George Augustus Robinson

George Augustus Robinson
Robinson in 1853
Born(1791-03-22)22 March 1791
London, England
Died18 October 1866(1866-10-18) (aged 75)
Bath, Somerset, England
Occupation(s)Builder, Protector of Aborigines
Known for
  • removing Aboriginal Tasmanians into exile
  • documenting Aboriginal society and frontier conflict
  • leading role in enacting both protective and genocidal policies
Spouses
Maria Evans
​
​
(m. 1814; died 1848)​
Rose Pyne
​
(m. 1853)​
Signature

George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was an English born builder and self-trained preacher who was employed by the British colonial authorities to conciliate the Indigenous Australians of Van Diemen's Land and the Port Phillip District to the process of British invasion and colonialisation.[1]

In 1830, Robinson, with the guidance of Aboriginal Tasmanians such as Truganini and Woureddy, led what became known as "the friendly mission" around Van Diemen’s Land, which was organised to establish contact with the surviving Indigenous clans during the Black War. The mission later evolved into a series of further expeditions to round-up these survivors and place them into enforced exile at the Wybalenna Aboriginal Establishment on Flinders Island. From 1835 to 1839, Robinson became the superintendent of this facility, where his mismanagement resulted in the deaths of many of those exiled.[2]

He was appointed Chief Protector of Aborigines by the Aboriginal Protection Board in Port Phillip District, New South Wales in 1839, a position he held until 1849. His documentation of his many travels around what is now the state of Victoria are still a uniquely significant source of historical and cultural information about the Indigenous people of this region and their destruction by British colonists.[2]

Robinson is remembered as a complex and controversial individual who played an important role in both preserving a record of Aboriginal society and also profiteering from enacting genocidal policies against these same people. He is also remembered today for his enthusiastic role in the supply of Aboriginal skeletal remains to English 'collectors'.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Ryan, Lyndall (2012). Tasmanian Aborigines. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781742370682.
  2. ^ a b Rae-Ellis, Vivienne (1988). Black Robinson. Carlton: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0522847447.
  3. ^ Paul Thomas. Austl. Indigenous Law Rev. 92 (2007). Scientific Theft of Remains in Colonial Australia. 92: 92-103
  4. ^ https://www.britishmuseum.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/Final_Dossier.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ Pybus, Cassandra (2024). A Very Secret Trade. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781761066344.