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The grave of dingo trapper Fred Brooks at Lander Creek. His murder was followed by the Coniston Massacres that occurred 90 years ago this month. Brooks had set out through Coniston Station, 250 kilometres north west of Alice Springs, in the hope of trapping a few dingos, but he was found murdered on 7 August 1928 at Yurrkuru. In reprisal, groups of men on horseback, led by mounted constable George Murray, shot and killed Aboriginal children, women and men at several sites around Central Australia. The official enquiry that followed put the number of dead at 31, although historians and surviving families estimate the death toll was at least 100. No charges came from that enquiry. Last Friday the families of the victims gathered at Yurrkuru to mark the anniversary.

Forgotten Territory was a weekly photo column of historic images in the Northern Territory News which I curated from 2016 until 2019 supported by the collections of the Northern Territory Library and other cultural institutions around Australia, as well as local history Facebook groups. 

Click on the images to read the story behind the image.

Warning: May contain images of people who have died.

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