Bligh was appointed by the New South Wales Government to the position of sub-Lieutenant in the Native Police on 7 April 1853. He was nineteen years old. Bligh seems to have been posted to the Wide Bay region on a regular basis early on in his career.
Capture of John 'Gilburri' Fahy
He captured a runaway convict named John 'Gilburri' Fahy who had been living with the localKabi Kabi for over twelve years. In order to arrest Gilburri, Bligh and his troopers handcuffed all the "station blacks" at Barambah pastoral station around a large gum tree to prevent him from receiving any information that the Native Police were nearby. Fahy was sent to Cockatoo Island prison but was soon assigned to be an interpreter on the exploratory journey of A.C. Gregory.
Bligh takes command
In 1854 and 1855, Bligh was in command of the 8th Division of the Native Police based at the Yabba barracks in the Conondale Range and at Maryborough. The funding of the Native Police at this stage was uncertain and Bligh had trouble with equipment supplies and the mutinous conduct of some of his Aboriginal troopers. Corporal Donald threatened to hit and handcuff him. Ten days later, Bligh reported that Donald died of dysentery. In October 1855, Bligh was sent to the Clarence River area to take charge of the section there as a 2nd Lieutenant. In June 1857, Bligh was appointed to 1st Lieutenant of the Native Police by Commandant Edric Norfolk Vaux Morisset. Bligh was stationed mostly in the Wide Bay-Burnett region or on missions involving the recruitment of troopers for the force around the Clarence River districts. In 1859, he was involved in dispersing Aboriginals attending the Bunya festival in the Conondale Range. The Aboriginals fled to nearby Manumbar where the proprietor noticed that "the fear of Bligh acts like a hangman's whip" over them. The Governor General of New South Wales appointed John O'Connell Bligh of the Native Police to be a Magistrate for New South Wales on 30 August 1858.
Maryborough incident
In early 1860, Bligh and his troopers, then stationed at Coopers Plain barracks just to the south-west of Maryborough, chased a number of Aboriginals into the town. In broad daylight and in front of the citizens of Maryborough, these Aboriginals were shot down. Several were killed and an unknown number were wounded. At one stage, Bligh requisitioned a boat in order to shoot two Aboriginals who had fled into the Mary River. A meeting was held in the courthouse to collect money for a gift of appreciation to give to Bligh. At a ceremony later organised by the high profile Maryborough people, Bligh was given a ceremonial sword as a reward for his actions. However, his actions divided the town, with the Maryborough Chronicle describing it as "one of the most disgraceful acts ever perpetrated by any community, a blot so foul and deep-stained as will leave on this otherwise fair portion of God’s earth the brand of eternal infamy". The Moreton Bay Courier listed the names of individual Aborigines who had been killed, including Darkey and Young Snatchem. On 8 July 1861 Lieut John O'Connell Bligh of the Native Mounted Police was called in and examined by the Select Committee on the Native Police Force. 1861.
Commandant of the Native Police
After the retirement of E.N.V. Morisset, John O'Connell Bligh was appointed Commandant of the Native Police in July 1861. His first major duty as Commandant involved organising the severe reprisals for the Cullin-la-ringo massacre where, in October 1861, Aboriginals around the Nogoa River killed nineteen settlers. Bligh travelled to the area and personally oversaw the operations. Bligh was the commanding officer of the force as the British expanded into the Northern parts of Eastern Australia into areas such as Bowen, Peak Downs and Mackay. The Native Police under Bligh were instrumental in enforcing colonial rule over the Aboriginals in these areas. For much of the time Bligh administered the force from the barracks at Murrays Lagoon near Rockhampton. It was here in late 1863 that he received a kick to the face from a horse that caused severe facial and head injuries.
Police Magistrate
The reorganisation of the Queensland Police force in early 1864 saw the position of Commandant of the Native Police abolished and the force came under the direct auspices of the new Queensland Police Commissioner, David Thompson Seymour. Bligh was retired from the force and took up a police magistrate position at Gayndah. While in this position, Bligh was involved in a controversy that led to his temporary suspension. A local vagrant by the name of Tim Shea who presented ill to the police station was arrested and sentenced by Bligh to six months jail. Mr Shea died while being transported on an open dray to Maryborough, with multiple bruisings and his tongue bitten through later being observed on his body. Bligh was to be transferred to Clermont for his actions but his powerful family connections in Brisbane prevented this. He later transferred to the gold mining towns of Gympie and Kilkivan.
Death and legacy
Bligh remained as a police magistrate in Gympie until his death in 1880 at the relatively young age of 46. He married and had several children. As a result of the kick to the face from the horse in Rockhampton, Bligh lost the sight in one eye and had chronic insomnia issues. He died of an overdose of chloral hydrate at his home in Gympie. Bligh Street in Gympie is likely to have been named after him and given both Gympie and the site of the Yabba Native Police barracks are nearby, the Bligh Street in Kilkivan is also very likely to have been named in his honour.
