This is the latest article in a series written by Nicole Jenkins, on behalf of the Deniliquin Historical Society. Each will cover stories from our town’s history, and those born in our town who have interesting stories of their own. Today’s article is part two of a two part contribution on Archie Murphy. This article refers to Aboriginal deceased persons, and also contains derogatory terms not seen as acceptable today.
After World War I, Archie Murphy returned to his work as a police tracker in Deniliquin.
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The Hay Riverine Grazier mentions, on March 19, 1920, that Archie has returned from war to their surprise as they thought he had been killed.
Archie told Olga, for her book, that he buried the boots he had in WWI in the bush near Deniliquin.
Archie was one of the most noted of Australia’s trackers due to his years of service.
He was regarded as being intelligent, active and an expert bushman.
Archie and Daisy - who he married before the war - had a son, Percy William Robert Murphy, in 1924 in Deniliquin.
On November 20, the following year, Archie’s heroic work with the police was highlighted by the Deniliquin Independent, in an article with the headline ‘Timely Rescue’.
“A drowning tragedy was narrowly averted on Saturday afternoon between 3-3.30pm, owing to the presence of mind of Police Tracker Archie Murphy in going to the assistance of four bathers who were in serious difficulties in the river at the spot near the gaol,” it read.
“Mr Murphy decided to inspect the pontoon which is being built for the use of children learning to swim, and had been leaning on his bicycle for about ten minutes near the women’s dressing shed when he noticed three girls and a boy in difficulties.
“He was fully dressed with coat, police riding trousers, leggings and boots, but Murphy realised that no time to be lost, divesting himself of coat and hat only, went to the rescue.
“Fortunately, he had to swim only four or five yards from the bank, as when he reached the drowning girls and boy, they were going under the third time.
“Those rescued were Doris (daughter of Mr Morrow), Hilda (daughter of George McCluckie) and Hector (son of Charles Campbell).
“Young Campbell, who had gone to the rescue, had hold of two of the girls, but was powerless, and all three were under the water.
“Murphy caught hold of one of the girls and pulled them in towards the bank.
“Then after seeing them in safety he rescued the girl McCluckie.
“It was a momentous few minutes, and there was a sigh of relief from the screaming girls who watched the proceedings when it was seen that Mr Murphy had got them safely to the bank.
“We have been requested by the young ladies abovementioned to extend their heartfelt thanks to Mr Murphy.
“They all agree that it had not been for his promptness in affecting their rescue they would have been drowned.
“Another suggestion is that some capable person attend the river each day, say when the pupils of the two schools are dismissed for the day.
“The name of Mr Murphy has been suggested to us, and he is prepared, at a renumeration, to undertake the duties, provided permission is obtained from Inspector Ross, and we have no doubt it will be given.
“We urge the Municipal Council to put Mr Murphy’s name forward to the Royal Humane Society, for his bravery to be recognised by a certificate or bronze medal.
“Tracker Murphy is a returned soldier with two years and three months active service in the Great War.”
In February 1928, Archie was again mentioned in the local paper as being the recipient of an inscribed gold medal from the father of one of the girls he had saved from drowning.
Olga recalls Archie showing her this medal, as well as his war medals, at his home at Goodooga Tin Camp.
On December 15, 1928, another article from the paper Country Cities and Towns mentions Archie as Deniliquin's pontoon attendant for the local swimming hole where children learn to swim.
It mentions how Archie was instrumental in saving many lives in the previous three years.
Archie was a member of the Deniliquin Swimming Club and was an outstanding underwater swimmer - he could swim up to 100 yards (90m) underwater.
When the club travelled to Barham for a carnival, they banned him from the swimming baths as he was an Aboriginal.
Deniliquin swimmers decided not to participate if Archie could not.
The decision was reversed, and Archie could compete.
Archie and his family lived in a small cottage attached to the police station in Deniliquin, in Hardinge St.
The cottage was later demolished to make way for additions to the police station.
On June 5, 1928, Echuca’s The Riverine Herald stated that as of June 1 that year, his services were no longer required as police tracker.
It states that there was vigorous protest in regards to the decision, and that Archie was connected with the force for about 18 years and also served two years in the AIF.
It also states that Archie enjoyed the distinction of being the only tracker in the state to volunteer for service with the AIF.
Unfortunately, it seems the protest was not successful and Archie moved from Deniliquin to Orange by 1930.
He is mentioned as a police tracker in Orange in 1930 and 1934.
It looks like Daisy did not go with Archie to Orange.
She is listed as living at the Old Brick Kilns in North Deniliquin in 1930, 1936 and 1937, at the Globe Hotel in 1943 and 1949, and at 94 George St in 1954 and 1958.
In Orange, Archie helped solve a number of high-profile cases that were reported on in the local newspapers.
He “was responsible for clever work during the investigations” into the theft of the mailbags from a train travelling between Cowra and Blayney.
He sent a letter to the AIF on May 2, 1939 as he had mislaid his discharge papers.
It states his address as c/o Walsh Bros, Coswell St, Peak Hill, NSW.
However by June 9, another letter had a forwarding address of c/o Post Office Tullamore NSW, near Parkes, but the letter came back 'unclaimed'.
Archie volunteered for war service once more, serving as a private in the Volunteer Defence Corp in WWII.
He enlisted on April 22, 1942, stating his son as his next of kin and that he is a station manager at Goodooga.
