The somewhat awkward figure of the Rev. L.E. Threlkeld occupied the attentions of Your Amateur Researcher for several years, in connection with the Aboriginal language to the northward of Sydney, Awabakal , also known as the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie language. Lancelot Edward Threlkeld was born in south London in 1788, and after a chequered start was ordained as a Congregational minister at the age of 27, beginning a career as a missionary. His first posting was to the isla

Lancelot Edward Threlkeld, born in 1788, is, or was, exactly 150 years older than your modern-day amateur student of Awabakal , the Lake Macquarie language he worked on, all by himself, with no-one to discuss things with. Your amateur researcher [YAR] knows the feeling well, as probably no-one else has worked closely on this language, apart from book editor John Fraser in 1892. So for Threlkeld in the 1830s, translating the gospels must have been a lonely business, especially

Picture the lonely austere missionary the Rev. Lancelot Edward Threlkeld, deep in Aboriginal country sometime between 1834 and 1837 in his property at what is now Toronto on the peninsula on the western side of Lake Macquarie. He is in the throes of translating the obscure Biblical prose of St Mark’s Gospel into the local Aboriginal language spoken in the vicinity of this lake north of Sydney. This was a language that had developed to cover daily indigenous life of living, h

The Lake Macquarie missionary the Rev. Lancelot Threlkeld produced a grammar of the language where his mission was established. This language came to be known as Awabakal , though now also referred to as the Lake Macquarie–Hunter River language. Threlkeld’s grammar and other language works are remarkable for their volume and detail. But as his record is virtually the only one for the language, there is nothing against which to check his assertions about meaning and usage. One

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MISSION TO THE ABORIGINES, LAKE MACQUARIE, FOR MDCCCXXXVIII Ebenezer, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, December 31, 1838 TO THE HONORABLE THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, E. DEAS THOMSON, Esquire, &c. &c. &c. SIR, During the present year I have attempted to carry into effect the plan contemplated in my last year’s Report, of endeavouring to meet the Aborigines in the neighbouring districts; but the numbers are now so very much reduced, that it is almost imposs

Just to the west of Hornsby, a northern suburb of Sydney, is Old Mans Valley. One might reasonably assume that the name was inspired by an old man once living there. It would have had its share of old men, as does anywhere else. In Old Mans Valley an occasional black wallaby is to be seen, and the name might actually relate to kangaroos. In some Aboriginal languages there is a connection between words for ‘man’ and ‘kangaroo‘ — especially male kangaroos. The by now fairly wel

The following was included in a notice about a future public visit to Muogamarra, dated 15 April 2013: Muogamarra Nature Reserve is a Protected Place Muogamarra (pronounced Moo-o-ga-marra) lies between the outer Sydney suburb of Cowan (to the south) and the Hawkesbury River (to the north.)  But is this guide to pronunciation correct? muogamarra is a word from the Wiradhuri language, and there is only one reference for it: Australian respelt English EngJSM source “Muogamarra”

Mooney Mooney is a suburb in the north of Sydney on the Hawkesbury River. There is a club there where lunch may be had, with a balcony offering a view over the water; noisy mynas tormented a kookaburra sitting on telegraph wires. The question presented itself as to what this placename might mean. The receptionist at the club visited for the lunch, a resident for the past forty years, asserted it meant ‘many rivers‘ — something he had learnt from other locals. This explanation

William Dawes of the First Fleet wrote, on page 35 of his notebook ‘b’: P. Mr Faddy yéla Mr Clark yenyában Norfolk Island Mr Faddy with Mr Clark went to Norfolk Island This sentence arose in relation to the following journey to Norfolk Island recorded at the time by others: March, 1790. [The Sirius ] was ordered, in concert with the Supply , to convey major Ross, with a large detachment of marines, and more than two hundred convicts, to Norfolk [39] Island: ……. She sailed on

Lynette Oates has produced a comprehensive introduction to Muruwari , a language group straddling the NSW-Qld border south of Cunnamulla and north of Bourke, Brewarrina and Lightning Ridge. The reference is: Oates, Lynette Frances. 1988. The Muruwari language . Canberra: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. It includes over 1100 sentences and verbs for which Oates has provided a grammatical analysis. Unsurprisingly, for suc

A generation after the upheaval of 1788 and the arrival of the First Fleet, and around 150 km north of Sydney, Lancelot Edward Threlkeld was superintending the outpost he had set up at what is now Belmont on Lake Macquarie on behalf of the London Missionary Society. The purpose was to make contact with the local indigenous people and to undertake all that missionaries normally hope to do. Threlkeld believed that he would better achieve this objective if he could communicate,

Bokhara In a press report in the Sydney Morning Herald for the last day of 2010, there was the following entry: Moderate to major flooding is expected along the Culgoa, Bokhara, Birrie and Narran rivers over the coming weeks. And a little further on in the article: … floodwater from west-flowing NSW rivers is still causing minor to moderate flowing along the Barwon River. Perhaps this was a clue to a puzzle of bagara in the Minyung language, on the far north NSW coastal regi

The Rev. Lancelot Threlkeld ran a mission in the Newcastle, NSW, area in the period 1831-41, and while there studied the language that came to be known as Awabakal . He wrote copiously about it, in a manner that now appears opaque. Here is an example: kurraġtoanbuġgulliko : to cause by personal agency to foam This can be re-presented with simplified spelling and hyphens to separate component parts, together with source references, in the following manner: Australian respelt E

barang crops up a lot. It seems to mean ‘carry’, ‘bring’ and the like. Australian respelt English Eng JSM source “Bâr-rang” barang “bring” carry: Symmons, Charles [:16:2] [NYUNGAR] “burrung” barang “get; take: and note jinbu, ranga” carry: [23] Buller-Murphy [:26:14] [NYUNGAR] “baroŋ” barang “to fetch, to bring, to pick up” carry: Bates Grammar [:66:13] [NYUNGAR] “Barrang” barang “Take in the hand” carry: Moore 1842 [:163:11] [NYUNGAR] “barrang” barang “bring, to” carry: [9]

A large number of Nyungar words end in -gur but no common thread jumps out to suggest a meaning. gur also occurs on its own, as does the similar garu : Australian respelt English EngJSM source “garoo” garu “more, (beeliar)” more [3] Lyon 1833 [:325:42] [NYUNGAR] “kar-ro” garu “again; more” again [4] Grey 1840 [:199:41] [NYUNGAR] “kor, kor” gur “Again” again Bates Grammar [:75:8] [NYUNGAR] “Garro” garu “Again; then.” again Moore 1842 [:40:11] [NYUNGAR] The meanings are ‘again’

There are several words to express ‘bad’, but it is interesting to note one similarity between the Nyungar language of south-west Western Australia and the Sydney language, and elsewhere in New South Wales:  Australian respelt English EngJSM source “[Wiribü´ngadyémi]” wiribanga “[Thou didst wrong or badly.]” bad DO, to: Dawes (b) [b:24:18.11] [BB] “Wiribi´” wiribáyi “Worn out (as clothes etc.)” bad did: Dawes (b) [b:24:13] [BB] “we-ree no-rar” wiri ngura “a bad country” bad c