William Dunn (born 1911) was an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

pastoralist and elder from the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

(WA). Dunn was the first Aboriginal person to be granted a cattle station lease in WA. His experience has been drawn upon by historians as an account of Aboriginal Australian experience in the 20th century, especially around the Pilbara. In his later years, he was an elder of the Jigalong community. Dunn's role as a pastoralist was unusual at the time for an Indigenous Australian, an issue caused by systemic racism and legal discriminations. This included his status as an experienced stock manager in the

Marble Bar Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is typically not foliat ...

area, and his obtaining of a pastoral lease in the 1960s. He was also directly involved in the landmark

1946 Pilbara strike The Pilbara strike was a landmark Strike action, strike by Indigenous Australian pastoral workers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The strike lasted between 1946 and 1949, and was the longest industrial action in Australian history. T ...

. Dunn was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

(OAM) in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours "for services to the community, particularly the Aboriginal community." His biography was written by Graham Wilson and published in 1989.

Early life

Dunn was born in 1911 to a European father and an Indigenous mother. His maternal heritage belonged to the Martukaja community. His biological father was involved in mining, and never recognised Dunn as his offspring. He was raised by an indigenous step-father, along with European miners from the East Pilbara goldfields. By the time he was ten, he had already become a skilled drover.

1920s to 1970s

Efforts to obtain pastoral lease

At around thirty years old and contemporaneous to the outbreak of World War II, Dunn made an application to the Western Australia Lands Department for a pastoral lease around Mount Divide, Nullagine. To succeed, he needed to obtain an exemption from the Native Administration Act, a bill that legally segregated Aboriginal Australians by race. He also needed no objections to be raised against his application. Dunn successfully obtained an exemption in 1939 on the grounds that he was "an Aboriginal native of good character". Nevertheless, his application was blocked by objections raised by neighbouring pastoralists; objections raised for political reasons involving racism. After the rejection, he returned to

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

work as a stockman and joined the Volunteer Defence Force, where he was made an officer.

Citizenship

Dunn obtained an Australian citizenship certificate under the Western Australian Natives (Citizenship Rights) Act 1944. This Act allowed Aboriginal Australians to acquire full citizenship rights, on the condition that they could prove that they were "an Aboriginal native of good character". This act was derisively described by Aboriginal Australians as the "dog collar" act, and certificates a "dog licence".

Other work

Dunn was directly involved in the landmark 1946 Pilbara strike, an action by Indigenous pastoral workers in pursuit of their rights, with his account forming a part of the historical record. In the 1960s, Dunn was able to obtain a station of his own. He was assisted in the process by some friends, including fellow pastoralists and an Australian police officer who went into a legal partnership with him in the business in an effort to evade some forms of discrimination. In substance, however, Dunn was the sole operator and owner of the business. He became the first Indigenous Australian to obtain a pastoral lease in Western Australia. This first range was so successful that he was later able to obtain a second station near Jigalong named 'Robertson Range'. Dunn was known for providing assistance to explorers of the region, including geologists. He was a part of the first attempt to cross the

Great Sandy Desert The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1
data

by motorised transport.

Later life

In the early 1980s, Dunn was too elderly to run both of his stations. His Mount Divide station was sold and he moved to his 'Robertson Range' station near

Jigalong Jigalong is a remote Aboriginal community of approximately 333 people located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The traditional owners of the land are the Martu people. Location Jigalong is in the Pilbara region of Western Australia ...

. In his later years, he was a member of the Jigalong community. During this period, he became friends with Graham Wilson, an Australian who later authored his biographical account, ''Pilbara Bushman: The Life Experience of W. Dunn''. When his other station also became too difficult to manage, he sold it to the traditional owners of the area for half the market price despite full-price offers from persons outside the community.

Personal life

Dunn married Maureen Dunn, a fellow Aboriginal Australian at Nullagine's Riverdale Hostel in 1963 through a church ceremony. Their marriage was somewhat controversial within the Indigenous community, as their coupling was not allowed under the relevant kinship laws. They had two sons, Andrew and Noel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Bill 1911 births Indigenous Australians from Western Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia People from the Pilbara Australian Aboriginal elders Australian pastoralists Year of death missing