Killing of George McGrath, 2 June 1842

Date: 2 Jun 1842
Place: McGrath Flat, 18 miles beyond Bonney’s well
On 2 June 1842, George McGrath was killed by his Aboriginal guides at Bonney’s Well while travelling to Portland. Wira Mildara and Wek Weki were arrested for the crime in 1845 and tried before the Supreme Court. Both found guilty, but Wira Maldira was executed on the grounds that he ‘knew our habits and some of our laws’ ans was judged more culpable.
(See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
Notes:
LocationAccuracy: Close

People involved

  • Wek Weki
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Wira Maldira
    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

  • Killing of George McGrath, 2 June 1842
    2 Jun 1842 — McGrath Flat, 18 miles beyond Bonney’s well
    On 2 June 1842, George McGrath was killed by his Aboriginal guides at Bonney’s Well while travelling to Portland. Wira Mildara and Wek Weki were arrested for the crime in 1845 and tried before the Supreme Court. Both found guilty, but Wira Maldira was executed on the grounds that he ‘knew our habits and some of our laws’ ans was judged more culpable.
    (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