An Aboriginal's Holiday.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 256, 18 April 1888, Page 5

An Aboriginal's Holiday.

As old aboiiginal of Australia, whose onginal name lies buried in the pa.st, but who has toi the last 60 or 70 years, rejoiced in the name of " Donald,'' has lately, tor the iii-t time iv his life, paid a vi.-it to Sidney, and been bi ought face to face with a ioal*li\e Governor. Donald is between 80 and 90 yoais oi age. .He tendered signal ;-ei\ice many yeais ago to the white explores ot the Maequarie Uher districts. At that time the native tribes weie voiy numoiou-, and if not \ery wailike, they weie, at all c\ent-, very treacherous and bloodthiinty. A family of the name of Egan, the head of the house being Brian E^au, who had not long betoie arrived from Ireland, had settled on a .station in theMacquaiie distiict, ami their richness, in this world's goods — pi incipally in the .shape ot cattle— had atti acted the hungry eyes of a neighbouring tribe who detei mined to nm^scu-ic the whole family and appropriate the .spoils ; and doubtless would have done -o but foi the timely warning gi\en by a young nboiigiual who had become attached to tlie Egaus thiough some small kindlinesses on their pait. The lesult was that when the attack was made nob only wa.s the lnsli blood of the Egaus found to be " u[).' )»ut they weie well prepared for the ioe, Mho bit the dust accordingly. The aboiigma! pieseiver ol the family about Olnil) tiling c>. . v>mo<l i-lio mu>tw» nt " HnU'lld and was at once taken under theuueof Mr Egan, who, when he died, bequeathed him a" a famih legacy to his son, who now owns the station. The tiibe to whkh Dou.dd belonged has ncaily all dwindled aw.'n, the ->ui\i\oi- being Donald and some tluee or four old women, one oi them -aid to lie still a <plendul physical specimen ot an Australian nathe, although flo-e upon 100 >cai.- ot age. Though hci hail ip as w hite as snow, and -lie i? -o tai be\ond the oidinaiy length of lite, .she is said to be strong and health}, and likely to Ihe for ;>ears yet. As for Donald, he. too, i-. halt and hearty, and although a widowei, appeal* to enjoy life well Some time ago, Mr Richard Hill, M.L ('., who is a member of the Aboriginal Piotcctoiate in Sidney, came across these inteie-tin^ people while on a \isib to_ the Lower \f.ic(juaiie, and was especially ■,tiuck with Donald and the old aboiiginal woman. On hi- »eturn to Sylney he In ought them undei the notice of the boaid ot which lie is a member, and Mi Egan was commuiucaced with, with a vie a of-ueing it anything a\cic wanted to smooth the declining >eai- of the old peoiile, the boaid otleiing to (.hem with Hour, sugar, &<?., and othei necei^aiie-. not to say lu\uiies m the shape of tobacco, it j ief|uiied. But Mi Egan replied that theie w as no occasion w hatcvri fors-ueh a&sistancc, as hr hkrself iclt it his boundeii dut\ to look ailei this last lemnanfc ot a once powerful tube; that ''Donald.'" ha\ ing once piobabls s; t \ed the Ines of his lather and mothei and family, should uevei want tor anythinu ; nor those old women associated with lmn. After his inter\icw with Mr Mill, Donald gicw i est less, and, being questioned, expiessed a w i^h betore ho died to come to S>dne\ and s C e thcGo\emor. Mr Egan consented to giatii} hi-, wi.sh, and he was gi\en a pa-s to Sydney fiom the iadwa> station neaiest to Mr Kgan's station on the* \a)\\ ci Macquaiie, a distance ot 100 miles, and thi-> distance the old man chcertully tramped. Mr Eg.in had been in communication with Mr Hill on the subject, [ and on the arriwd of Donald ab the Red- ' torn Railway Station, he was thoughtfully met, and comejed to Mr Hill's? house in Bent-stLcet, becoming a guest of that gentleman dming his stay in .Sydney. Mr lv>an foiw aided to Mr Hill a cheque to be jiivcn to Donald "in part-," as he wanted Ft for " pocket-money,"' but Mr Hill reUuncd this, (inding the pockct-mouey liimselt, and determined in c\eiy way to play the host to the hue old aboriginal. So he took him iv hand, and showed him till the .sights of Sydney, took him to the races, Avhich he hugely enjoyed; bub nothing pleased I tonuld "(otherwise called by his, fiiendb "FlourbauV fLom the whiteness of his hair) so muoh as a visit that, he and his Sydney cicerone paid to the pantomime ab the Theatre Royal. Ilc was' perfectly charmed, not to say ravished, at the many gorgeous things lie saw in the sh- • of scenery. But nothing appeared to . .id him such bew ildering delight as the bevy of handsome and beautifully-dressed young ladies of the ballet in the Amazonian marches. Like the Maoi i King, who a tew short yoaiy a go while on a \ isifc to London, nightly haunted the Alhambra, in Leicester Square, and tairly lost his- heart among the bedizened and "gaudy coryphees ko .Donald would have gone probably every night for a yeai , had his protector allowed him. The chief object of his visit to Sydney— to sec the Governor— wab accomplished, and caused him the most intense happiness when it came ofl', when he shook hands with his- Excellency, who presented him with his portrait, bearing his autograph. The meeting of the two men — the one the chief representative in this colony of the mightiest nation the world has ever known, the other one of the last links of a once powerful race, w hose days are now nearly numbered. But no such thoughts as these troubled " Flourbag ;" he lived hit> lite

gaily while he wab hero, enjoyed, himself immensely, and left a few days ago for the IVlacquaric, where doubtless, for the icmainder of his life, the leading features on his mind and tongue will be his visit to Sydney during tho Christmas holidays ot 1887.