Robert Menli Lyon facts for kids

Robert Menli Lyon (born Robert Milne; 1789–1874) was an early settler in Western Australia. He was one of the first people to speak up for the rights of Indigenous Australian people in the colony. He also published the first details about the Aboriginal language spoken near Perth.

Early Life and New Name

Robert Lyon was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1789. People believe he was a soldier when he was younger. He might have even been a captain in the army.

In 1829, when he was about 40, Robert moved to Western Australia. At that time, Western Australia was a British colony. When he arrived, he did not use his military title. He was known simply as Robert Milne. Soon after, he changed his name to Robert Menli Lyon. The name Menli is actually the letters of Milne mixed up!

Speaking Up for Aboriginal People

Lyon traveled a lot around the colony. He made friends with the local Aboriginal people. He saw how the settlers often treated Aboriginal people with distrust, anger, and sometimes violence. Lyon became a strong supporter of their rights.

He spoke at public meetings to defend them. He argued against plans to punish Aboriginal people with violence. Instead, he suggested talking and finding peaceful solutions. Many settlers did not like his ideas. Because of this, Lyon himself became a target of their anger.

The Yagan Story

Around December 1831, a Noongar man named Yagan began leading attacks on settlers. He was doing this because one of his friends had been killed. In October 1832, Yagan and two friends were captured. They were sentenced to death.

However, Lyon stepped in to help. He argued that these men were fighting for their land. He compared their actions to famous heroes like William Tell and William Wallace. Lyon said they were not criminals. Instead, he called them "prisoners of war." He believed they should be treated fairly.

The Governor, James Stirling, agreed. He decided not to execute the men. Instead, he sent them to Carnac Island.

Learning from Yagan

Lyon was allowed to visit the prisoners. He spent over a month on Carnac Island with them. During this time, he worked hard to learn Yagan's language. He found out the names of many local places. He also learned about the Noongar people's culture and traditions.

Lyon published this information in the Perth Gazette newspaper in March 1833. The articles were called A Glance at the Manners and Language of Aboriginal Inhabitants of Western Australia. This was the first time such information was published in Western Australia. It is still an important resource for people who study cultures, called anthropologists.

Lyon stayed on Carnac Island until November 15, 1832. On that day, Yagan and a friend took a small boat and escaped to the mainland. Lyon told the governor that if he had had a few more weeks with Yagan, he might have been able to arrange a peace agreement between the Aboriginal people and the settlers. He asked the governor to try for a treaty instead of fighting.

Lyon's strong arguments against using force made him even less popular with the settlers and the government. Looking back, his ideas also showed that he did not fully understand Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal tribes did not have one leader who could sign a binding treaty for everyone.

In June 1833, a meeting was held in Guildford. People wanted to take strong action against the Aboriginal people. Lyon attended this meeting. He gave a speech that was later called "one of the most distinguished humanitarian speeches delivered in colonial Australia."

Later Influence and Writings

In March 1834, Lyon left Western Australia. He moved to Mauritius, an island country. There, he became a professor of Latin and Greek at the College of Port Louis. While in Mauritius, he met James Backhouse, a Quaker. Backhouse heard Lyon speak about how Aboriginal people were treated in Western Australia.

Backhouse was very impressed with Lyon. Lyon shared his ideas in two papers that Backhouse received. These papers were found again over 100 years later. They were published in London in 1941 by the Aboriginal Protection Board.

By 1838, Lyon had returned to Australia. He spent some time in South Australia. There, he used the title Reverend R. L. Milne. In 1839, he settled in New South Wales. Here, he was known as Captain Robert Milne.

In New South Wales, he wrote and published a book. It was called Australia: An Appeal to the World on Behalf of the Younger Branch of the Family of Shem. He published it under the name Robert Menli Lyon. The book included most of his earlier articles, speeches, and letters. It also had new letters asking for help for the Aboriginal people. These letters were sent to important people. This included members of the British Royal Family, the British Parliament, the Governor of New South Wales, and the Bishop of Australia.

Robert Menli Lyon continued to care about the well-being of Aboriginal people for many years. He was in his mid-seventies when he was still writing about the subject in 1863.