Spearing of John Charles Darke, 23 October 1844

Date: 24 Oct 1844
Place: 150 north of Port Lincoln (Gawler Ranges?)
Darke departed Port Lincoln on 24 August with an exploring party. According to witnesses James Howard and John Theakston, he was speared three times at about eight o’clock in the morning of 23 October 1844. The Europeans deduced that those who speared him had not previously been in contact with Europeans as they were startled by the sound of a gun and unfamiliar with damper.
(See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
Notes:
LocationAccuracy: Approximate

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Event mentions

  • Spearing of John Charles Darke, 23 October 1844
    24 Oct 1844 — 150 north of Port Lincoln (Gawler Ranges?)
    Darke departed Port Lincoln on 24 August with an exploring party. According to witnesses James Howard and John Theakston, he was speared three times at about eight o’clock in the morning of 23 October 1844. The Europeans deduced that those who speared him had not previously been in contact with Europeans as they were startled by the sound of a gun and unfamiliar with damper.
    (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