Robert Menli Lyon (born 1789, date of death unknown) was an early Western Australian settler who became one of the first outspoken advocates of Australian Aboriginal rights and welfare in the colony. He published the first information on the Aboriginal language of the Perth area. 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Cygnis Insignis (Distinguished by its swans) Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Governor Premier Const. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ... Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. ...

Robert Menli Lyon was born Robert Milne in 1789 in Inverness, Scotland. He is thought to have had a career in the army in his youth, and probably attained the military rank of Captain. In 1829, Milne migrated to what was then the British colony of Western Australia. During his time in Western Australia, Milne made no claim to military rank, initially preferring to be known simply as Robert Milne. Shortly after his arrival, he adopted the name Robert Menli Lyon, Menli being an anagram of Milne. 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Main languages English Scots Scottish Gaelic Doric Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Cygnis Insignis (Distinguished by its swans) Nickname: Wildflower State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Governor Premier Const. ...

Lyon travelled widely in the colony and had friendly contact with the local aborigines. He saw the mistrust and hostility, and sometimes violence, with which the frontier settlers treated the aborigines, and became an outspoken defender of their rights. He spoke in their defence at a number of public meetings, arguing against proposed punitive expeditions and other violent measures, and instead proposing policies of negotiation and conciliation. His stance alienated him from many settlers, and he became a target of hostility himself. Negotiation is the process whereby interested parties resolve disputes, agree upon courses of action, bargain for individual or collective advantage, and/or attempt to craft outcomes which serve their mutual interests. ... Conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution process whereby the parties to a dispute (including future interest disputes) agree to utilize the services of a conciliator, who then meets with the parties separately in an attempt to resolve their differences. ...

From December 1831, a Noongar named Yagan had led a number of attacks on settlers in retaliation for the murder of one of his friends. In October 1832, Yagan and two of his friends were captured and sentenced to death. However Lyon interceded, arguing that the men were fighting for their country, and comparing their actions to those of William Tell and William Wallace. Therefore, he argued, they were not common criminals but prisoners of war, and entitled to be treated as such. Governor James Stirling then agreed not to execute the men, instead exiling them to Carnac Island. 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Australian aboriginal flag The Noongar (alternate spellings: Nyungar /Nyoongar)[1], are an Australian Aboriginal people who live in the south west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast. ... Portrait of Yagan, from Dale (1834)1 Yagan (c. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... William Tell (German Wilhelm Tell, French Guillaume Tell) was a legendary hero of disputed historical authenticity who is said to have lived in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th century. ... Sir William Wallace (c. ... List of Governors of Western Australia See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... Admiral Sir James Stirling Admiral Sir James Stirling (January 28, 1791–April 23, 1865) was the first Governor of Western Australia (1828–38) and on his own initiative signed Britains first limited treaty with Japan in 1854. ... Carnac Island is an A Class nature reserve approximately 10 kilometres south west of Fremantle, Western Australia. ...

Lyon was granted access to the prisoners, and spent a little over a month on Carnac Island with them. He spent much of that time learning Yagan's language. He learned the names of many local geographic features, and acquired information about the Noongars' culture and traditions. This information was published in a series of editions of the Perth Gazette in March 1833, under the title A Glance at the Manners and Language of Aboriginal Inhabitants of Western Australia. It was the first information of its kind published in Western Australia, and remains a valuable resource for anthropologists. 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος, human) consists of the study of humankind (see genus Homo). ...

Lyon remained on Carnac Island from 8 October until 15 November 1832, when Yagan and a companion stole an unattended dinghy and escaped to the mainland. On reporting to the governor, Lyon asserted that if he had had three more weeks with Yagan, he might have been able to negotiate a treaty between the natives and the settlers. He urged the governor to pursue a treaty, rather than continuing hostilities. His stance made him increasingly unpopular with settlers and the government. It also reveals his misunderstanding of Aboriginal culture, whose tribes acknowledged no leaders with whom a binding treaty might be negotiated. October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In June 1833, a meeting was called at Guildford in response to continued calls for punitive action against the Aborigines. Lyon attended, and delivered "one of the most distinguished humanitarian speeches delivered in colonial Australia" (Reynolds 1998). 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

In March 1834, Lyon left Western Australia for Mauritius, where he became professor of Latin and Greek at the College of Port Louis. While there he met James Backhouse the Quaker, who heard him speak about the treatment of the Aborigines in Western Australia. Backhouse was very impressed with Lyon, and received two papers from him on the Aborigines. These were eventually published in 1941 by the Aborigines Protection Board in London. 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The arms of Port Louis Port Louis banking district, and the main avenue leading to the Government House (seen in the background) Port Louis (local pronunciation is PAULWEE) is the capital of Mauritius. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

By 1838, Lyon had returned to Australia. He spent some of 1838 in South Australia under the title the Reverend R. L. Milne. In 1839, he settled in New South Wales, where he was known as Captain Robert Milne. There, he wrote and published a book entitled Australia: An Appeal to the World on Behalf of the Younger Branch of the Family of Shem under the name Robert Menli Lyon. The book included most of Lyon's previous articles, speeches and letters, and also contained a collection of rhetorical letters pleading the cause of the Aborigines. These letters were addressed to various authority figures, including members of the British Royal Family, the British Parliament, the Governor of New South Wales and the Bishop of Australia. Lyon maintained his interest in Aboriginal welfare for many years; he was still writing on the subject as late as 1863. 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: United for the Common Wealth Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Governor Premier Const. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... List of Governors of New South Wales See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

See Also

Other early advocates of Aboriginal rights and welfare include George Augustus Robinson and Daisy Bates. George Augustus Robinson always wore a wig. ... Daisy May (ODwyer) Bates (1863-1951) was an Irish-Australian journalist, welfare worker and lifelong student of Australian Aboriginal culture and society. ...

References

• Reynolds, Henry (1998). This Whispering in our Hearts. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards Australia. ISBN 1864485817.
• Hasluck, Alexandra (1961). Yagan the Patriot in Early Days V(VII). Perth, Australia.