Contemplation Seat

This is a very special place - a place to sit and contemplate the period of history on Kangaroo Island before the arrival of the official settlers to South Australia in 1836.

Sealing, salt harvesting and whaling were Kangaroo Island's first industries, established by sailors and sealers in the 1820's. Many of these men brought with them Aboriginal women who had been lured or abducted from mainland coastal areas , and even Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). The abducted Aboriginal women used and shared their unique skills in bushcraft and sealing in their instinct to survive.

A handful of ex-sailors and sealers became permanent residents of the Island and co-habited with Aboriginal women. The women hunted, gathered and cooked, found water, made clothes, and helped establish successful farms. Their outstanding ability to track both animals and humans also helped a fledgling colony that had no idea how to survive in the Australian conditions.

Some Aboriginal women were harshly treated, while others adjusted to their new lives and raised families of their own. Women like Betty, mother of Mary Seymour (see photo), should be remembered as strong, adaptable and resourceful survivors to continue their cultural traditions and had a key role in settling Kangaroo Island.

This seat promotes a process of reflection, reconciliation and healing for Aboriginal and the Kangaroo Island community and recognises the contribution of these women.

Caption to photo

Mary Seymour (1833-1913), the first female born on Kangaroo Island, daughter of Nathaniel Thomas and Betty, a Tasmanian Aboriginal brought to Kangaroo Island c. 1826. State Library of South Australia PRG 280/1/1/241

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