Pangerang Aborigines Memorial - Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia
S 36° 21.421 E 146° 19.438
55H E 439346 N 5976239
A marble monument beside the main road through the picturesque cathedral city of Wangaratta.
Waymark Code: WME9AN
Location: Victoria, Australia
Date Posted: 04/22/2012
Views: 2
The original inhabitants of the Wangaratta area were the Pangerang Aborigines (Pallanganmiddang, WayWurru, Waveroo, who spoke a Gunai language. Many of the Pangerang were killed in the
Gippsland massacres. White settlement began in the 1830s with the establishment of the 'Wangaratta' cattle station. The name is said to mean 'nesting place of cormorants'.
The monument, lettered in gold on black marble, was donated by the Dowling Family - "Pangerang Descendants, and was erected by Wangaratta City Council.
The inscription on the monument reads:
IN MEMORY OF
THE PANGERANG ABORIGINES WHO
ONCE OWNED THIS BEAUTIFUL VALLEY
BEFORE THE COMING OF WHITE
SETTLERS. MARY MILAWA, THE LAST
OF HER TRIBE, DIED 6-11-1888.
"SHE WALKED IN HER WORLD ALL ALONE."
A small concrete block in front of the monument bears a plaque which reads:
THIS MEMORIAL ERECTED BY
WANGARATTA CITY COUNCIL
AND DONATED BY
THE DOWLING FAMILY
"PANGERANG DESCENDANTS".
An aboriginal flag, horizontal black stripe above red stripe with a central yellow sun, appears below the inscription.