Olga’s father said Archie worked with him at ‘Bangate’, a property near Goodooga.
The paperwork states he is a single widower, however I found Daisy living in Deniliquin in 1958.
Archie’s son Percy, who also enlisted in June 1941, had his mother D M Murphy c/o Globe Hotel Deniliquin as his next of kin.
Archie was discharged on August 20, 1943 and was granted a soldier settlement block at Goodooga after the war.
In a census taken in the 1940s, Archie is living on his soldier settlement block in house 34 and is known as ‘Digger’ to the locals.
It says he was originally from Wellington, NSW, near Dubbo.
Archie lost his army badge and requested another in 1960, and he stated he was living in Goodooga.
Olga Collins-McAnespie published her book, ‘Tracking Tracker Murphy’, in 2019.
She lived next door to Archie when she was nine.
He had an impact on young Olga, and describes him as “a really lovely, gentleman”.
She was devastated when family circumstances caused them to lose contact.
But she wanted to research deeper into his story.
Archie lived next door to her in a small hut made of corrugated iron.
It had no connection to sewerage, electricity, running water and no transport support.
The ‘Tin Camp’ was 3km out of town.
Olga was instructed not to call him 'Digger Murphy' as others did, but Mr Murphy and to hold him as a respected elder and a Returned Aboriginal Serviceman.
Olga recounts how she found Archie in the yard polishing his leather boots, saddle and bridle.
“When the child asks where his horse is, his eyes fill with tears,” the book reads.
“Should he tell her it was a police horse he had to return when he left his job as a NSW Police tracker? Or the fate of the horse he rode in battle in the Middle East, one of the famous 'Walers' of World War I.
“Could he tell Olga he was ordered to shoot his own horse?.
“Young Olga's mum got Mr Murphy's groceries. A small tin of powdered milk, a tin of Spam and cigarettes.
“She lends him flour and a bit of salt for Johnny-cakes.
“The trust builds between young and old and the stories trickled out.”
Her aim of the book was to give Australians a chance to know how an almost forgotten Aboriginal soldier lived a courageous life.
It was also to explain why he deserves to be honoured, and to make people realise the number of times when neighbours are 'angels-unawares' - “people who distinguished themselves in the theatres of war yet lay forgotten".
Archie died in Walgett Hospital in 1979.
After being granted the soldier settlement block at Goodooga after the war, he remained in the town - about 20km south of the Queensland border - until his death at the age of 91.
He was buried in an unmarked grave at Goodooga.
In August 2019, Indigenous and civic leaders and children from surrounding schools, military veterans and a film crew descended on Goodooga.
They were in town to celebrate the life of Tracker Murphy and express concern that his grave in Goodooga cemetery has no headstone.
A little about his son Percy.
Percy William Robert Murphy was born in 1924 in Deniliquin, and was known as Bob.
Percy initially signed up for WWII in Berrigan on June 26, 1940, and was formally enlisted at Caulfield, Victoria on July 26, 1940.
The enlistment papers state that he was born July 1, 1916 in Deniliquin - possibly an attempt to be well over the acceptable age to enter the forces!
He was listed as a labourer working in Berrigan.
He was living with his aunt and uncle, Edward and Gertrude Carter, but lists his mother in Deniliquin as next of kin.
He is listed as also living at the Globe Hotel, Deniliquin in January 1941.
He was reported as absent for duty at Bathurst on June 23, 1941 and, pending further investigation, was declared an illegal absentee on July 15, 1941.
He, in fact, went to Victoria to join up at the same time as his cousins, so he has two WWII records.
Interestingly, in his second record, he states that he was born July 1, 1915 at Deniliquin, one year earlier than the previous record.
He enlisted at the Melbourne Town Hall on June 30, 1941, and stated he was a truck driver and single at the time of his enlistment and living at 10 Gillies St, Fairfield, Victoria.
He was in the 2/29 Infantry Battalion and served in Malaya from September 17, 1941 to October 12, 1945.
He embarked from Sydney on that September 17 on the JJ Sydney and arrived in Singapore on October 5.
He was sent to Malaya on October 27 and was promoted from Private to Assistant Corporal.
He was reported missing on February 16, 1942 and reported as a prisoner of war on September 15 the following year.
He was reverted back to rank of Private on November 18, 1945.
He returned to Victoria on October 11, 1945 and was discharged on December 21, listing his forwarding address at George St, Deniliquin.
He was registered in the census in Deniliquin as a labourer in 1943 and a hairdresser in 1949.
He had a salon in Cressy St, Deniliquin, in front of the billiard saloon.
I located his grandson Alan and met up with him in Deniliquin several years ago.
Alan informed me that Percy also worked in sawmills.
I found a Percy William Robert Murphy working at Croydon, Victoria as a sawyer in Census lists.
There was also a record at Mansfield, Victoria in 1963 for a man of the same name, again as a sawyer.
When Percy’s mother Daisy died in 1962, Percy was the informant and he stated that he worked at O’Brien’s Sawmill, Mansfield.
Percy married Joyce Margaret Bolton in Benalla in 1962.
They are recorded on the 1963 Census in Deniliquin.
Percy died in Deniliquin in October 21, 1971, aged 55, and is buried in the Deniliquin Cemetery.
• To read part one of Archie Murphy’s story, click here From tracker, to cattle drover and war hero | Deniliquin Pastoral Times or go to https://www.denipt.com.au/news/from-tracker-to-cattle-drover-and-war-hero/.