SAM_A_69467

Title: A message stick depicting work on a telegraph line between Port August and Eucla, held in the South Australian Museum

Description: Message stick from the South Australian Museum

Message: Message stick is conjectured to depict 'the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line between Eucla and Pt Augusta'. Label attached adds 'indicates the five tents of the construction gang'. It is perhaps more likely to represent work on the telegraph line between Port Augusta and Eucla between 1908 and 1914. It was sold or exchanged to a telegraph operator in this time.

Date Created: 1914

Notes on date created: terminus ante quem

Item type: message stick in a collection

Subtype: traditional

State/Territory: SA

Linguistic area 1: Chirila: Parnkala Austlang: L6 - Barngarla Glottolog: bang1339

Notes on linguistic areas: From catalogue: "Australia, Overland Telegraph Line, between Pt Augusta & Eucla" From catalogue: "Purchased from a member of the tribe in 1914 by Mr A.H. Lewsey in charge of line camp." This is where Mr Lewsey was in 1914: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196798986 Thus, he was in charge of the line camp at Yardea in 1914, having come from Port Pirie. Yardea is within the Parnkala linguistic area. His full name was Alfred Henry Lewsey: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59640898 Nothing else turns up in Trove for this period.

Source types: museum collection

Date collected: Date Collected: 1914 Acquisition Date: 20. Dec 1990 Date registered: 18. Feb 1991

Institution/Holder file: The South Australian Museum object identifier: A-69467

Collector: Collected by: Mr A.H. Lewsey Donated by: South Australian History Trust; ex Pioneer Village

Coordinates: 32°22'48.000000"S,135°31'26.400000"E  (-32.38, 135.524)

Media copyright: The South Australian Museum

Notes on coordinates: Absolute coordinates for Yardea Station (pastoral lease)

Notes: From catalogue: "The Pioneer Village, at Hackham, recently went bankrupt, this object handed over to the possession of the South Australian History Trust. The transference of this object to the South Australian Museum was organised by Jeff Spiers." SAM register: "Message-stick, inscribed with story 'of the construction of the overland telegraph line between Eucla and Pt Augusta'. How acquired: Don[ation] 20 Dec [19]90 South Australian History Trust (ex Pioneer Village, Hackham). Label received with object also says "indicates the five tents of the construction gang. Purchased from a member of the tribe in 1914 by Mr A. H. Lewsey in charge of line camp." NOTE: Some questions about this object – if it is a contemporary depiction of the construction of the OLT then it would date to 1870-1872 and held by the community until 1914 when it was sold to Lewsey. Further, the OLT did not go between Port Augusta and Eucla (as far as I can tell). Note also that the stick appears to depict a railroad rather than a telegraph. A working hypothesis: H. A. Lewsey was a 'line manager' of the Trans-Australian Railroad between Port Augusta and Eucla, in the period prior to 1914. The railroad was completed in 1917. Alternatively, he was a line manager of a telegraph (not the OLT) constructed or maintained along the railroad between Port Augusta and Eucla. On 19 July 2022 PK contacted the History Trust of South Australia with the following question: "Dear History Trust of South Australia, In December 1990 you donated a message stick to the South Australian Museum (A-69467). This object was once part of the Pioneer Village Hackham and according to the register the label received with object says "indicates the five tents of the construction gang. Purchased from a member of the tribe in 1914 by Mr A. H. Lewsey in charge of line camp." This is a long shot but I was hoping somebody might be able to identify Mr A. H. Lewsey from other sources, and perhaps clarify 'line camp'. Construction of railway line? In what period? If anyone has any expertise I would be very glad to hear it. I am trying to propose a museum exhibition and would like to find out as much as possible about the context. Piers" On 26 July 2022, Jacinta Koolmatrie replied: "Hi Piers, Thanks for getting in touch. I wanted to know what research you had already done before I looked further into this to understand more about what you’re looking for. Would you be able to let me know what information the South Australian Museum have provided to you and what independent research you have done? Thanks, Jacinta." On the same date PK replied: "Thanks Jacinta, The sum total of my research is as follows: Consultation of the original hardcopy registers of the South Australian Museum and a search through the museum correspondence. This has yielded only the original accession record dated 18 Feb 1991, which is now attached and relevant detail outlined in pink. Various search terms in NLA's Trove of 'Lewsey' in combination with regions and details mentioned in this record with no success Everything I know is thus contained in the details I sent earlier. If you can point me to an expert, archive or resource that would be fantastic. Piers " On the same day Jacinta replied: "Hi Piers, Thanks, that helps to know. I have looked through our registers to see if we ever accessioned it and we didn’t, which leads me to believe we immediately gave it to the South Australian Museum. I have also looked through our database to determine whether we have more donations related to Lewsey and we do not. I imagine the line camp is referring to the east-west telegraph line seeing as it’s referring to Port Augusta and Eucla. I believe you may be able to get some help through the state library if you haven’t already been in contact with them. They have a lot of material related to the telegraph line that could be useful. Sorry I wasn’t able to be of more help. Hopefully you are able to get some more context. Jacinta." On 03.08.2022 PK wrote to GS of the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide: "Dear G, I am a researcher at the University of New England, inquiring into the origin and significance of a message stick at the South Australian Museum. The message stick purportedly depicts a railroad and a rail gang construction camp, and it refers either to the railway line between Port Augusta and Eucla, or a telegraph line between those two settlements. There is only one clue: the museum register says "Message-stick, inscribed with story 'of the construction of the overland telegraph line between Eucla and Pt Augusta'. Purchased from a member of the tribe in 1914 by Mr A. H. Lewsey in charge of line camp." The problem is that the Overland Telegraph was completed in the 1870s and it never went between Port Augusta and Eucla. There is also no depiction of a telegraph on the object but there is a depiction of a railroad. Accordingly, A. H. Lewsey may have been in charge of a *railway* 'line camp' in this period. Can you recommend a resource for finding a certain A. H. Lewsey in rail construction or maintenance records from 1914 and prior? Many thanks for any leads. Piers " 08.08.2022: "Good afternoon Piers, Thank you for your enquiry. Unfortunately we don't have anything on A. H. Lewsey here, if he was employed by the railways though you could check with the State Records of South Australia as they have the personnel records. I've cc'd our Archives Assistant, who will investigate if we have any maintenance records from this period. State Records of South Australia may be able to assist you with this as well. Kind regards, Gabrielle Sexton Curator and Business Manager (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm)" Update on 9 August 2022: Record that an "A H Lewsey" was employed as a Lineman by the Post-Master General's department from at least 1908. He was therefore a telegraphist: 1908. "Government Gazette Appointments and Employment." Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 - 1973), 19 September 1908, 1309. Accessed 9 August 2022. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232349634. He continued to be employed in 1914: 1914. "Prime Minister’s Department." Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 - 1973), 14 March 1914, 423. Accessed 9 August 2022. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232366256. It contains the detail: "Refund of tuition fees A. H. Lewsey, Lineman, Port Pirie, to be paid the sum of £2 5s. 6d. by way of refund (first instalment) of fees paid by him in connexion with the study of electrical science" Further reading on OTL: Macfarlane, Ingereth Ann Sinclair. 2010. Entangled places: Interactive histories in western Simpson Desert. Canberra: Australian National University PhD thesis. [In Endnote] This has commentary and references on OTL worth following up. AR: Checked against original SAM register. No new information added

Media Files:

Data Entry: Olena Tykhostup, Piers Kelly, Alexandra Roginski