Willing to Stick Out My Neck for Respect - Drover Bindi West
By Rachel West-Captain, 2021 Monica Clare Research Fellow. | 16 May 2023
Guest blogger: Rachel West-Captain - 2021 Monica Clare Research Fellow.
Drover, Bindi West, made a decision to fight for his rights, after being ripped off 40 pounds on a 220 pound sheep-droving job from Goodooga to Brewarrina in October 1956, and would you believe, in a seemingly rare instance (from all I’ve read and seen to date), The Aborigines Welfare Board, one man in particular – M. H. Saxby, went into bat for my Great Grandfather Bindi West; and ultimately my Great Grandfather scored a win; part of the money owed to him was paid, albeit a year later, in December 1957.
The sun sets over a Mob of Sheep. Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
My Great Grandfather, Drover Bindi West. Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Here is the story of how Bindi West challenged station owners, stock agents and store owners, through the help and persistence of numerous letters from the Aborigines Welfare Board and the Goodooga Police, and after all this, a year later, Bindi West was paid almost the full entitlement for the droving contract he carried out in October 1956 – Droving 1522 sheep from Goodooga, NSW to the Brewarrina NSW Railway Trucking yards in 20 days, at the agreed rate of 11 pound payment per day, which was apparently a premium rate at that time.
In the end, Bindi was underpaid 20 pound short of the agreement, due to ‘the time that had lapsed between when the job occurred’ (despite contact being made early on to try to rectify the underpayment), and for ‘taking 2 to 3 days over to deliver’, according to the owner of the sheep.
I suppose 20 pound underpayment was better than the 40 pound underpayment which was the starting point for Bindi to reach out to authorities to contact the stock agent in charge of the transaction in January 1957, to achieve a desirable outcome.
The Initial letter from Bindi West addressed to the Aborigines Welfare Board, Sydney, on 8th Jan 1957.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Bindi West was asked to carry out a droving contract by Wellington Stock Agent Mr George Hawker and Goodooga Storekeeper Mr R Gunn, for the delivery of 1,522 sheep from Goodooga, to the railway trucking yards at Brewarrina, where the sheep were transported to Wellington to their owner Mr W. K. Sheridan. The agreed rate for this droving job was 11 pound per day.
Bindi was paid for this job about a month later.
However, he was paid only 180 Pound - 40 Pound short of the agreed rate of 11 pound per day, for droving the 1500 sheep from Goodooga to Brewarrina, which took 20 days, from 1st to 20th October 1956.
The total amount owed to Bindi West should have been 220 pound. Hence Bindi reaching out to ask for the stock agent George Hawker in Wellington to be contacted to follow up on the remaining wages owed, as despite calling Hawker, Bindi was no closer to collecting the money that he was entitled to as per the original droving arrangement.
Acknowledgement of receipt of Bindi’s letter by Superintendent of Aborigines Welfare, M. H. Saxby on 10th Jan 1957. Advice that the matter was being referred to The Aborigines Welfare Officer (AWO) at Dubbo, Mr P. E. Felton.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
P. E Felton, AWO visits George Hawker, Stock Agent responsible for the droving transaction on 2 occasions 1 month apart, in January 1957 and February 1957. Hawker reckons the dates West provided were wrong, and the sheep were loaded earlier than the 20th October 1957. He also believes that there was no agreed price arranged, just that ‘West would not charge too much’. Hawker also complains about the ‘excessive rates drovers charge in that back country’.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On 28th Feb 1957, Saxby writes to the storekeeper at Goodooga Mr R Gunn, who had arranged Bindi West to carry out the droving job with stock agent Mr George Hawker. Saxby is trying to ascertain if there was a price agreed upon for the droving contract arranged between Gunn, Hawker, Sheridan, and Drover Bindi West.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
There is no reply from storekeeper Mr Gunn, so a month later Saxby writes him another letter on 29th Mar 1957. There is a handwritten response from R Gunn on 3rd May 1957, stating he will endeavour to find out the date of delivery of the sheep at Brewarrina next week. Nothing mentioned about the rate.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Saxby then writes to Felton at The Aborigines Welfare Board, Dubbo on 8th May 1957, to ask if he can try to find out the date the sheep were trucked, from the station master at Brewarrina, next time the Aborigines Welfare officer visits Brewarrina, as it is now another week after Gunn has informed Saxby he will try to find out date of delivery, & no further answer has been received from Storekeeper Gunn.
Photo Courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On 16th May 1957, Felton at Aborigines Welfare Board Dubbo wants to know the date Bindi West alleges the sheep were delivered to Brewarrina in his original letter. Saxby advises the dates in his reply letter on 24th May, that West had stated that the sheep had been delivered on 20th October 1956.
Photo Courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On 13th June Felton has visited the railway station master at Brewarrina, and is able to ascertain that the date Bindi West had stated the sheep had been delivered is correct, 1522 sheep were loaded onto 13 railway trucks on 20th Oct 57 in Brewarrina – ‘These are obviously the sheep which West was droving’.
