Billy the Bull
An initiated Gunaikurnai man who shared some cultural information with A W Howitt and John Bulmer. Bulmer described some doubts or limits to Billy the Bull’s information, which may indicate that Billy was sharing only appropriate cultural knowledge, given Bulmer’s status as an uninitiated man. Whilst Billy the Bull stayed at Lake Tyers he also worked off the station, receiving a work certificate in 1871, under the 1871 Regulation to the 1869 Aborigines Protection Act. Billy and his wife Emma had a number of children, although some died in childhood of diseases such as Whooping cough and pneumonia. Amongst his peers and the non-Aboriginal local Gippsland community Billy the Bull was known as a fearless rider, quick witted and a strong fighter. He attended the 1884 Jeraeil, organised by Howitt. Billy the Bull died in 1910 of heart failure, having suffered Rheumatism also. He was said to be 73 years of age, giving him an approximate birth year of 1837.
References:
‘Billy the Bull: An Aboriginal Identity’, Advocate, 26 March 1910, p. 49, accessed 25 June 2020,
Billy the Bull
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170031489.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Eighth Report, John Ferres, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1872, p. 30.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-third Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1887, p. 11.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Seventeenth Report, John Ferres, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1881, p. 9.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-Fourth Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1888, p. 10.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-Eighth Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1892, p. 8.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Forty-Sixth Report, J Kemp, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1910, p. 8.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Eighth Report, John Ferres, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1872, p. 30.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-third Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1887, p. 11.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Seventeenth Report, John Ferres, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1881, p. 9.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-Fourth Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1888, p. 10.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Twenty-Eighth Report, Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1892, p. 8.
Board for the Protection of the Aborigines, Forty-Sixth Report, J Kemp, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1910, p. 8.
Found in Transcriptions
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Typed and handwritten notes about the KurnaiPages 2Registration Number XM524Author Howitt, Alfred WilliamPhysical Description Notes, typed and handwritten, undated. Handwritten sections include annotations and corrections throughout. Number 2 typed, top right of first page. No other page numbers marked. Five sheets, six pages. Condition: paper loss from bottom corner of one sheet; foxing. -
Notes about Camping and Food DivisionPages 18Registration Number XM702Author Howitt, Mr Alfred WilliamPhysical Description Draft notes, handwritten in ink, undated. Annotations and subheadings, throughout. Vertical line through almost all the pages. 13 sheets, 14 pages. Condition: foxing; some pages with tattered edges. -
Field notebookRegistration Number XM761Author Howitt, Mr Alfred WilliamPhysical Description Notebook, black, hard-covered, undated. Entries in pencil and ink. 120 sheets, 205 pages. Condition: extremely fragile; broken metal clasp; binding coming apart; loose pages; cover is badly worn with sections missing along the spine. -
Information from John Bulmer, n.d.Pages 3Registration Number XM98Author Bulmer, Reverend JohnPhysical Description Notes and a table, handwritten, undated. One large sheet folded in half with an additional smaller sheet, six pages. Notes are possibly a letter. Fragile condition, insect damage upper edging.
Also found in
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Howitt notes on the WolgalRegistration Number hw0185Author —Physical Description — -
Bulmer to Howitt 29/July/1907Registration Number hw0399Author —Physical Description — -
Chapter VI Tribal GovernmentsRegistration Number XM689Author Howitt, Mr Alfred WilliamPhysical Description Draft notes, typed and handwritten, undated. 59 pages consisting of 47 foolscap sheets, 8 half-pages, and 3 slips. With annotations, attachments and corrections throughout. Condition: some sheets with torn and tattered edges; some with foxing. -
Letter from John Bulmer 11 March 1904Registration Number XM92Author —Physical Description —