Poltpalingada Booboorowie
Encyclopedia
Poltpalingada Booboorowie (born – died 4 July 1901) was a Ngarrindjeri
Aboriginal of the Thooree clan prominent among the community of Fringe dwellers
in Adelaide
, South Australia
during the 1890s. He was better known to the Adelaide residents as Tommy Walker. He was the subject of several portraits by the Adelaide artist Oscar Friström.
in the upper south-east of South Australia. While young, Walker's father was reportedly killed in a tribal fight with the neighboring Kaurna people. He occasionally worked for local settlers and he may have travelled to the Victorian goldfields
in the 1850s.
Walker spent most of his life travelling between the fringe camps inhabited by displaced Aboriginals and, although he spurned white settlements and the restrictions of mission life, frequently visited the Point McLeay Mission (Raukkan) on the banks of Lake Alexandrina
. Often arrested for drinking offenses he was popular in Point McLeay for his wit. One story that became almost legendary regarded his church attendances. Whenever the communion cup was passed to Walker, he would drain it then call out, Fill 'im up again. From the 1870s he was never seen without his companion Mary.
. In 1892 Mary died and Ada Niledalli became his companion. Photographs show him as a thick set man with bushy hair, a full white "flour bag" beard and grey felt top hat, wearing a ragged jacket or tail-coat, and barefooted.
A renowned mimic with a "sharp wit and acid tongue" Walker spoke fluent English and was especially fluent in what the media called "condemnatory passages". His popularity with the public was such that the government gave him a pass for free travel on public transport and the newspapers referred to him as the chartered libertine of the metropolis. He also had the gift of retort
and it is related that one day he was travelling in a first class rail carriage when a Government Minister said "Hello Tommy, how do you come here?", Walker immediately replied "All the same as bloody member of Parliament, got a free pass."
The local newspapers regularly reported on his movements, activities and his numerous appearances in court, usually on charges of being drunk, using insulting language or begging. Walker's begging was popular with the public as it resembled street theatre
in which he would recount his most recent arrest, parodying the magistrate bringing down his sentence and imposing a fine. As Aboriginals had free access to public gatherings, he frequented Football
and Cricket
matches at Adelaide Oval
where he would entertain the crowd with dramatic recreations of his police court appearances, alternatively playing the part of both the magistrate and offender. Walker became a common sight in Adelaide, walking the streets with Ada and his dogs while being followed by dozens of children. He once told a reporter; "It's a funny thing that a gentleman can't walk along the footpath without a crowd of kids after him".
Walker's arrests were so frequent (and reported) that a rhyme about him was popular among school children who generally idolised him:
(the future king George V
) was to visit Adelaide and by official decree, Adelaide's Aboriginals were "deported" to Encounter Bay
, 100 km (62.1 mi) south of Adelaide. Wanting to see the Duke, Walker and several other Aboriginals walked back to Adelaide. Walker was found to be in a "weak and feeble" condition from the effects of the cold weather and was admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
but slipped away on 28 June and returned to his Wurlie
in the parklands. He was later returned to the Hospital where he died from Hypothermia
on 4 July.
The Adelaide Stock Exchange
paid for his headstone and Walker was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery
. In 1903 it was discovered that the coroner, Dr William Ramsay Smith
, had removed his skeleton before burial and sent it to the University of Edinburgh
as an "anthropological specimen", making up the missing weight in the coffin with sand. The revelation led to public outrage and Aborigines began refusing to attend the Royal Adelaide hospital if sick. Smith was suspended and charges were laid against him for "the misuse of human remains". A board of inquiry
found that the coroner's actions had been "indiscreet" and he was dismissed from his position as coroner. However, Smith was later reinstated and continued his practice of collecting remains. In the early 1990s, Edinburgh University became the first British institution to repatriate Aboriginal remains and Walker was ceremoniously laid to rest at Raukkan.
Ngarrindjeri
The Ngarrindjeri are a nation of eighteen "tribes" consisting of numerous family clans who speak similar dialects of the Ngarrindjeri language and are the traditional Aboriginal people of the lower Murray River, western Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of southern, central...
Aboriginal of the Thooree clan prominent among the community of Fringe dwellers
Fringe dwellers
"Fringe Dwellers" is a name given to groups of Aboriginal Australians who camp on the outskirts of Australian towns and cities, from which they have become excluded, generally through law or land alienation....
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
during the 1890s. He was better known to the Adelaide residents as Tommy Walker. He was the subject of several portraits by the Adelaide artist Oscar Friström.
Early life
Walker was born in the early 19th century on the shores of Lake AlbertLake Albert (South Australia)
Lake Albert is a notionally fresh water lake near the mouth of the Murray River. It is filled by water flowing in from Lake Alexandrina at its mouth near Narrung. It is separated on the south by the Narrung Peninsula from the salt-water Coorong. The only major town on the lake is Meningie...
in the upper south-east of South Australia. While young, Walker's father was reportedly killed in a tribal fight with the neighboring Kaurna people. He occasionally worked for local settlers and he may have travelled to the Victorian goldfields
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
in the 1850s.
