Charles Augustus John Symmons (1804–1887) was an official of the British government posted at the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just ''Swan River'', was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, an ...

, assuming a role as "protector" and later police officer in the early decades of European settlement in Southwest Australia.

Biography

Charles Symmons was born in 1804 to a privileged family, made destitute by a "reversal of fortune" in 1831. While not meeting the usual requirements of education or experience in administering religion or law, Symmons took advantage of family connections to receive a recommendation from the Earl of Clarendon for a position at the new colony. His father's brother was Charles Symmons, a poet and scholar active in the Anglican clergy, and the Royal surgeon and scientist Anthony Carlisle was his brother-in-law. His impressive connections to upper classes of English society are likely to have increased his status in the small colony.

Works

Symmons arrived at the colony on 12 December 1839, beginning a public service position at the town that would become the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

's capital, Perth. His title was first announced as protector of Aboriginals, he summarised this period in 1848 as the application of a reward system, His policies of "native management" are regarded as a notable departure from his predecessors and contemporary application of justice and protection. His job position was later changed to guardian of Aboriginals and protector of settlers. The appointment as Protector saw him take charge of two mounted officers with a contingent of eighteen indigenous men recruited as aides. Symmons was assisted by the colonist Francis Armstrong in the role of the town's constable and "native translator" and Peter Barrow, who had also been appointed in England and was posted to the eastern frontier of the settlement at

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. The directives and payment of his salary were taken from funds provided by Lord Glenelg in England, in response to reports of violence presented in the British parliament, and to be implemented by the colony's governor John Hutt. When Charles Symmons assumed his role in 1840, the policies of extending law and order to the Aboriginal peoples included the use of

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island (), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a Islands of Perth, Western Australia, island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, ...

for detention of Aboriginal people. At the beginning of what would become a notorious prison system, the stated aim of the Rottenest was the education of men deemed as insubordinate to accept the newly imposed social regulations and be employed as farm labourers. Symmons was able to sentence individuals he described as "untameable savages" to be transported to the island, visible just offshore and greatly feared by the Nyungar peoples due to reports of conditions there. His positions in the Swan River colony's civil service included the Public Works board in 1849, immigration agent in 1856, acting sheriff at Champion Bay during 1861 to 1862, and resident magistrate and justice of the peace at Fremantle in 1868. He was as Acting Superintendent, effectively the head of law enforcement in the colony, from the beginning of March to the end of May in 1858; a briefly held position that advanced his career in the judiciary. Symmons influence with the police came as recommendations for recruitment to their ranks, and he may have directly appointed new officers himself while serving as sheriff at Champion Bay. He retired as Police Magistrate at Fremantle in 1870. Charles Symmons recorded and assembled word lists of the

Nyungar language Noongar (), also Nyungar (), is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broa ...

in the course of his work, these were included in the important compilation '' A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia'' that was appended to publication of the colonist

George Fletcher Moore George Fletcher Moore (10 December 1798 – 30 December 1886) was a prominent early settler in colonial Western Australia, and "one fthe key figures in early Western Australia's ruling elite" (Cameron, 2000). He conducted a number of exploring ...

's diaries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symmons, Charles Augustus John 1804 births 1887 deaths Writers from Western Australia Colony of Western Australia judges Commissioners of Western Australia Police Settlers of Western Australia