Bill Dunn (Pilbara elder)
William Dunn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1911 Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Pastoralist, community elder |
| Known for | First Aboriginal individual to receive a cattle station lease in Western Australia; community leadership in the Pilbara region; participant in the 1946 Pilbara strike; recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia |
William Dunn (born 1911) was an Indigenous Australian pastoralist and community elder from the Pilbara area in Western Australia (WA).
He holds the distinction of being the first Aboriginal individual to receive a cattle station lease in WA. Dunn’s life offers important perspectives on the experiences of Aboriginal Australians during the 20th century, especially within the Pilbara region. Later in life, he took on the role of elder within the Jigalong community.
Dunn’s achievements as a pastoralist were significant given the widespread racial discrimination and legal obstacles of his time. With extensive expertise managing livestock around Marble Bar, he secured a pastoral lease in the 1960s. He was also actively engaged in the historic 1946 Pilbara strike.
In recognition of his community contributions, particularly to Aboriginal Australians, Dunn was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) during the 1991 Queen’s Birthday Honours. His life story was documented by Graham Wilson in a biography published in 1989.
Early life
Born in 1911, Dunn was the son of a European father and an Indigenous mother from the Martukaja group. His biological father, who worked in mining, never acknowledged him. Raised by an Indigenous stepfather among European miners in the East Pilbara goldfields, Dunn developed droving skills and was proficient as a drover by age ten.
Pastoral lease application efforts
At approximately thirty years old, just before World War II began, Dunn submitted an application to the Western Australia Lands Department for a pastoral lease near Mount Divide, Nullagine. To be approved, he needed an exemption from the Native Administration Act, which imposed racial segregation on Aboriginal Australians, alongside no opposition to his request.
In 1939, Dunn was granted exemption as "an Aboriginal native of good character," but his lease application faced obstruction from nearby pastoralists whose politically motivated objections were grounded in racial prejudice. Subsequently, Dunn returned to working as a stockman and enlisted in the Volunteer Defence Force, where he attained officer rank.
Citizenship
Dunn became an Australian citizen through the provisions of the Western Australian Natives (Citizenship Rights) Act 1944, legislation that conferred full citizenship rights on Aboriginal Australians who could demonstrate they were "an Aboriginal native of good character." This law was derogatorily known among Aboriginal communities as the "dog collar" act, with citizenship certificates referred to as "dog licences."
Additional activities
Dunn played a pivotal role in the Indigenous pastoral workers’ 1946 Pilbara strike, with his testimony contributing significantly to its historical documentation.
During the 1960s, Dunn succeeded in acquiring his own cattle station with assistance from allies including fellow pastoralists and an Australian police officer who entered into a legal partnership to help overcome discriminatory barriers. Despite this partnership, Dunn remained the sole operator and proprietor. His achievement marked him as the first Indigenous Australian to hold a pastoral lease in Western Australia. The prosperity of this initial property enabled him to obtain a second station near Jigalong named 'Robertson Range'.
Moreover, Dunn supported regional explorers and geologists and took part in the inaugural motorised expedition attempting to traverse the Great Sandy Desert.
Later life
In the early 1980s, advancing age prompted Dunn to sell his Mount Divide station and move to 'Robertson Range' near Jigalong. He continued to engage actively with the local community and formed a close relationship with Graham Wilson, who eventually penned his biography titled Pilbara Bushman: The Life Experience of W. Dunn. When overseeing his remaining property became increasingly challenging, Dunn chose to sell it below its market price to the traditional custodians, despite receiving more lucrative offers from outside purchasers.
Personal life
Dunn married Maureen Dunn, also an Aboriginal Australian, in 1963 at Nullagine's Riverdale Hostel during a church ceremony. Their union sparked controversy within their Indigenous community because of kinship regulations. The couple had two sons named Andrew and Noel.