Angus McMillanPrint Page

The cairn unveiled in 1927 in the grounds of the primary school commemorates the explorer and pioneer pastoralist, Angus McMillan.  The Victorian Federal electorate McMillan is named for him.

At the unveiling of the Bulla memorial for Hume and Hovell,Charles Daley the Secretary of the Victorian Historical Society suggested that the idea be extended to other explorers and a committee was formed to mark out the routes of Charles Sturt, Thomas Mitchell, Angus McMillan, and Count Paul de Strzelecki.

Eighteen cairns or tablets to McMillan were erected at Omeo, Swifts` Creek, Ensay, Bruthen, Mossiface, Sarsfield, Lucknow, Calula (2), Bushy Park, Stratford, Bundalaguah, Sale, Rosedale, Tom`s Gap, Yarram, Port Albert.

A party, including Sir James Barrett, the under-secretary for Lands (Mr. H. O. Allan), and members of the Historical Society committee left Melbourne on Friday for Gippsland, where they will accompany the State Governor, who will unveil a series of cairns which have been erected to perpetuate the memory of the explorers Strzlecki and Angus McMillan, and to mark the routes of their chief explorations. The party will unveil several cairns each day, the itinerary to be followed being: Monday.— Omeo, Benambra, Swift's Creek, and Ensay. Tuesday.— Bruthen, Mossiface, Sarsfield, Lucknow, Calulu. Wednesday.— Sale ,Bundalaguah, Stratford, Bushy Park, Heyfield and Rosedale. Thursday.—Tom's Cap, Alberton, and Yarram. Friday.—Traralgon, Koornalla, Mirboo North and Leongatha, Saturday.—Korumburra and Corinella.
Gippsland Times (Vic),  4 April 1927.

Public interest in Angus McMillan and Sir Paul Edmund de Strzelecki was initiated in a 1920`s campaign to recognise the European explorers in Victoria, and a chain of commemorative cairns was erected across the region. McMillan’s contribution to the region was also conferred in naming the Federal Electoral Division of McMillan in 1948, which includes original lands of the Gunai Kurnai in west and south Gippsland.

The view of McMillan as heroic explorer and pioneer was disrupted in the late 1970`s when historian Peter Gardner highlighted the extent of the frontier conflict in Gippsland, naming McMillan as a key figure. The attack on the Brataualung camped at Warrigal Creek following the murder of Ronald Macalister in 1843 was the foremost of several incidents that resulted in the loss of Gunai Kurnai lives. Historian Don Watson named McMillan as the leader of the ‘Highland Brigade’, a group of Gaelic-speaking Scotsmen who conducted reprisals against the Gunai Kurnai.  The extent of McMillan’s leadership of these conflicts has been contested although his own accounts indicate that he was involved.

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