Adec Preview Generated PDF File - The Sydney eScholarship ...

European expansion along the Darling River and into far western New
South Wales. They acted as labourers on the land and in the river port of
Wilcannia. They grew vegetables, operated hotels, and undertook various
other independent pursuits in the far west almost from the beginnings of
European expansion. When Milparinka was established, my research
suggests the Chinese were among the first business entrepreneurs. My
research also suggests they remained there as independent businessmen
for all of the period under consideration. I have no doubt they too suffered
significant deprivations.
1.1 Research Objective
A small group of Chinese lived in the vicinity of Milparinka from the town's
inception in 1881 until shortly after the First World War, when the town
appears to have gone into a rapid decline. The underlying objective of the
research was to consider the proposition that a factor in the demise of
Milparinka may have been lack of integration between different sectors of
the population living within and around the town.
The production and distribution of foodstuffs, the control and supply of
water, and participation in community projects are examples of the basic
activities which contribute to the growth and stability of communities. The
suggestion being pursued in this thesis is that the community at Milparinka
lacked cohesion in the pursuit of these activities due to the degree of
community fragmentation, and that because of this the competing
community at Tibooburra was able to obtain advantages in the acquisition
of strategic resources.
To study this issue the specific research requirement was to determine
whether evidence for synergy in food production and retail activities, the
supply of water, recreational pursuits and the use of communal facilities
was available. Particular attention was directed towards identifying the
economic and social activities of the Chinese, and the degree to which the
archaeological record could embellish the scant historical one in this
respect.
I will seek to argue that when technological change and lack of recruitment
altered what symbiosis did exist at Milparinka, the collapse of the
community followed.
1.2 Preliminary Evaluation
The European community evidently controlled much of the communications
and retail trade at Mitparinka, although transportation was shared between
the Europeans and a third group, the 'Afghan' cameleers.