Photo Courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Saxby then writes to George Hawker the stock agent on 3rd Jul 1957, regarding the agreed amount for the droving contract. Saxby writes ’it would be appreciated if you would see that West is paid the additional 40 pound’.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On the 12th August 1957, Saxby follows up with a letter to the Aborigines Welfare Officer in Dubbo, to find out if Bindi West has been paid yet.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
P. E. Felton, the Aborigines Welfare Officer at the Aborigines Welfare Board in Dubbo writes back to M. H. Saxby, the Superintendent of Aborigines Welfare, Sydney, over a month later on 16th September 1957, to inform Saxby that no, Bindi West has not yet been paid the additional money owed to him for the droving contract completed in October 1956.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
2 days later on 18th Sep 1957 Saxby sends a letter to George Hawker, the Stock Agent at Wellington, asking him to indicate his intentions to pay the 40 pound owing to Bindi West.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On the 14th October 1957, Hawker writes back to Saxby, just under a month after Saxby’s letter is sent to him asking about his intentions to pay.
Hawker is indignant that ‘as pointed out to your field officer, this matter is directly concerned with Mr Sheridan and Drover West.’
However, Hawker informs that the owner of the sheep Sheridan has offered to call it even at an extra 20 pound payment to Bindi West, ‘and this seems to be very reasonable.’, ‘as so much time has elapsed’.
(…..Seriously?)
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Saxby puts this offer to Bindi West in a letter written on 22nd Oct 1957, and actioned through the Goodooga Police, ‘as the matter is reasonably urgent but does not justify a special trip from Dubbo’ to the Goodooga Aborigines Reserve, where Drover Bindi West lived.
Saxby asks if Bindi West is agreeable to an extra 20 Pound as offered by Sheridan, in full settlement of the droving contract.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
On the 7th Nov 1957 Bindi West signs a letter stating he is prepared to accept the twenty pounds offered by W. K. Sheridan of Wellington, in full settlement for the droving contract he had undertaken over a year ago, in October 1957. Constable A Halliday at Goodooga Police witnesses Bindi West’s signature.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
No wonder Bindi West retired in 1957 aged in his mid 60’s and applied for an old age pension.
What a stuff around to get paid for your work, and underpaid at that. - See blog 1st March 2023 - Have you ever been hated or discriminated against?
Again, Saxby of the Aborigines Welfare Board, Sydney, is on the ball, following up nearly 3 weeks later to ensure that Bindi West has been paid the money he is owed.
It is so refreshing to deliver a good news story from the treatment of First Nations people by the Aborigines Welfare Board.
In this instance, The Aborigines Welfare Board have lived up to the name of the supposed purpose of their organisation, and this man Saxby has strove his utmost to see my Great Grandfather, ‘Halfe Caste’ Aboriginal Man Bindi West, paid what he was entitled to, for his work droving sheep.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
It’s like Christmas (literally) … Finally, Show me the money… Bindi has received half of what he was owed, a few days shy of a year after he raised the concern that he had been underpaid for the work he had carried out in October of 1956, droving 1522 sheep from Goodooga to Brewarrina in 20 days.
Photo courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
I hope my Great Grandmother Terrisa Captain was proud of her husband Bindi West, “sticking out his neck for respect!" ..... I sure am.
My Great Grandparents Bindi West and Terrisa Captain. Photo Courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Death certificate for Bindi West. Copy courtesy Rachel West-Captain
Bindi West died just over 5 years after being granted his old age pension in February 1959.
I descend from Bindi West through his daughter Joan Margaret West, and through Joan’s daughter Rosalind Margaret West.
My Great Grandparents (top left): Bindi West and Terrisa Captain, my Grandmother (top right): Joan West, my Mother (bottom left): Rosalind Margaret West, Myself (bottom right): Rachel West-Captain. Photos courtesy Rachel West-Captain. Photos courtesy Rachel West-Captain.
Joan Margaret West, my Grandmother.
Joan West had all 12 of her children removed from her care by the Aborigines Welfare Board.
This photo above of Joan was taken in 1956, the same year Great Grandfather Bindi West was droving sheep from Goodooga where the West family lived, to Brewarrina, NSW.
Goodooga NSW to Brewarrina NSW. Goodooga is in North West New South Wales, just near the border of Queensland. The West and Captain Family originally come from South West Queensland - Bollon and Mitchell. Image courtesy Google Maps.
Rachel West-Captain
The Monica Clare Research Fellowship is generously supported by donations to the Queensland Library Foundation.
Commitment statement
This blog contains Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander content, which has been made available in accordance with State Library of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections Commitments.
Other blogs by Rachel West-Captain
- Introducing the Stars of the Show
- Have you ever been discriminated against?
- Now Let’s Get Down To Business: Who is Joan Margaret West
Interested in First Nations family history, see State Library's website for step-by-step guides and resources for finding information on your family history.
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