12/06/2020
ON THIS DAY 225 YEARS AGO
Four hundred settlers are moved into the Hawksebury Richmond area of New South Wales in 1794 and First Nation peoples Yam beds were removed for planting corn.
When the corn was ripening a report went back to Parramatta that stated there were sightings of Aboriginal people intending to take the corn. Sixty Red Coats were deployed under the instruction to hang any Aboriginal person they killed to drive away others.
The Red Coats, along with some armed settlers, found a camp of First Nations people and at night they rode into the camp to 'shoot it up'. It is not known how many died. They took five prisoners to Parramatta, one of the women taken was carrying a baby who had been shot. The baby died in hospital and the prisoners were released three days later.
This has become known as the 'Battle of Richmond Hill' but being attacked at night without notice it was hardly a battle, a cowardly slaughtering describes it the best. It is sometimes referred to as the Battle of the Hawkesbury.
A Memorial Fire Place (pictured) was built in 2002 remembering the colonial violence across the region, located on the land of the St John of God Hospital in Richmond.
REFERENCES:
Battle of Richmond Hill (Wikipedia) https://bit.ly/2zfmwkg
The Battle of Richmond Hill (History of Aboriginal Sydney) https://bit.ly/2AL8ib4
Dharug massacre memorial site teaches young Aboriginal students about colonial history (NITV) https://bit.ly/2A8Bby1