Smallpox
About a year after the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney a major smallpox epidemic broke out. However, it did not affect the British colonists, most of who had been exposed to the disease during their infancy. As a result, smallpox was not detected until members of...
Benjamin Reed
Benjamin Reed was a convict stockman assigned to William Bowman. He became a known killer of aboriginal people and according to Rev Joe Docker, of Bontherambo station, Benjamin Reed was in a feud with Merriman. 1830 Feb 18th convict Benjamin Reed (later in life spelt...
Joseph Hawdon
Hawdon was born at Wackerfield, Durham, England and sailed to Australia, arriving in November 1834 at the suggestion of his elder brother who was already settled in NSW with property at Cowpastures and Batemans Bay. (1) In October 1836 Joseph Hawdon mustered a mob of...
William Pitt Faithful
Merriman was said to be one of the ring leaders of the attack on William Pitt Faithful’s shepherds at the Broken River in April 1838 where 8 shepherds were killed. The killings caused great alarm among overlanders and halted settlement along the Sydney road for...Event Locations
