Peter Pagan

Here layeth Peter Cunningham Pagan - well not quite hereth - He’s was buried a mile or so away at the edge of the Clarence River - the place he came over from Scotland to explore. 

He was the first European settler in the Tabulam area, and had sized up the land around the Clarence river as potential for development, forestry and sheep farming, however he would not realise his dreams.

On April 22, 1841 the 24 year old pioneer witnessed some members of a nearby aboriginal tribe leaving his hut. Pagan waited until the natives were clear, with whatever they had stolen, and he went for his gun. The chase lead down towards the riverbed, when suddenly without warning “a spear transfixed him”, and Pagan died instantly. 

Retribution for Pagan’s death came sometime later and it’s not known from which direction it came but it is known that a 3am raid of the aboriginal camp was planned, where reports say that “several of the blacks were found to have been shot, while a New Zealander… tomahawked all he could get at-young or old’

The only item of Pagans found at the aboriginal camp was his hat. 

It was only a year later that Edward Oglvie - who had set up a sheep station on what is now the Yulgilbar Castle area described in a letter how he made a treaty with the local aboriginal people after he learnt the language from a boy that had previously been taken from the local aboriginal tribe. The boy’s father was Toolbillibam, one of the tribal elders. Oglvie returned the boy to Toolbillibam. The old man had been eating honey and had his face and beard smeared with it, gave Edward Ogilvie a 'sweet embrace.' . They became great friends.  Toolbillibam is described as “tall and magnificently made, and he appears to have been a very fine man as to character.”

Pagans grave was restored in 1982 by family members and is located beside this cache. The grave is attached to a stone that has some information written on a brass plate on the opposite side. The cache is a PVC container that I found located at the site being unused. I'm not sure why it was placed there, but judging by it's condition it was quite some time ago. It's now a geocache.

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