Walkinshaw Cowan (25 December 1808 – 22 January 1888) was private secretary to Western Australian Governors John Hutt, Andrew Clarke and Frederick Irwin, then in 1848 he became Guardian of Aboriginals and a justice of the peace, and then resident magistrate at York from 1863 to 1887.
He was indentured to Adam White & Co of Leith, served out four years and established his own business, possibly as a corn merchant, but this failed.
[2] Within one month of his arrival in the Colony, he recorded having gone on a shooting expedition and becoming hopelessly lost, spending an unexpected and uncomfortable night camped in the bush.
He was at one time disputing a directive from Government House and reminded the person with whom he was corresponding that he had "served immediately under the Governor of this Colony in a higher station than that of Guardian of Aborigines".
I pulled up, and presently a pair of kangaroo dogs rushed up, followed by a small man on an active little half-bred Timor pony.
[19]As Guardian of Aborigines, Cowan’s area of responsibility was large, stretching from Gingin in the north to Williams in the south.
[1] Cowan recollected about this work: I had to visit the district from the Williams River to Dundaragan, including Gingin and Bindoon.
The roads were mere bush tracks, and the settlers, both masters and men, had to cart their produce from 60 to 100 miles, over them, in the dust and heat in summer, and through bogs and ruts in wet winter.
To the concern of the Governor, he sentenced a 15-year-old Aboriginal boy to two dozen lashes "for repeated neglect of duty and for taking on Tuesday last, his master [Mr Hoops]'s horse, to Northam remaining away two days instead of going to look for cattle in the bush as ordered and for abusing the said horse, which sentence I accordingly saw inflicted.
[25] In his 1852 report, he refers to the Native police in York and Beverley as “efficient” and goes on to say: I may notice here, as sowing an advance of civilisation, the instance of Karan, a lad in the service of Mr Viveash, having trenched and planted a portion of ground for a garden, and dug and sown a piece of land with wheat for his own benefit.
The native young men continue to be employed at the different farms; as general servants, some having charge of teams, as shepherds and herdsmen, in hunting in cattle and horses from the bush, for which they will always be most in request; in reaping and in other occupations.
[31] Cowan recorded in his diary and also wrote in 1868 about this: Drummond sent a message to me from Toodyay, forty-five miles distant, by a native named Cowits.
He has now got wife and I would be glad if His Excellency would assign him an allotment near to the Barracks, or opposite my house, in order to see what effect it might have on the Natives of the District.
He has a number of brothers more or less employed by the settlers, one indeed has the sole charge of Mr Carter’s shop,[d] and the example of the Native Policeman established in a comfortable house might lead them to desire to be similarly settled and to abandon their roaming life.
A nucleus might thus be formed around which a throng of the Aborigines might congregate”.Cowan did not receive a reply to his letter on behalf of Cowits and wrote again on 28 October 1851: Some time back I applied for an allotment on the Townsite of York for the Native Cowit, attached to the Mounted Police, to build a House and make a garden on, but have had no official reply to my letter.
The upper part of the allotment on which the Barrack stables are built on is vacant, and as it is desirable that he should be near my house, it would be convenient His Excellency should give him permission to build on this and enclose it for a garden.
But I trust His Excellency will grant the assistance of a Ticket of Leave man to construct the walls.Governor Fitzgerald responded: There is no objection to allowing this native to erect a building on the allotment in question but he must be his own architect.
So 20 “probationary” convicts armed themselves with stakes and clubs (so no-one would stop them) and headed down the hill to the town to go to the races, preceded by one of their party blowing a horn.
The convicts decided not to confront Cowan and breach their probation and (except for two who were subsequently arrested) marched back up to Cut Hill.
[36] In September 1852, Cowan "met with a serious accident while kangaroo hunting.... His horse ran him against a blackboy and injured him so severely that he was conveyed to his residence in a senseless state".
About 76 acres are cleared and fenced, with a frontage of a number of fine town allotments, and a splendid pool of fresh water.
"[48] For many years, Cowan had been carrying out many of the duties of Resident Magistrate and was expected to replace Captain Meares when he retired in 1857.
[54][52] In July 1863, Bayly was reassigned elsewhere and Cowan was appointed Resident Magistrate of York and Beverley, but on the same salary he was receiving as Guardian of Aborigines.
[57] After several complaints to the Governor about the lack of suitable official accommodation for himself and his family, Cowan moved from his property at Mile Pool to a cottage on the east side of the Avon River, previously occupied by the medical officer attached to the Depot Hospital, Dr Robert McCoy.
[58] The Rev Edward Millett, the Anglican Chaplain in York, had an unfortunate disorder called tic doloreux.
[59] He was attacked by the Express for his position: It is full time that this gentleman, now enfeebled by years, a severe accident, and the cares incident to bringing up a large family on small means, should be pensioned off.
We do not wish to press heavily upon a struggling man, but we protest, firstly against his taking part in political matters, the more imperative, as we understand he could not even qualify as a Freeholder under the act, next against his interpretation of the meeting's legality, and lastly against the absurdity of his oracular pretentions as the Secretary of Governor Hutt, a third if not a fourth-rate Colonial Governor.
It is quite time that he retired, and if the York RM will take a fool's advice, he will do so at once, and save Mr Weld the disagreeable necessity of suggesting (and a charitable act) the advisability of tendering it.
The Inquirer and Commercial News wrote: "I was surprised to learn this morning among the queries from York in your Friday's contemporary that there is a probability of our R.M.
[66] At a dinner for Governor Ord on 9 May 1878, Colonial Secretary Stephen Stanley Parker gave a speech to honour Cowan and said: I testify to his independent action in public matters and impartiality in dealing out justice....gentlemanly and courteous in his demeanour, both in his public and private capacity.....and just in the discharge of his onerous duties, for which he had earned great respect.