Peter Prior (Gulumba)
| Date | 3 February 1930 |
|---|---|
| Location | Palm Island aborigines settlement on Great Palm Island in Queensland, Australia |
| Organised by | Robert Henry Curry |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2 |
| Property damage | set fire to several buildings |
| Inquiries | Queensland Attorney General |
| Inquest | Magistrate Cameron PM |
| Arrest(s) | Pattison and Hoffman |
| Suspect(s) | Peter Prior |
| Convicted | 0 |
The Palm Island Tragedy occurred in 1930 on Palm Island aborigines settlement on Great Palm Island in Queensland, Australia, when the settlement's Superintendent shot and wounded two people, and set fire to several buildings, killing his two children. Later in the day, the Superintendent was shot dead. An official inquiry by the Queensland Attorney General followed. Those involved in the shooting death were charged with murder, but during the trial, under the advice of the trial judge, the Crown Prosecutor dropped the charges.
The Superintendent of the settlement was Robert Henry Curry; he had been the Superintendent of Palm Island since the settlement was moved from Hull River twelve years earlier. His wife died during childbirth in November 1929. The Medical Officer at the settlement was Dr. C. Maitland Pattison. According to Dr Joanne Watson's biography of Curry, "By December [1929] Curry was grief-stricken, fearful of losing his position, drinking heavily and withdrawing from novocaine—Pattison's treatment for 'neuralgia of the cranial nerve'."
During the 1920s, rivalries, bitterness and escalating feuds appear to have developed between the white officials on Palm Island. As a result of this situation there were several investigations into the conduct of officials on Palm Island. Stipendiary Magistrate Cameron chaired one inquiry ending on 18 April 1929, while Justice Nevitt chaired another, which provided its report to the Home Department on 7 February 1930. The allegations investigated included:
Then there were the numerous allegations of other categories of serious impropriety, including:
The report by Justice Nevitt regarding the administration of the Palm Island settlement, found that despite excessive drinking, bickering between Curry and Pattison, and the provision of alcohol to residents, that the management of the settlement was entirely adequate and acceptable. In releasing the Nevitt Report (after the tragedy), Queensland Premier Moore said that he was informed by his Home Department that the discipline at Palm Island had been good and management effective.
During the early morning hours of Monday, 3 February 1930, Robert Curry shot Dr. Pattison in the thigh and Dr. Pattison's wife in the neck. Using a form of dynamite called gelignite, he set fire to his own house, killing his step-daughter Edna Mather and son Robert Curry, Jr. He set fire twice to the office; and set fire to the thatch roof of the schoolhouse, the retail store, and the residence of the Assistant Superintendent Thomas Hoffman.
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Wikipedia