Myall Creek Commemoration (2005)The Myall Creek massacre (which happened on 10 June 1838) was notorious because of its callousness and brutality. About twelve stockmen rode into Myall Creek late one afternoon. They herded together about thirty local Wirrayaraay people – old men, women and children - who had been living peacefully for some weeks alongside the Myall Creek Station huts, tied them up and dragged them away a few hundred yards, shot one or two and hacked the rest to death. They then piled up the bodies and burned them. The Aboriginal men were away working on another property. Myall Creek is in the Inverell area in Northern New South Wales. Five years ago, after two years of planning and work a number of Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people, some local and some from other places erected a beautiful memorial to the people who died in the massacre. The Memorial stands on a knoll overlooking the site of the massacre and the Myall Creek Station. It was opened on 10 June 2000 with a gathering of about fifteen hundred people from near and far. About half were Aboriginal people, and half were non-Indigenous. For several years prior to that a few people had gathered each year to commemorate the history. The Memorial was erected because people believed that a frank acknowledgement of the truth of our shared history is a necessary step in reconciliation. Each year since then, on the Saturday nearest the event, a memorial service has been held at the site. The 2005 service was attended by a number of members of the City Church Congregation. The Memorial is situated 25 kilometres north of Bingara on the Delungra Road, just south of the bridge over the Myall Creek. The Memorial is worth a visit at any time for all people travelling in northern New South Wales. | 
