Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page i FOOTPRINTS The Journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page ii Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page iii FOOTPRINTS The Journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page iv Published by the National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria © Commonwealth of Australia and State of Victoria 2008 This work is copyright.Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to the Publications Manager, National Archives of Australia, PO Box 7425, Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610,Australia, and the Manager, Community Access, Public Record Office Victoria, PO Box 2100, North Melbourne Vic 3031,Australia. Every reasonable endeavour has been made to locate and contact copyright holders.Where this has not proved possible, copyright holders are invited to contact the publisher. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data: Flagg, Simon. Footprints: the journey of Lucy & Percy Pepper / Simon Flagg and Sebastian Gurciullo. ISBN 978 1 9208 0761 0 (pbk.) 1. Pepper, Lucy, 1884-1923 – Family. 2. Pepper, Percy, c. 1877-1956 – Family. 3. Pepper family. 4.Aboriginal Australians – Victoria – Gippsland – Genealogy. 5.Victoria – Genealogy. 929.20994 Coordinating authors: Simon Flagg and Sebastian Gurciullo Editor: Kellie Abbott Publications Manager (National Archives of Australia):Angela McAdam Manager, Community Access (Public Record Office Victoria): Diane Gardiner Designed by: Green Poles Design Pty Ltd Production assistance: Laura Daniele Proofreader: Michaela Forster Cover and chapter opening illustrations: Collon Mullett iv Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page v Foreword It gives us great satisfaction to publish Footprints. We hope that it will inspire and inform the search for reconnection to family, land and culture for all Aboriginal people and will encourage many to find their own family history. The story of Lucy and Percy Pepper is an illustration of what Aboriginal people may find in the archives. Government records show the prevailing attitudes in the past and the many challenges Aboriginal people like the Peppers faced in their life journeys. Archival records show the relationship between Aboriginal people and the government, as well as the dramatic effects that laws and policies had upon their lives.Through this evidence, we can come to understand something of the experiences of Aboriginal people throughout Australia’s history. Footprints is an important collaboration between the National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria. Aboriginal records in Victoria are shared between the collections of both our organisations. This book shows the relationships between our two collections and their relevance to those searching for their family stories in Victoria. We are particularly grateful to the descendants of the Pepper family for their generous contribution in telling this story. We also wish to acknowledge Stolen Generations Victoria Ltd, which provided funding for this book. v Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page vi FOOTPRINTS As you read the Peppers’ story, you will be moved by the often unhappy circumstances of their lives but also inspired by their strength and strong family bonds. The National Archives of Australia and Public Record Office Victoria are proud to be able to bring it to you. ROSS GIBBS PSM Director-General National Archives of Australia JUSTINE HEAZLEWOOD Director and Keeper of Public Records Public Record Office Victoria vi Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page vii Contents Foreword – by Ross Gibbs and Justine Heazlewood v Acknowledgements viii Cultural warning ix List of illustrations x Introduction Tracing a family’s history in the archives 1 1 Introducing the Pepper family 9 2 A family’s cry for help 14 3 Across the state 25 4 The timber pole dispute 42 5 Percy answers the call 57 6 A death in the family 79 7 A final request for Lucy Pepper 93 8 Life goes on for the Pepper family 100 Afterword Where are we now? – by Rita Watkins 114 Endnotes 117 Appendix A Key people in the records 122 Appendix B About the government records used in this book 125 Bibliography 131 vii Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page viii Acknowledgements Members of the PROV Volunteers Program assisted with editing record transcripts. In particular, the authors would like to thank Marge Knight, Barbara Minchinton, Leonie Marshall, Liz Raven, Beryl Mainon, Bernadetta Griffiths, Susan Minetti, Barbara Addie, Mary Maxwell and Liz Buckle. The authors would like to thank Rita Watkins, Glenys Watts and all the other descendants of Lucy and Percy Pepper. They also thank the State Library of Victoria; the Hon. Jenny Lindell, MP (Speaker of the Legislative Assembly); Marion