James Davis

Who was James Davis?

James Davis was a Scottish-born convict, notable for escaping custody in Australia and living with aboriginals. He subsequently rejoined European society and became a shopkeeper.

Davis was born in Broomielaw, Scotland and was apprenticed for a period at Old Wynd, Glasgow. In 1824, he was sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years for stealing 2 shillings 6 pence from a church box in Surrey, arriving in New South Wales in August 1825. In 1828 he was tried for robbery at Patrick's Plains and was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Brisbane. Six weeks after his arrival in February 1829, he escaped with a companion and they soon joined a group of Aboriginals led by Pamby-Pamby. While his companion eventually broke tribal law and was killed, Davis was accepted into the tribe and was known as "Duramboi". He travelled hundreds of miles from Brisbane and learned the languages and customs of many tribes.

In 1842 he met Andrew Petrie in Wide Bay, who persuaded him to accept that it was safe to return to Brisbane with the cessation of transportation. He relearned English and gradually fitted back into European society.