Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre says hanging of first Indigenous Tasmanians not acknowledged

It’s been nearly 200 years since the hanging of two Aboriginal men, and their deaths continue to go without acknowledgment. TAC campaigner Nala Mansell says it needs to change.

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaigner, Nala Mansell. Picture: Patrick Gee

It’s been nearly 200 years since the hanging of two Aboriginal men, the first Indigenous Tasmanians to suffer such a fate, and their deaths continue to go without acknowledgment, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaigner Nala Mansell says.

Ms Mansell said September 24 marked the hanging of ‘Dick’ and ‘Jack’, two men from the Oyster Bay tribe, who arrived in Hobart as part of a group of 60 Aboriginal people.

“The events leading to their execution were rooted in prejudice and a rush to judgment,” Ms Mansell said.

“The death of a white colonist near Kangaroo Point sparked outrage among settlers. Without substantial evidence, Governor Arthur presumed an Aboriginal man must be responsible.

“A month later, Dick and Jack were plucked from their community and thrown into a cell.”

Ms Mansell said the despite a lack of evidence, the two were sentenced to execution by hanging.

“All accounts suggest that Dick was an elderly man, limited in mobility and forced to crawl on his hands and knees in prison, while Jack, a tall and youthful figure, had declared his innocence from the very beginning,” Ms Mansell said.

“Their trial was a farce, held before an all-white military jury that denied them the opportunity to defend themselves.

“As news of their impending execution spread, many voices rose in protest. There was a growing recognition among some settlers that the two men had been unfairly treated, their lives taken without just cause.”

Ms Mansell said this was the first time Aboriginal Tasmanians were hanged, but there had been no acknowledgment of what happened.

She said opposite the site of the execution of the men, there was a monument for the first woman hanged in Tasmania, who was executed four years after ‘Dick’ and ‘Jack’.

Ms Mansell said there needed to be acknowledgment.

“While the Hobart City Council and state government are quick to promote and commit to ‘truth-telling’ throughout the media, moments in Tasmania’s history that involve Aboriginal people – such as the hanging of these two men – continue to be completely ignored,” she said.

“This anniversary serves as a call to action. It reminds us of the importance of listening to Aboriginal voices, acknowledging past wrongs, and striving for genuine justice.”

Originally published as Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre says hanging of first Indigenous Tasmanians not acknowledged