[1] As Aboriginal clans were pushed from their lands, their traditional food of kangaroo and emu became scarce, forcing them to kill sheep to fend off starvation.
[3]Frederick Taylor, the manager at Glenormiston station, with associates James Hamilton and Bloomfield led a group of several shepherds in their employ and attacked a sleeping Aboriginal camp, firing upon and killing men, women and children.
[1] Several Aboriginal people were able to escape and later told their accounts to Assistant Protector Sievwright, and Wesleyan missionaries Benjamin Hurst and Francis Tuckfield.
[citation needed] Taylor had formerly been implicated in the killing of Woolmudgin from the Wathaurong people on 17 October 1836, and had fled to Van Diemen's Land to avoid interview and possible prosecution in that case.
[4]Charles Sievwright collected another witness statement from Wan-geg-a-mon relating to the murder of his wife and child in the massacre: ...about six moons ago, I with my lubra and child (male) were encamped with thirty others Aboriginal natives, men, women and children, upon the Bor-rang-yallock, when Mr Taylor and many poor men (shepherds) came towards our miam-miams with guns, Mr Taylor was on horseback, they came up in an extended line Mr Taylor in the centre they advanced quick and immediately fired upon the natives, I ran to the other side of the river and lay down behind a tree among the grass, they killed more than thirty men women and children, my lubra and child were among the dead, the white people threw them into the water and soon left the place, the water was much stained with blood, I saw the dead body of my lubra but did not see my child.
[5]Oral history collected by James Dawson in 1881, told of Bareetch Chuurneen (alias Queen Fanny the chieftess of the clan) escaping with a child.
[1]Black maintained the dispossession and native terror engendered by the massacre by driving Djargurd Wurrung people from his run, pulling down any bark shelters he found and leaving gunpowder to show as a warning sign.
Taylor appealed to Governor Charles La Trobe requesting: a copy of these grave charges that are recorded against me that I may have an opportunity of showing Mr Tyers and the Government that I am innocent of any improper treatment of the aboriginal natives of this district.
[1]La Trobe reviewed the case over subsequent months, including the evidence collected by Charles Sievwright and forwarded by Chief Protector of Aborigines George Robinson, and upheld Tyer's decision.