#wyndham

"Storm Dump"

Wyndham, Western Australia

By Tom Putt, Australia

Wyn raised his eyebrows at his brother, slightly surprised to see him alone. "Are you here by yourself? What? Did Mom and Dad not set you up with someone for this formal event? I'm surprised. Speaking of them, we might want to keep this brief unless you want to inevitably hear it from them about how I'm a disgrace, and also you should tell me of their location so I can also inevitably avoid them." He still felt the sting of their words when they first found out about him, the shame he felt about who he was now, what he still feels.

Australian Aboriginals in chains at Wyndham Prison (1902).

Wyndham, the oldest and most northerly town in Kimberley (Western Australia), was founded in 1886 because of a gold rush at Halls Creek.

The reason for these men being prisoners is not known.  There were various local laws that forbade Aboriginal people from entering or being within a certain distance of some towns, and at various times it was illegal for them to drink alcohol or own firearms.  It is also possible that they were being rounded up to be moved to reserve areas that were being created at the time, and that they didn't want to move.  Another suggestion is that this is a staged picture for tourism or publicity.

An Australian prisoner in the 1800s carried an iron chain (about 2.3kg) around his neck, out in the open where temperatures ranged from 35 to 45 degrees Celsius.  The chain was secured to a padlock and prisoners were chained together, with as many as 9 or 10 men attached to each other in one chain.

Later on, a new method of chaining Aboriginal prisoners was decided upon.  They were chained from the ankles, with the chain passing inside the leg of each prisoner's trousers, and supported by a heavy belt around the waist.  Prisoners could then be chained in pairs and permitted to work outside the prison walls.  Some jail cells had iron rings bolted to the walls, where prisoners were probably chained for prison discipline.