Mary Jane Milawa

Mary Jane Milawa’s Aboriginal name was Gunyuk (swan). She was the youngest minkan (sister) of Luana, who was the great grandmother of Uncle Freddie Dowling.

When they were very young, Mary Jane and Luana were accompanied by some Wiradjuri people from their homeland to live at a safer place at Lake Moodamoot (now known as Lake Moodemere).

But Mary Jane pined for her country and returned to live as a single woman along the river flats east of Wangaratta, between Wangaratta and where the town of Milawa is today. She died in 1888, aged about 60, and is buried in the Wangaratta cemetery.

This story was told to Uncle Freddie by his father and grandmother.