Home » Themes » People » Indigenous
Centenary of Yarrie`s DeathPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the centenary of the death of the aboriginal man Yarrie (Yarri) who rescued forty-nine people during the 1852 flood.
True love of the aboriginal for his native locality is strongly exemplified in the following story, which is taken from the Gundagai Times of April 2 :-" Poor old Yarry, whose name is associated with the great Gundagai flood of 1852, was one day last week admitted into the hospital suffering from aneurism in the leg. When it was proposed that he should go to the Sydney Infirmary he began to cry, saying that he ' b'long Gundagai,' and would not go.
He made a similar reply to an invitation a few weeks ago from the Rev. J. H. Gribble, superintendent of the Aboriginal Mission Station, at Darlington Point, observing that he was well cared for here, 'had plenty tucker, and bed,' and would rather die 'along o' Gundagai.' Anticipating the probability of his removing to Sydney or elsewhere, he on Wednesday morning at dawn of day managed to crawl away from the hospital to his old quarters at South Gundagai, where he now is, and where he must soon end his days."
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW ), 5 April 1880.
Location
| Address: | Homer Street, Gundagai Historical Museum, Gundagai, 2722 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.066183 Long: 148.107323 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Indigenous |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1880 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1980 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 5th December, 1980 |
|---|
This Plaque Commemorates The Centenary
Of Yarrie`s Death In 1880. Yarrie An
Aboriginal Was One Of Australia`s Greatest
Heroes. During The Flood Of 25 - 6 - 1852
When "Old Gundagai" On The Flat Was Destroyed,
Yarrie In His Bark Canoe Went Out Day
& Night On That Raging Torrent & Rescued
49 People From Roof Tops & Trees. In
Appreciation I Present This Plaque To The
"New Gundagai" 5 - 12 - 1980.
O. E. Bell. B.E.M.
President Of Gundagai Historical Society
