First Nations Language Collection

Union Street, Toowong, S.W.1. March, 1st, 1941.

Mr Sydney May, Hon. Sec. Place Names Committee, University of Queensland,

Dear Sir,

Your letter of 28th ultimo is to hand. Regarding the letter in last Tuesday's Telegraph, I have noted it and have replied thereto, but I think my letter has not yet been published.

Regarding Domville Taylor and Back Creek,- - according to H.S. Russell, "Genesis of Queensland", and Thos. Hall," History of the Warwick District", a Mr. Wingate took up land at what was known as the Broadwater on the Condamine River. He, shortly afterwards, handed it over to Dr. Rolland and Domville Taylor,

It was then named Tummavil. Hall states that the name originated by the liberty some of Taylor's friends took with his christian name. I do not know if Back Creek was included in this holding but it probably was, for Mount Domville, named after Taylor lies to the west of it. I lived for some months in 1906 at Milmerran near where I established a branch business of the Silverwood Dairy Company. While there, an early selector of the district informed me that Tummavil was an aboriginal pronunciation of Domville which had been adopted as the name of the Station. My informant also told me that the local township was to have been named from Mount Domville but it was finally decided to name it after the native's name for the Mount, i.e. Mil merran, the meaning of which I have already given you.

The accent is on the first syllable of the second word and the r's are slightly stressed. By the places named after him, I think that Taylor must have popularly known by his christian name. My informant---I much regret that I cannot recall his name--- spoke of him as Captain Domville, but I do not know whether he bore this title. Rolland and Taylor did not long hold Tummaville--- as it is spelled--- long (before

[edited in pencil, some place names underlined]