Walker spent most of his life travelling between the fringe camps inhabited by displaced Aboriginals and, although he spurned white settlements and the restrictions of mission life, frequently visited the Point McLeay Mission (Raukkan) on the banks of Lake Alexandrina
Lake Alexandrina (South Australia)
Lake Alexandrina is a lake in South Australia adjacent to the coast of the Southern Ocean, about 100 kilometres south-east of Adelaide.-Name:The lake was named after Princess Alexandrina, niece and successor of King William IV of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Often arrested for drinking offenses he was popular in Point McLeay for his wit. One story that became almost legendary regarded his church attendances. Whenever the communion cup was passed to Walker, he would drain it then call out, Fill 'im up again. From the 1870s he was never seen without his companion Mary.
Adelaide Fame
In the late 1880s, Walker and Mary joined the Fringe dwellers that lived in the Adelaide Park LandsAdelaide Park Lands
The Adelaide Park Lands are the parks that surround the centre of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. They measure approximately 7.6 square kilometres in a green belt encircling the city centre....
. In 1892 Mary died and Ada Niledalli became his companion. Photographs show him as a thick set man with bushy hair, a full white "flour bag" beard and grey felt top hat, wearing a ragged jacket or tail-coat, and barefooted.
A renowned mimic with a "sharp wit and acid tongue" Walker spoke fluent English and was especially fluent in what the media called "condemnatory passages". His popularity with the public was such that the government gave him a pass for free travel on public transport and the newspapers referred to him as the chartered libertine of the metropolis. He also had the gift of retort
Retort
In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a glassware device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated...
and it is related that one day he was travelling in a first class rail carriage when a Government Minister said "Hello Tommy, how do you come here?", Walker immediately replied "All the same as bloody member of Parliament, got a free pass."
The local newspapers regularly reported on his movements, activities and his numerous appearances in court, usually on charges of being drunk, using insulting language or begging. Walker's begging was popular with the public as it resembled street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
in which he would recount his most recent arrest, parodying the magistrate bringing down his sentence and imposing a fine. As Aboriginals had free access to public gatherings, he frequented Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
and Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches at Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
where he would entertain the crowd with dramatic recreations of his police court appearances, alternatively playing the part of both the magistrate and offender. Walker became a common sight in Adelaide, walking the streets with Ada and his dogs while being followed by dozens of children. He once told a reporter; "It's a funny thing that a gentleman can't walk along the footpath without a crowd of kids after him".
Walker's arrests were so frequent (and reported) that a rhyme about him was popular among school children who generally idolised him:
Tommy Walker, walk up hereWalker saw the song as a compliment and often sang it himself at public gatherings. The fines he accumulated were always paid by public donations or from the proceeds of his begging.
You are charged with drinking beer
Forty bob you'll have to pay
Or down below you'll have to stay
Ta-ra-ra-ra-boom-de-ay.
Death
It was arranged that on 9 July 1901, the Duke of CornwallDuke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
(the future king George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
) was to visit Adelaide and by official decree, Adelaide's Aboriginals were "deported" to Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay is located on the south central coast of South Australia, some 100 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the encounter on 8 April 1802 between Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, both of whom were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries...
, 100 km (62.1 mi) south of Adelaide. Wanting to see the Duke, Walker and several other Aboriginals walked back to Adelaide. Walker was found to be in a "weak and feeble" condition from the effects of the cold weather and was admitted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital is Adelaide's largest hospital, with 680 beds. Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide provides tertiary health care services for South Australia and provides secondary care clinical services to residents of Adelaide's city centre and inner suburbs.The hospital is situated...
but slipped away on 28 June and returned to his Wurlie
Humpy
A humpy is a small, temporary shelter made from bark and tree branches, traditionally used by Australian Aborigines, with a standing tree usually used as the main support...
in the parklands. He was later returned to the Hospital where he died from Hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
on 4 July.
The Adelaide Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
paid for his headstone and Walker was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery
West Terrace Cemetery
The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia’s oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light’s 1837 plan of Adelaide. The 27.6 hectare site is located in the south-west corner of the Adelaide central business district, between West Terrace, Anzac Highway, Sir Donald Bradman Drive and...
. In 1903 it was discovered that the coroner, Dr William Ramsay Smith
William Ramsay Smith
William Ramsay Smith was an Australian anthropologist and pathologist.-Early life:Smith was born in King Edward, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of William Smith and his wife Mary née MacDonald . W. R...
, had removed his skeleton before burial and sent it to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
as an "anthropological specimen", making up the missing weight in the coffin with sand. The revelation led to public outrage and Aborigines began refusing to attend the Royal Adelaide hospital if sick. Smith was suspended and charges were laid against him for "the misuse of human remains". A board of inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
found that the coroner's actions had been "indiscreet" and he was dismissed from his position as coroner. However, Smith was later reinstated and continued his practice of collecting remains. In the early 1990s, Edinburgh University became the first British institution to repatriate Aboriginal remains and Walker was ceremoniously laid to rest at Raukkan.