Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The diary of George Fletcher Moore
is considered an extremely important record of early colonial
life in Western Australia
, because it is one of a few records that were written from the point of view of an ordinary colonist, as opposed to the official correspondence of a salaried public official. Tom Stannage
describes the diary as "an immensely valuable social document" and "the best published guide we have to life in Swan River colony
between 1830 and 1840."
Moore was an Irish
lawyer who settled in the Swan River Colony
in 1830, the colony's second year. He describes his decision to keep a journal as follows:
Moore's handwritten diary for the period from 1834 to 1841 is extant, and is held by the State Library of Western Australia
.
Portions of his letters and diary have been published a number of times. The letters from 1830 to mid-1833 were published in 1834 as Extracts from the Letters and Journals of George Fletcher Moore, now filling a judicial office at the Swan River Settlement. Publication was at the request of Moore's father Joseph, and may have been without George Fletcher Moore's knowledge.
In the early 1880s, Moore's letters fell into the hands of Sir Thomas Cockburn Campbell, editor of The West Australian
newspaper. Cockburn Campbell sought and received Moore's permission to publish them in The West. The letters appeared in serial during 1881 and 1882, and a copy of each issue was sent to Moore, who kept a scrapbook of them. In 1884, Moore decided to publish them afresh, together with a reprint of his 1842 A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines
. These were published under the title Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia and also A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines. Commonly referred to by the shorter title Diary of Ten Years, this is the best known edition of Moore's diary.
In 2006, Hesperian Press
issued a version of Moore's diary and letters carefully edited and annotated by James Cameron under the title The Millendon Memoirs: George Fletcher Moore's Western Australian Diaries and Letters, 1830-1841.
George Fletcher Moore
George Fletcher Moore was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one [of] the key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite"...
is considered an extremely important record of early colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
life in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, because it is one of a few records that were written from the point of view of an ordinary colonist, as opposed to the official correspondence of a salaried public official. Tom Stannage
Tom Stannage
Charles Thomas "Tom" Stannage AM is a prominent Western Australian historian and academic. He edited the major work A New History of Western Australia, which was published in 1981....
describes the diary as "an immensely valuable social document" and "the best published guide we have to life in Swan River colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
between 1830 and 1840."
Moore was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
lawyer who settled in the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
in 1830, the colony's second year. He describes his decision to keep a journal as follows:
Moore's handwritten diary for the period from 1834 to 1841 is extant, and is held by the State Library of Western Australia
State Library of Western Australia
The State Library of Western Australia is located within the building known as the Alexander Library Building, in the Cultural Centre of Perth, Western Australia....
.
Portions of his letters and diary have been published a number of times. The letters from 1830 to mid-1833 were published in 1834 as Extracts from the Letters and Journals of George Fletcher Moore, now filling a judicial office at the Swan River Settlement. Publication was at the request of Moore's father Joseph, and may have been without George Fletcher Moore's knowledge.
In the early 1880s, Moore's letters fell into the hands of Sir Thomas Cockburn Campbell, editor of The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
newspaper. Cockburn Campbell sought and received Moore's permission to publish them in The West. The letters appeared in serial during 1881 and 1882, and a copy of each issue was sent to Moore, who kept a scrapbook of them. In 1884, Moore decided to publish them afresh, together with a reprint of his 1842 A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines
A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines
A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia is a book by George Fletcher Moore. First published in 1842, it represents one of the earliest attempts to record the languages used by the Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia...
. These were published under the title Diary of Ten Years Eventful Life of an Early Settler in Western Australia and also A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language of the Aborigines. Commonly referred to by the shorter title Diary of Ten Years, this is the best known edition of Moore's diary.
In 2006, Hesperian Press
Hesperian Press
Hesperian Press is a locally-owned and operated book publisher in Perth, Western Australia.Peter Bridge, first published technical material in 1969. The business of the Hesperian press in its current format started in 1979. The press is a publisher of both out of print and new texts can be seen...
issued a version of Moore's diary and letters carefully edited and annotated by James Cameron under the title The Millendon Memoirs: George Fletcher Moore's Western Australian Diaries and Letters, 1830-1841.