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Rraiwala in charge of the camp there, while he went to Darwin where he was issued with orders for his ‘Special
Reconnaissance Unit’. After Thomson returned, the unit went back to the Roper River Mission and Rraiwala led
the foot patrol to select the site for an outpost at the mouth of the river. Later, as Thomson worked up the coast,
Rraiwala was put ashore west of Woodah Island and led a patrol north around Blue Mud Bay to Trial Bay, where
he rejoined Thomson in Aroetta, after an arduous two day journey. Another outpost was established at Caledon
Bay and sea patrols continued but many of the men were returned to their groups. Rraiwala, however, served until
April 1943, when the unit was disbanded. He was Thomson’s ‘constant companion who set an example of loyalty
and selfless devotion to duty of a standard few could follow’, devoting ‘the whole of his energies and influence to
the work of undermining and destroying Japanese influence and prestige, and to assisting with the formation and
training of the Unit.’ Returning from a voyage to Townsville in Aroetta in January 1943, Rraiwala learned that ‘his
wife and two young children had been stolen and carried off into the interior’ and Thomson offered to release him
but Rraiwala chose to continue to serve until Thomson left.
Nearly 20 years later inquiries of the Department of Defence resulted in ‘this fine soldier’, being awarded his
service medals.
For some years, Rraiwala continued living in touch with the Milingimbi Mission and early in 1949 was the
innocent cause of a lengthy search of Arnhem Land when a rumour that he had been murdered reached Milingimbi
and Darwin. Patrol Officer Syd Kyle-Little and Constable John Gordon crossed Arnhem Land from Milingimbi
to Mainoru on foot in the Wet, only to learn that Rraiwala had safely reached Mainoru two months earlier. He had
had a hard journey across waterless country and only his wife’s success in finding water after he had collapsed
had saved the couple. Press publicity given to this incident prompted Thomson to propose, unsuccessfully, that
Rraiwala should be sent at government expense to join him in the 1949 Anzac Day march in Melbourne.
Later, Rraiwala, who always seems to have preferred living independently of the missions, lived with his
family at the Lee Brothers’ timber mill at the eastern end of the Cobourg Peninsula from 1952 until about 1960.
On his occasional visits to Darwin, he is said to have often brought in to the Mines Branch a few ounces of gold,
which helped him to maintain a sound credit balance in his bank account. After leaving the Cobourg Peninsula, he
moved to Bagot in Darwin, where he spent his last years.
Rraiwala died on 25 February 1965 in Darwin and was buried at Rapid Creek. Three wives and two children
of his first wife survived him.
D Thomson, Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land, 1983; L Warner, A Black Civilization, 1937; E Shepherdson, Half a Century in Arnhem Land,
1981; Australian Archives CRS A431 49/440, A1 33/6965 & 36/327, F1 46/667, MP 742/1 R/1/3617; Australian War Memorial 605/2/3, 54
741/5/9; information from J Burinyila; information from E J Egan.
JEREMY LONG, Vol 2.RUTHVEN, HENRY FITZPATRICK (HARRY) (c1839–1921), building contractor, carpenter and stonemason,
was born in Scotland about 1839. Nothing is known of his family or education but he apparently came to Australia
when he was in his early 30s and married 20-year-old Catherine Bell about 1870. She also was Scottish born but
came to Australia when she was five. Although seven children were born of the marriage only a little is presently
known of them. Two were born in Adelaide, Harry Leslie Ruthven on 15 November 1879 and Clare Adelaide
Ruthven on 22 November 1883, the informant being her elder brother Hedley Arthur Ruthven who was probably
the eldest child and by then about 13 years old.
Ruthven was associated with the South Australian Public Works Department during which time he is said to
have built the hospital at Port Lincoln. He came to the Northern Territory in 1882 to supervise the building of
the Town and Country Bank on the corner of Smith and Bennett Streets for the contractor, J Hooker. The bank
manager, Jonathan Hillson, commented that the building was ‘the first example of architecture in Palmerston (now
Darwin) built of stone by private enterprise’. (Only the facade of this building now survives). Ruthven quarried
the stone himself, apparently from the cliff face above which Parliament House now stands. So successful was
the quarrying that the South Australian government attempted to claim a royalty on the stone which Ruthven was
stockpiling for other jobs, but they could not agree on terms so the quarrying was abandoned. He had great faith
in the local stone for building (as did his contemporary, J G Knight) and believed that a natural cement existed
which could be cast by means of cheap boxes into quite serviceable building material.
In 1884, he designed and constructed the government offices that were erected on the Esplanade. The building
ran from the corner of Mitchell Street and was built in two sections, Customs and the Lands Office used the first, the
second accommodated the Government Resident, the Government Secretary and the ‘survey department’. Ruthven
earned a total of 1 360 Pounds for these buildings, which were completed in 1885. Of this particular construction
the superintendent of buildings commented in 1911 that it gave him ‘great pleasure to have the opportunity, at this
date, to say a word of praise in favour of the substantial and careful manner these offices were designed and carried
out. Mr Ruthven, who is still among us, has reason to feel proud of his handiwork’. The complex was destroyed in
the bombing on 19 February 1942 and the new Supreme Court has been erected on the site; the signed and coloured
elevations hang on the walls of the search room at the Australian Archives repository in Darwin.
Ruthven also built the Terminus Hotel, which was completed by 10 March 1885 when he became the first
licensee. It was an iron building and all the furniture was made on the premises as Ruthven had established his
carpentry shop at the rear. The furnishings were completely up to date with kitchen and bathrooms, which ‘speak
well for the creature comforts of lodgers and others patronising the house’, the complimentary press report ran. In
1885 the freehold of the land, lot 306 (now the site of the Civic Centre) was registered in Ruthven’s name but he
sold the hotel licence in 1886.