12:32PM AWST Bunbury was named after a young man who was ahead of his time. (S. Kennedy, Interviewer)
Cammilleri, C. (1966). Bunbury, Henry William St Pierre (1812–1875). Retrieved from Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1 : https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bunbury-henry-william-st-pierre-1846
Collard, Harben and van den Berg, ‘Nidja Beeliar Boodjar Noonookurt Nyininy’, 2004
Daley, P. (2022, February 15th). This article is more than 1 year old Bunbury, WA – just one of Australia’s many places named after the killers of Indigenous people. Retrieved from Guardian Australia: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/postcolonial-blog/2022/feb/15/bunbury-wa-just-one-of-australias-many-places-named-after-the-killers-of-indigenous-people
Delaney, A. (2021, July 8th). Dual-naming landmarks, sites on way as Bunbury council reviews policy to recognise Aboriginal language. Retrieved from South Western Times: https://www.swtimes.com.au/news/south-western-times/dual-naming-landmarks-sites-on-way-as-bunbury-council-reviews-policy-to-recognise-aboriginal-language-ng-b881917587z
