Series 10, Section 3: Envelope of 6 letters written by Mrs. Bates to Mr. Artlett

Abstract

Envelope of 6 letters written by DMB to Mr Artlett given by the Commonwealth Railways, Port Augusta to the Daisy Bates Memorial Committee and by the Committee to the Barr Smith Library

A: More and more people were coming in to Ooldea Waters until there were 30-40. Daisy Bates requests Mr Artlett to forbid the natives access to any water at the siding as they were stealing water and she wanted them to go further to get their water from the soak. B: DMB requests that Mr Artlett obtain a “certificate” for her from the S.A. Government so that it would “lessen the strain on my purse” in the feeding and clothing of the people at the Siding. DMB also suggests the steady evacuation of the Great Aboriginal Reserve so that it may be used as pastoral land. She estimates the numbers of native people in that area as being around 2000, wandering between Hermannsburg and east of the W.A. Goldfields, seeking a water supply at Ooldea and never returning to their ancestral lands. C: DMB thanks Mr Artlett for presenting her with a handcart named Augusta, to be used for hauling water and supplies over the mile from siding to camp. D: DMB requests Mr Artlett to ask someone to repair Augusta’s wheel as had been accidentally damaged when traversing a water pipe. She also mentions that she had a narrow escape from a fire and was building new break-winds in the very high summer temperatures. E: DMB thanks her benefactor for the repairs to Augusta. F: DMB writes that she enjoys the proximity to Fettler Pauncefort and his wife and that she will ask him to show her where to oil Augusta with the bicycle oil she has bought for the purpose. She mentions that she measured a fall close to 2” of rain on 6 February.