Darcy Macquarie Peckham - Police Tracker

Darcy was born in Dubbo on the 3 October 1923 and at one time worked for the Police in Mudgee as a tracker. While in Mudgee he met and married Daisy May Reid (1928 – 2015) on the 11 November 1949 after which they moved to Hunters Hill, Bennelong.

His parents were Thomas Peckham , (1874 – 1950) born in Dubbo, and Linda Lilliam Australia,

Stewart (1892 – 1983). They were married and lived in Dubbo. Together they had 8 children including Darcy.

Thomas Peckham’s father David Peckham (alias John Williams) was born in 1845 at Narromine of

unknown parents, and died 1909 in Wellington , NSW. He was gaoled in 1874 and was sentenced to death but was commuted to 10 years on the roads. It is not known who he married but perhaps Kate or Rosanna had two sons, Andrew 1877-1931, and Thomas.

Darcy learnt his craft as a tracker under Alexander Riley (1884 – 1970). He was an Aboriginal tracker in Dubbo, NSW who attained the rank of Sergeant in the New South Wales Police Force. Alexander joined the police force in 1911 but resigned three years later after injuring his foot. He re-joined in 1918 and promoted in 1941. He became the first Aboriginal Police Sergeant in New South Wales. He became involved in the capture of bushranger Roy Governor and found a bare-foot six-year-old girl who became lost near Stuart Town. In all he found more than twenty lost  people in the bush.