Holding and Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society Inc.;Tsari Anderson; Jane Lydon; Merryn Apma; Emma Toon; Ross Latham; James McKinnon; Shauna Hicks; Anne Lyons; Derina McLaughlin and Hilary Rowell. This publication was made possible with funding made available by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria through Stolen Generations Victoria Ltd. viii Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page ix Cultural warning This book contains references to and images of deceased persons. It also includes transcripts of some government records that contain language that is disturbing and offensive, particularly to descendants of Lucy and Percy Pepper. The language used in the records provides evidence of past attitudes held by government officials and other Australians. In this book, we have chosen not to alter the language of the original records in order to maintain the integrity of the historical record. The views expressed in these historical documents are not endorsed by Public Record Office Victoria, the National Archives of Australia nor any descendants of the Peppers. ix Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page x List of illustrations Studio portrait of the Pepper family, circa 1912 xii Map of Victoria with reference to Aboriginal missions and towns 7 Family tree of Lucy and Percy Pepper 8 Lucy Pepper with her children 10 Aboriginal residents at Lake Tyers station, 1886 12 Lucy Pepper with daughters Lena and Gwendoline, and niece Alice, early 1920s 26 Store in Tynong from which Percy Pepper sold bicycles 43 Percy Pepper with his AIF regiment, Salisbury Plains, England, 1917 58 Roll of Honour at Lake Tyers 60 Percy Pepper at Koo-Wee-Rup, 1920s 73 Percy Pepper with his son Phillip, circa 1920 80 Pepper grandchildren picking beans at Orbost, circa 1934 85 Percy Pepper in the Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne, early 1940s 101 Congregation of Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls, Fitzroy, circa 1945 105 Percy Pepper and his grand-daughter Rita Watkins, Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne, circa 1942 115 x Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS COLOUR PLATES PLATE 1 Designs showing typical housing for Aboriginal people at Lake Tyers, circa 1922 PLATE 2 First page of the Aborigines Act 1915 PLATE 3 Lucy Pepper’s letter to Mr Murray, Chief Secretary of the Victorian Government, asking for help to move from Lake Tyers, 1915 PLATE 4 Percy Pepper’s World War I enlistment form PLATE 5 Percy Pepper’s oath to serve the King PLATE 6 Percy Pepper’s World War I service record (extract) PLATE 7 Percy Pepper’s World War I service record (extract) PLATE 8 Percy Pepper’s application for a qualification certificate for a soldier settlement block PLATE 9 Percy Pepper’s certificate of qualification to apply for land PLATE 10 Percy Pepper’s evidence to the Local Land Board, 1918 PLATE 11 Percy Pepper’s acceptance of land at Koo-Wee-Rup PLATE 12 Edward Mullett’s letter to Anne Bon, a prominent campaigner on behalf of Aboriginal people, requesting that Lucy’s Pepper’s body be laid to rest at Lake Tyers PLATE 13 Cancellation of Percy Pepper’s Koo-Wee-Rup lease PLATE 14 Notice of auction of Percy Pepper’s farm, 1924 PLATE 15 Percy Pepper’s letter to the Premier of Victoria, George Prendergast, asking for help to stop the sale of his farm PLATE 16 Portrait of Lucy Pepper, circa 1910s Percy Pepper, circa 1954 Grave of Lucy Pepper at Pakenham cemetery Grave of Percy Pepper at Melbourne General Cemetery, North Carlton xi Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page xii Studio portrait of the Pepper family, circa 1912. Left to right (back row): Dora, Percy with Sam; (front row): Gwendoline,Alice, Sarah, Lucy, Phillip.The youngest daughter, Lena, was born in 1915. Courtesy of Watkins family xii Footprints text 28/4/08 4:54 PM Page 1 Introduction Tracing a family’s history in the archives ARCHIVAL RECORDS can help Aboriginal people connect with their histories, trace the experiences of ancestors, and learn about the times and places in which they lived. Archives provide evidence of past policies and practices that still affect the lives of Aboriginal people today. Footprints tells the story of one Aboriginal family from Gippsland in south-eastern Victoria, that of Lucy and Percy Pepper. The story is told through the records of Public Record Office Victoria and the National Archives of Australia. Some of these records are letters from Lucy and Percy, which help tell the story in their own words. The presentation of the Peppers’ journey brings together government records and a family’s own private photographic collection and memories. As well as telling one family’s story, Footprints illustrates many of the issues that Aboriginal families faced in early twentieth- century Victoria.