Shooting of Worta by William Roach, near the Light River, 2 August 1841

Date: 2 Aug 1841
Place: On Mr Metcalfe’s station, near the Light River
On 2 August 1841, as Aboriginal man Worta cooked meat on a fire near his wurley, he was shot dead by Mr Peter’s stock-keeper, William Roach, in the presence of Worta’s daughter, Katta Murtanna, and Roach’s companions, William Wilson and Edward Cross. Missionary Christian Teichelmann learned of his murder and informed the authorities. The Europeans were arrested but Roach was ultimately acquitted.
(See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
Notes:
LocationAccuracy: Close

People involved

  • Kutta Murtanna/Katta Murtana (Worta’s daughter)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Worta (aka Kudnurtya, Williamy)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Worta’s son
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.

Sources

Event mentions

  • Shooting of Worta by William Roach, near the Light River, 2 August 1841
    2 Aug 1841 — On Mr Metcalfe’s station, near the Light River
    On 2 August 1841, as Aboriginal man Worta cooked meat on a fire near his wurley, he was shot dead by Mr Peter’s stock-keeper, William Roach, in the presence of Worta’s daughter, Katta Murtanna, and Roach’s companions, William Wilson and Edward Cross. Missionary Christian Teichelmann learned of his murder and informed the authorities. The Europeans were arrested but Roach was ultimately acquitted.
    (See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
    Source: Robert Foster, Skye Krichauff and Amanda Nettelbeck, The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 2024, http://ua.edu.au/south-australian-frontier