Early colonist John Helder Wedge wrote this letter to John Montagu, Colonial Secretary of Van Dieman's Land, acknowledging the pardon of convict William Buckley, who had escaped the Sorrento settlement and lived with the Wathaurong tribe for 32 years.
William Buckley, often referred to as 'the wild white man', was a convict taken to the 1803 Sorrento Settlement, on board David Collins’ Calcutta. He and fellow convicts escaped the failed settlement. Determined to walk to Sydney, they ended up walking only to the other side of Port Phillip Bay. All the convicts except Buckley decided to return to the settlement. The settlement eventually left to establish itself in Tasmania, leaving Buckley alone and hungry.
Buckley was found by the Wathaurong tribe, who, believing him to be the reincarnation of an elder, welcomed him into their tribe. He lived as one of them for 32 years, becoming proficient in their language. Buckley left the tribe and returned to white society in 1835, after he came across Batman's landing party at Indented Head.
Surveyor and explorer John Helder Wedge (1793-1872) migrated to Van Diemen's Land with his brother and took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor. Wedge had a great interest in and respect for the Aboriginal people. He was particularly concerned that the settlement at Port Phillip not repeat the tragedy that befell the Aboriginal people in Van Diemen's Land. Wedge successfully obtained Buckley's pardon from Lieutenant-Governor (Sir) George Arthur, and Buckley went on to work as a Government interpreter and in other roles, receiving a salary and, later, a pension. Buckley died in Hobart on 30 January 1856.
Wedge's letter to Montagu is held in the Library's Australian Manuscripts collection. Images and transcripts of William Buckley's reminiscences and John Helder Wedge's field book and map of Port Phillip, along with other manuscripts relating to the European settlement of Victoria, are available through the Library's catalogue. Further information about John Helder Wedge and his field book is available on the Library's Treasures website.
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John Helder Wedge's letter to John Montagu requesting William Buckley's pardon, State Library of Victoria Manuscripts Collection | 
