Dick of the Barkinji people, also known as Mountain, was an Indigenous Australian explorer who was on the Burke and Wills support expedition.Peter FitzSimons, Burke and Wills (Hachette Australia) page 282. Portrait of Dick, 21 December 1860.Ian Clark, Fred Cahir, The Aboriginal Story of Burke and Wills: Forgotten Narratives (CSIRO Publishing, 2013) page 7.
Dick was a member of the Barkinji people from the Darling River, who were on good terms with the Europeans.Ian Clark, Fred Cahir, The Aboriginal Story of Burke and Wills: Forgotten Narratives (CSIRO Publishing, 2013) page 70. Dick probably came into contact with British settlers who were establishing farms along the Darling River during his youth.
He was on the Burke and Wills expedition support expedition from the Murray River to Coopers Creek,Hermann Beckler, edited by Stephen Jefferies, A Journey To Cooper's Creek (Carlton, Vic., Melbourne University Press, 1993). in September 1860, when Trooper Lyons and Alexander MacPherson became lost in the Gibber desert,Peter FitzSimons, Burke and Wills (Hachette Australia )Ian Clark, Fred Cahir, The Aboriginal Story of Burke and Wills: Forgotten Narratives (CSIRO Publishing, 2013) page 7. south of Coopers Creek. Dick accompanied Trooper Lyons and Alexander MacPherson when they set out from Menindie to convey despatches to Burke. When they became lost and desperately short of provisions and water, Dick conveyed them to the care of local Aborigines. He then returned to camp, walking for eight days after having run his horse into the ground.Dig, the Burke and Wills Research Gateway.
A brass plate and 5 sovereigns (£5 = $10) were presented to Dick in September 1861 by Governor of Victoria Henry Barkly. Ballaarat Star 25/9/1861. Sir Harry 'expressed a hope that he would not spend it in drink, as too many of his race were prone to do.’ Ian Clark, Fred Cahir, The Aboriginal Story of Burke and Wills: Forgotten Narratives (CSIRO Publishing, 2013) page 107.Telegrams and Chequebook The Burke and wills Research Gateway.
See also List of Indigenous Australian historical figures
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