J S Battye Library of West Australian History Private Archives – Collection Listing

MN 2458 Acc. 209A, 348A, 811A, 1073A

BROCKMAN, George Julius

Born: 2 November 1850, in Guildford, . Died: 29 August 1912 Father: Robert James Brockman Mother: Elizabeth Walcott His parents were married in 1837. Julius George was their 8th child.

Working life: 1866: Left home and went to work in Busselton for Gale as a cattle hunter 1868 -72: Worked in Busselton for H R Prinsep as his foreman. 1875: Went north to the and managed stations such as Pyramid for Anderson and Richardson and company. 1879: Was the first settler bring stock to the west Kimberley to secure land along the Fitzroy River. The government blocked his intial application for land on the southside of the river by introducing new regulations for land acquisition. When the Murray Squatting Company took up this lease he moved north and established Meda station on the May River. 1888 Sold Meda and returned to the Gascoyne purchasing Minilya station. From Champion Bay he supplied meat tot he goldfields. 1904: Sold his businesses and traveled overseas, eventually retiring in Guildford.

Note that Brockman’s accounts have been recorded in He Rode Alone, by Joan Brockman, (Artlook Books, WA 1987).

The Papers The papers were donated to Battye Library by Rev S A Milward in 1945 (Acc.348), by GG Gooch in July 1953 (Acc.209A),by Mrs H Drake-Brockman in January 1960 (Acc.811A) and lent for copying by Mrs Vernon Brockman in July 1962 (Acc. 1073A).

Holdings = 0.37m

Access The J S Battye Library provides access to original material. In some situations, this may not be possible and alternative formats such as microfilm, microfiche, typescripts or photocopies are supplied for researchers’ use. Where alternative formats are available, these must be used.

Copyright Restrictions The Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968 regulates copying of unpublished material. It is the user’s legal obligation to determine and satisfy copyright.

MN 2458 1  Copyright SLWA 2005 J S Battye Library of West Australian History Private Archives – Collection Listing

Summary of Classes

CORRESPONDENCE EXTRACTS JOURNALS REMINISCENCES

CORRESPONDENCE 209A 12 June 1897 Original Letter from JG Brockman in the Gascoyne to fellow pastoralist Mr George Joseph Gooch, informing him of his sister’s (Mrs Stewart) in Onslow and cautioning him about the flooded creeks. J Grierson passed letter to Gooch via his Aboriginal station hand.. 1073A/2 M/FILM 23 Aug 1877 Letter from GJ Brockman at Minilya station to “West Australian” about Maud’s Landing

EXTRACTS 348A/2 28 May 1880

Not for Extract from Reminiscences of G.J Brockman, “Original public about his arrival in Beagle Bay with 300 head of typescript” use sheep and his overland travels to the Fitzroy River, near Mt Anderson. The extract is Brockman’s account of this initial overland trip to the Fitzroy and his subsequent unsuccessful application for 400,000 acres on the southside of the Fitzroy River, due to the changes in government regulations for the land acquisitions in the newly named Kimberley region. His claimed land was taken up by the Murray Squatting Company; and he looked north and took up the ‘Meda’ lease on the May River, north of the Fitzroy River. For full account see 348A/3

JOURNALS

MN 2458 2  Copyright SLWA 2005 J S Battye Library of West Australian History Private Archives – Collection Listing

1073A/1 M/FILM 11 Sept – 6 October 1875 9 Feb 1- 13 Mar 1880 11 May – 2 June 1881 21 Nov 1884 – 5 June 1885 27 Oct 1988 – 1 Feb 1890 1 Feb 1890 – 25 May 1891 26 May 1890 – 7 Sept 1892 Handwritten journals from Minilya station. 1073A/2 M/FILM 11Sept – 6 Oct 1875 9 Feb – 13 Mar 1880 11 May – 2 June 1881 21 Nov 1884 – 5 Jan 1885 2 Feb – 12 May 1888 Second copy of selected journals (see 1073A/1 with edited notes. 811A/1 1 June – 28 Dec 1897 Daily account of pastoral work at Minilya station Original and surrounding region. and 2 copies of typescript 811A/2 2 Feb 1888 – 13 Aug 1889 Daily account of pastoral work at Minilya station Original and surrounding region. and 2 copies of typescript 811A/3 14 Aug 1889 – 27 Mar 1894 Daily account of pastoral work at Minilya station Original and surrounding region and 2 copies of typescript (2 vols) 348A/1 1 Nov -16 Dec 1905 (also incl. Julius Brockman’s diary whilst in New York, his Original reminiscen travels by ship to London, and his tourist ces) experiences in London and Paris.

REMINISCENCES 348A/1 n.d. (also incl. 107 hand written pages by Brockman about his Original journal) early life as a pastoral worker, and then settler in the Kimberley region. The extract 348A/1 is a part of this account.

1 July 2005

MN 2458 3  Copyright SLWA 2005