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Louise Pepper ConollyPrint Page 
The monument commemorates Aboriginal nurse and midwife, Louise Pepper Conolly who was of Kurnai descent.
Her mother was killed by squatters and she, in her grandsons’ words, ‘was overtaken and wounded by gun pellets’. Later, in search of her own people, she settled on the Ramahyuck mission. There she married Nathaniel Pepper, and the couple were given charge of children in the mission orphanage house.
Upon her husband’s death in 1877, Louise remained in charge of the orphanage which, at times, housed 20 children as consumption took its toll on the Kurnai. In 1886, government assimilation policy forced Louise and her family from Ramahyuck to Stratford. She was on call to many of the people who had been residents at Ramahyuck.
Location
| Address: | Main Street, Bairnsdale, 3875 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.826389 Long: 147.628889 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Indigenous |
Dedication
In honour of Louise Pepper Connolly, an Aborigine of the Bratauolong tribe in the period 1840 - 1920.
For many years she acted as a nurse and midwife for the Gippsland Aboriginal community.
Like many Aboriginal women, she played an important role in holding together family and cultural traditions.
