Aborigine Cricketing discoveries at the RAMM Exeter.
If you go to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter you might see a small collection of aboriginal artifacts from Australia: a boomerang, a hand club, two spear throwers, two spears, two parrying sticks, three throwing clubs and two fire sticks (two of these items incidentally are on permanent display in the gallery). The story of how they were acquired, and have remained undiscovered for so long has a Woodbury Connection.
A Dr. Philip Charles Hayman, originally from Axminster, moved to Oakhayes House in Woodbury in the 1860 with his large family. He took over part of Dr Brent’s medical practice as he was giving up much of his medical work. One of Philip’s sons, William Reginald Hayman emigrated to Victoria in Australia in 1858, at the age of 16, and became a farmer and sportsman there. He encouraged the Aborigines to work on his land and arranged for two of Australia’s leading cricketers, Tom Wills and Charles Lawrence, to coach the Aborigines for games against white teams in front of paying audiences. William Hayman brought this Aboriginal cricket team on a tour of England in 1968, where they not only played cricket but ‘gave displays of their traditional skills in boomerang and spear throwing, and dodging cricket balls thrown at them before and after the games of cricket’.
In May 1868, the Sporting Life gave an account of the tour and described the Aboriginal players as ‘the first Australian natives who have visited this country on such a novel expedition, but it must not be inferred that they are savages; on the contrary, the managers of the speculation make no pretence to anything other than purity of race or origin. They are perfectly civilised, being brought up in the bush to agricultural pursuits as assistants to Europeans, and the only language of which they have perfect knowledge is English.’
The tour was financed by Sydney Lawyer George Graham. Along with his cousin George Smith (who had been Mayor of Sydney in 1859), and William Hayman, they all travelled to England for the tour.
A Dr. Philip Charles Hayman, originally from Axminster, moved to Oakhayes House in Woodbury in the 1860 with his large family. He took over part of Dr Brent’s medical practice as he was giving up much of his medical work. One of Philip’s sons, William Reginald Hayman emigrated to Victoria in Australia in 1858, at the age of 16, and became a farmer and sportsman there. He encouraged the Aborigines to work on his land and arranged for two of Australia’s leading cricketers, Tom Wills and Charles Lawrence, to coach the Aborigines for games against white teams in front of paying audiences. William Hayman brought this Aboriginal cricket team on a tour of England in 1968, where they not only played cricket but ‘gave displays of their traditional skills in boomerang and spear throwing, and dodging cricket balls thrown at them before and after the games of cricket’.
In May 1868, the Sporting Life gave an account of the tour and described the Aboriginal players as ‘the first Australian natives who have visited this country on such a novel expedition, but it must not be inferred that they are savages; on the contrary, the managers of the speculation make no pretence to anything other than purity of race or origin. They are perfectly civilised, being brought up in the bush to agricultural pursuits as assistants to Europeans, and the only language of which they have perfect knowledge is English.’
The tour was financed by Sydney Lawyer George Graham. Along with his cousin George Smith (who had been Mayor of Sydney in 1859), and William Hayman, they all travelled to England for the tour.
- Charles Lawrence – captain-coach
- Johnny Mullagh – traditional name: Unaarrimin
- Bullocky – traditional name: Bullchanach. A wicketkeeper, Bullocky was referred to as "at once the black Bannerman and Blackham of his team".
- Sundown – traditional name: Ballrin
- Dick-a-Dick – traditional name: Jungunjinanuke
- Johnny Cuzens – traditional name: Zellanach
- King Cole – traditional name: Bripumyarrimin
- Red Cap – traditional name: Brimbunyah
- Twopenny – traditional name: Murrumgunarriman
- Charley Dumas – traditional name: Pripumuarraman
- Jimmy Mosquito – traditional name: Grougarrong, who "could walk upright under a bar and then jump it in a stander".
- Tiger – traditional name: Boninbarngeet
- Peter – traditional name: Arrahmunijarrimun
- Jim Crow – traditional name: Jallachniurrimin
