Hunter Living Histories

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W.S. PROCTER AND THE 1841 PROCTER CHART BY SHANE FROST (58MB PDF)

First Navigational Chart of Lake Macquarie

The Procter Chart is the first navigational chart of “Reid’s Mistake”, a.k.a. Lake Macquarie, New South Wales produced in 1841. It has fascinated researchers attempting to understand and unlock its annotations and references to Aboriginal language and place names. But what was the context of its creation and original purpose? After many years of research, Shane Frost, descendant of the Awabakal people of Lake Macquarie, in his quest has uncovered many historical documents, charts and photographs never before publicly seen since their creation. He has compiled a massive amount of information, and literally written a book on the subject numbering 360 pages, which he has generously made freely available to the wider communities for ongoing research and study purposes.

Forget-Me-Not: Remembering Lost Lives and Legacies

The title of the book is:

Forget-Me-Not Remembering Lost Lives and Legacies W.S. Procter & The 1841 Procter Chart. An Analytical Examination of the Production of the First Navigational Chart of Reid’s Mistake, Lake Macquarie with Reference to Reverend L.E. Threlkeld & Others. Researched & Written By Shane Frost. April 2023.

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W.S. PROCTER & THE 1841 PROCTER CHART ON LIVING HISTORIES

The DIGS Database Procter Chart

The late Russell Rigby originally brought our attention to this interesting 1841 chart of Awaba or Lake Macquarie among the digital documents in the DIGS database back in 2013.

It has been the topic of fascination for researchers for many many years, especially the annotations in pen, marking Aboriginal place names and other important features. Chart appeared to be fascinating, not just from the original printed version, but also the notes from the annotator.

Thanks, now to the new research conducted by Shane Frost, we now know it was only one of a number of Procter Charts, but also a thorough deep dive into how it was produced, and why.

You can view the DIGS version here on the Hunter Living Histories post from 2013.

Awaba or Lake Macquarie in 1841

What was the “Spark”?  (From the Preface)

“What sparked my interest in this subject is my love of history and the truth being told. The catalyst was when I first saw the name W. S. Procter on the bottom of an old “map” of Lake Macquarie, I was dumbfounded to realise there was absolutely no information of who he was, or the reason behind the production of this important historical document.

From that moment, it was my intention to uncover the life and times of someone who had been forgotten. As I delved deeper into this subject, many other interesting characters and facts began to emerge within this story of those who had contributed to the Colonial History of this region and beyond, who also should not be forgotten.

There are many avenues that could have been explored with this book but primarily, it deals with the people and events that are closely related to these questions I pose about the Chart’s creation; “who were these people?”, “what was their role?”, and most importantly, “why was it created?”.

We cannot answer all the questions that could be asked about this subject but with the verifiable information that is presented, a considerable case has been made to establish at least the primary goal and answer the question of who was W. S. Procter and who was responsible for the production of the Procter Chart and why?

It is also an opportunity to take into consideration, the following impacts that this eventually had on the environmental aspect and societal structure of Awabakal People.

Whether beneficial or detrimental, it allows us to consider the overall attitude of the colonialists, which eventually contributed to the basis of the historical and contemporary views about my People, the Awabakal, the Traditional Aboriginal People of the Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and Lower Hunter region, and how it impacted our place in this world.”

About the Author

Shane Frost is a proud Awabakal man. He was born and grew up on the Traditional Country of his Ancestors in Lake Macquarie. Shane has worked in various roles during the course of his working life one being the librarian of the mobile library for Port Stephens Council for many years and has also worked as an Aboriginal Ranger for N.S.W. National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Shane was the founder of the Awabakal Descendants Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation over 20 years ago and CEO for ten years. This not for profit and charitable organisation continues today doing charitable work within the community. He is passionate about the protection of Awabakal Culture and Heritage and promoting community awareness of Aboriginal Heritage.

Shane has been a contributor to books such as Joseph Lycett Convict Artist, 10 Works in Focus Paintings from the Collection Volume 1 (State Library of N.S.W.) as well as Reading the Rooms (State Library of N.S.W.) . He has also participated in two documentaries for the Stories of Our Town series Lycett and Wallis: Unlikely Preservers of Aboriginal Knowledge and Biraban and Threlkeld: Finding the Third Space.

Shane continues to live on Awabakal Country.