‘The happiest time of my life …’: Emotive visitor books and early mission tourism to Victoria’s Aboriginal reserves

Abstract

On the afternoon of 16 January 1895, a group of visitors to the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, gathered to perform songs and hymns with the Aboriginal residents of Lake Tyers Aboriginal Mission. Several visitors from the nearby Lake Tyers House assisted with the preparations and an audience of Aboriginal mission residents and visitors spent a pleasant summer evening performing together and enjoying refreshments. The 'program' included an opening hymn by 'the Aborigines' followed by songs and hymns sung by friends of the mission, the missionary's daughter and a duet by two Aboriginal women, Mrs E. O'Rourke and Mrs Jennings, who in particular received hearty applause for their performance of 'Weary Gleaner'. The success of this shared performance is recorded by an anonymous hand in the Lake Tyers visitor book, noting that 9 pounds 6 shillings was collected from the enthusiastic audience. The missionary's wife, Caroline Bulmer, was most likely responsible for this note celebrating the success of an event that stands out among the comments of visitors to Lake Tyers. One such visitor was a woman named Miss Florrie Powell who performed the song 'The Old Countess' after the duet by Mrs O'Rourke and Mrs Jennings. She wrote effusively in the visitor book that 'to give you an idea of enjoyment down here would be impossible. Everyone must find out for him or herself. The happiest time of my life was spent here. The kindness of Mrs and Mr Bulmer is past description'.