RUNNING ON THE GREAT DIVIDE
 A Radio Play.

Bob Campbell, has written a radio play around the story of Aboriginal man Jimmy Governor, who in 1900, killed the owner of his property, Alexander McKay at Sportsman’s Hollow, where Bob has lived for the past twenty five years.   Alexander McKay is buried at the Gulgong cemetery.

This story of Jimmy Governor, an Aboriginal man who, in 1900, with his brother Joe and others killed nine people, most of them women and children is the result of many year’s study, research and involvement in Aboriginal Education.

YouTube - 4 Part Radio Play

Part 1 YouTube Link

Part 2 YouTube Link

Part 3 YouTube Link 

Part 4 YouTube Link 

Jimmy Governor was no Ned Kelly style hero. Here is an attempt to understand what drives a person to commit crimes that set the entire country into a frenzy of fear. It is useful to understand what makes the students at Columbine High School, and other schools and universities in the USA, murder their schoolmates.

When we realize somebody wants to throw bombs at us it is probably a good idea to ask them why they hate us.

A cliché in 1900, and perhaps even today, was the erroneous opinion that Aboriginal people drink too much and don’t like work.

Jimmy was good at everything he attempted; in today’s terms he might be called an alpha male. Jimmy was known as a hard and competent worker. He worked with his father in a carting business, as a police tracker at CassilIs and in his own business as a fencer and timber cutting contractor. That is, a small businessman.

But Jimmy was never accepted by the white community. He was constantly bullied, humiliated, insulted, cheated and discriminated against.

When he married the white, fifteen year old Ethel Page in Gulgong, they both suffered prejudice and eventually moved to Breelong to work for farmer John Maubey. The records show how they were further humiliated there, and cheated out of hard earned money.

On Friday 20th July 1900, something snapped in Jimmy’s mind resulting in him leading his brother Joe, Jacky Underwood and his wife Ethel in a massacre of the Maubey women and children at Breelong. The ensuing four month hunt, eventual capture and hangings struck fear into the entire country. The local newspaper published a list, made by Jimmy, of people with whom he sought revenge. It is significant to note that he had been employed by almost all of them.

Like the two schoolboy murderers at Columbine High and the lone Korean gunman at Virginia Tech in the USA, Jimmy considered himself bullied every day of his life.

This presentation aims to inject some understanding into these terrible events in history through historical records and art works.

Apart from the Gold rush of 1870 and the presence of Henry Lawson in the Gulgong cultural memory, the Jimmy Governor story is the major significant event in local history and sentiment.

Every rock, blade of grass, tree, cave and waterhole was once the living space, home and hunting grounds of the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people. How did this all become part of a thriving rural community growing rich on tourism, and coal mining?

An examination of the story of Jimmy Governor, the historical events leading to the murders and the following terror is useful in the understanding of where we are now and where we are going.

A Radio Play - Running on the Great Divide

See YouTube Clips
 

The Divide
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The track playing is Brother Joe & Me and
is available on Bob's latest CD - The Divide CD $20

Notes on Writing, Sources & Production

This performance incorporates historical quotes from primary sources, poetry, old ballads, songs, and opinions of contemporaries who have direct and indirect relationship to the players in this tragic drama. In preparation for this work, Bob Campbell has met and spoken with descendants of the Governor family, of Herbert Byers, the local man who wounded Jimmy through the jaw, and relatives of the Wade family who gave Jimmy and Joe Governor shelter while on the run.

All available written material has been consulted and many bit-players in the story have tendered opinions and theories, and have been given their opportunity to voice their views.

Gulgong historian, Ruth Davis, has been of immense assistance with all things related to Gulgong and the local area.

It is significant that during twenty four years of researching, Bob Campbell has not once encountered opinions hostile to the Governors despite the nature of their worst crimes.

A major source has been the fine, meticulously researched book THE TRUE STORY OF JIMMY GOVERNOR by Laurie Moore and Stefan Williams.

Other works related to this are -

BOOKS       BLOOD ON THE WATTLE - Bruce Elder
                   DANCING WITH STRANGERS - Inge Clendinnen

POEMS       THE WIRADJURI TRIBE - Mary Gilmore
                   THE BALLAD OF JIMMY GOVERNOR - Les Murray
                   ONE EYED NALUL SPEAKS - Roland Robinson
                   CAPTAIN COOK - Roland Robinson
                   COCKATOOS - Seamus Duffy
                   DANCING WITH STRANGERS - Bob Campbell

Extracts from two contemporary ballads have also been quoted

Sound engineer, musician and singer Mathew Gaudry has composed a background score for the play. He also recorded and engineered the work.  Robbie Long did the final mastering.

Actors, Maurice Gaudry and David Warner perform historical quotes and poetry while
Bob Campbell sings all songs.

Songs are written by Bob Campbell, Seamus Duffy and Michael O'Driscoll.

The program is 54 minutes long. For convenience of radio airplay, the show has been divided into four linked parts.
 
            Part 1       INTRODUCTION AND FIRST CONTACT
             Part 2       WIRADJURI, WINDRADINE AND MARTIAL LAW
             Part 3       THE GOVERNORS AND THE MURDERS
             Part 4       THE HUNT AND CONCLUSION

The CD cover drawing was by Steve Mountford, Gulgong.
CD cover design by Amanda Pahl, Mudgee.

SEE ALSO CD - THE DIVIDE

Bob Campbell    
August 2010    

All research and original text is by Bob Campbell    
who accepts responsibility for any errors or omissions.    

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