THE STORY OF BURIGON

There is a little known, but important story from the early days of the convict settlement in Newcastle.  Burigon, one of the leaders of the ‘Newcastle tribe’, formed a close friendship with Commandant Wallis.  Wallis wrote very movingly of this in his journals at the end of his life.

In 1820 Burigon was stabbed and killed by an escaping convict.  The detailed medical and legal records have only recently been found.  The convict was charged with murder, found guilty, and executed. The convict was the first person thus punished in Australia’s history.