Account of Hawkesbury Aborigines employed at Tizzana Vineyard

Account of Hawkesbury Aborigines employed at Tizzana Vineyard by Mary Salmon:“A darkies camp under the red cedar and willow trees by the river is a special feature of Hawkesbury life. The aboriginal settlement is too far off for return at night, except weekend. So the native men and boys pitch a couple of tents, and enjoy a camp out. They bring their dogs, and after the day’s work is done make picturesque groups squatting along the river side, singing songs or hymns in their full, rich voices. Sometimes they play with their lips on a gum leaf, a low, monotonous chant that sounds like an acolian harp through the resonant, sun-dried evening air. They are among the best workers, learning the ways of a vineyard quickly, especially a tall, full-blooded aboriginal, black as night, but a capital field worker, who comes regularly every year” (The Evening News, Sydney, 11 February 1905, in Brook, 1st edit, 31).