John Fahy (28 March 1814 - 23 December 1902), also known as Gilburri, was an escaped Irish convict who lived with the Wakka people of the South-Burnett.
Convict life
On 11 May 1838 he was put on board the ship Clyde. The ship arrived in Sydney on 12 September 1838. Every convict on board was suffering from scurvy.
In Australia, he worked as part of the New England road-gang building Major's Line, a road from Port Macquarie to the wool-producing Walcha region. Fahy escaped from the road gang for the first time on 11 November 1841. He was captured and escaped a second time on 24 April 1842.
Adopted by Aboriginal people, 1842 - 1854
On Sunday 24 April 1842, Fahy escaped again.
Fahy reached Bunya Mountains at the triennial Bunya feast in January 1843. He was adopted by a tribe there, who scarred his body with their tribal marks. He spent twelve years with them.
Thomas Petrie writes in Tom Petrie's reminiscences of early Queensland (dating from 1837), "Two or three convicts in the old days, who escaped and lived afterwards with the blacks—James Davis ("Duramboi"), Bracefield ("Wandi"), and Fahey ("Gilbury")".
Archibald Meston writes about Gilburri in "The Genesis of Toowoomba". "'We may be fairly sure that the first white man who ever stood on Mowbullam and saw the Bunya feasts, the fights and Corroborees, was John Fahy, a life sentence prisoner. He was adopted by the local tribe, who called him. "Gillburri- the bell bird" and he remained with themuntil brought to Brisbanein December 1854."
There is another explanation to the meaning of the name Gilburri from linguist, Des Crump at Queensland State Library. He looked at the Warwick/Gidhabal wordlists, and made the assessment that gil/kil was the shortened for to die or be dead, while buri means to come back. This may well refer to Gilburri being saved by his adopted Aboriginal father who believed his dead son had been reincarnated; meaning bought back from the dead.
As an outsider, the Aboriginal people would be suspicious of John Fahy, but his life was spared by one of the oldest chiefs of that Clan. "Lie down black fella, wake up white fella", he was later to say explaining how he was thought to be the reincarnation of an old chief's son that had been killed in battle. Over time he received that clan's traditional body marking and scaring, and took the name, Gilburri; the name according to Archibald Meston means Bellbird. However the true meaning Gilburri means Bell Bird that has come back from the dead. The Totem of the dead chief's son was the Bell Bird so it also became Gilburris.
Fahy had red hair, which was considered sacred amongst Aboriginal people. Fahy said he lived in the lands from Wide Bay to Dalby, from the Bunya scrub and as far up as Port Curtis.
When brought in by the Native Police in 1854, Fahy was naked, and on his body were the ornamental tattoo markings known as "Moolgarra". These unmistakable Bora marks on his breast and left shoulder, clear proof that he bad been through that ceremony, called Boorool in the Bunya country, and he referred to it in the most respectful and flattering terms. Boorool is the term used for man making ceremony.
Fahy spoke in high terms of the truthfulness and honesty of the Aboriginal people, their fondness for their children, their respect and veneration for their old people, and their politeness and kindness to each another.
He lived with the Aboriginal people occupying the country lying between Wide Bay and Dalby, called by the Aboriginal people, as Fahy says, "Bulduer". This is traditional name for Bollier, a rural locality in the Gympie Region.
Fahy understood the dialects of the several tribes occupying that tract of country. From the day of his absconding, until his apprehension, he says that he never saw a white man, or the track of one, nor had he heard among the Aboriginals of any party of white men crossing that part of the country.
Fahy was seen near current day Kenilworth. The people from that part of the Mary River around Gympie, were known as Kabi Kabi.
Russell meets Fahy, 1844
Henry Stuart Russell was leading an exploration team through Wide Bay in 1844 using a map and information he received from Duramboi (James Davies). Henry Russells team were deep in the Bunya scrub Wide Bay, when they came across a mob of about 50–60 strong. The exploring party halted within about of them. Russell says the tribe neither approached nor retreated, but then one white man (Gilburri), came forward, and to Russells astonishment addressed them with, "Who are you, white fellow?"