John+Batman

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 //John Batman was the only native-born Australian to found a state capital city – that capital being Melbourne.

////John Batman was born at Parramatta in New South Wales. His father was transported to Australia as a convict for receiving stolen goods. It was there that he learned his skills as a bushman and had a good rapport with the local Aboriginal people. As a young man, John Batman sailed to Tasmania and met his wife, Elizabeth Callaghan, who was a convict. They got married and had seven daughters and one son. // //John Batman was an ambitious man and saw that he had an opportunity to become wealthy by gaining some land in what is now known as Victoria. Another pioneer, Charles Grimes had also discovered Victoria but didn’t settle there because he thought it was unsuitable land. // // John Batman arrived at Port Phillip on the 29th of May 1835 and twice attempted to make a treaty with the Aboriginal people. Both failed. He noted the “place for a village” that he felt would be excellent grazing land and then sailed back to Launceston to secure an agreement for that land. If the Aborigines wouldn’t let him have it, he would secure the rights from the powers to be in Launceston. He also went back to Launceston for supplies, happy in the knowledge that he had some of the richest grazing land nearly in his possession and that he was going to experience success where the government attempts at settlement had failed. John Batman left a small group of his people remaining on the land (now known as Victoria). // //When John Batman arrived back to Port Phillip another potential rival land owner by the name of John Fawkner had set up camp on the opposite bank of the Yarra River. John Fawkner is well known as having been a co-founder of Melbourne. Both were very suspicious of each other and one could say that they had a stand-off – neither spoke to the other. // //John Batman did have an advantage over John Fawkner in that he spoke several Aboriginal dialects. He gave gifts to the Aboriginal people but little did they know that what he really wanted was to take their land. As it turned out John Fawkner had more influence over the development of Melbourne than Batman did. // // John Batman had supposably got the Aboriginal Chief’s signatures for purchase of the land, but when the authorities checked the signatures in the back of his diary they were found to be forged. The authorities compensated him for expenses but the land was not the only thing he lost. His wife left him for another man and one of his daughters was murdered in Geelong. His only son drowned in the Yarra River at the falls. // //John Batman died on the sixth of May 1839 from syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease which disfigures your face, nose and left him unable to walk. It also penetrates the brain. Ironically, when he was dying he was taken care of by the Aboriginals to whom he had been so cruel. John Batman was involved in the Aboriginal hunts and marginalisation in Tasmania. They wheeled him around in a chair with wheels or a bath with wheels. // //John Batman was originally buried in Melbourne Cemetery but was ironically reburied in the Fawkner Cemetery, named after his rival John Fawkner. There are many places in the city that are named after John Batman such as, Batman Hill, Batman Park and Batman Avenue. Funnily enough, if John Batman had got the land he wanted then we wouldn’t be called Melbourne but we would be called Batmania!! //

 


 * What We Think of John Batman:**

John Batman was a very good explorer; he was one of the people who founded Melbourne. He thought, though, that he could own all the land in Victoria. There has been some question over whether he was able the get the Aboriginal Chiefs signictures. A painting in the State Library shows a woman, dogs and John Batman but none of these things were actuarlly there at the time.