Pearl Duncan
Born
Pearl Maud Duncan[1]

(1933-04-27)27 April 1933[2]
Emmaville, New South Wales[3]
Died19 July 2022(2022-07-19) (aged 89)
Occupation(s)Teacher, anthropologist, academic

Pearl Maud Duncan Booth (27 April 1933 – 19 July 2022) was an Australian teacher, anthropologist and academic. A Gamilaraay woman,[4] she was the first known tertiary-qualified Indigenous teacher in Australia.[5][6] She was named a Queensland Great in 2008.

Early and personal life

Duncan, a Gamilaraay woman, was born on 27 April 1933 in Emmaville, New South Wales, where she spent her childhood as a member of the only Aboriginal family in the town. After graduating secondary school, she left for Sydney to study further.[3]

She was married for approximately 30 years.[3]

Career

In Sydney, Duncan gained tertiary teaching qualifications—the first known Aboriginal Australian to do so—before moving to Yarrabah in North Queensland where she taught for two years.[3] During her time in Yarrabah, she starred in the 1953 documentary Children of the Wasteland, a film about Indigenous life in the area that was a source of controversy amongst censors.[7] She continued her teaching career elsewhere, including in the Torres Strait and New Zealand,[8] and in 1977 was appointed to the National Aboriginal Education Committee.[9] She also worked as Head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit at the Queensland University of Technology, and in senior roles in the public service.[10]

She held a Bachelor of Letters in anthropology from the Australian National University and a master's degree in education from the University of Canberra. She completed her thesis on Aboriginal humour and was awarded a PhD from the University of Queensland in 2014.[11]

Honours

She received a Centenary Medal "[i]n recognition of community service through Indigenous education" on New Year's Day 2001,[1] before being Queensland's nominee for Senior Australian of the Year in 2004.[12]

Later, in 2008, she was named a Queensland Great,[13] an honour which "recognises the efforts and achievements of remarkable individuals... for their invaluable contribution to the history and development of [the] state".[14]

Death and legacy

Duncan died on 19 July 2022 at the age of 89. In a tribute following her death, Queensland Minister of Education Grace Grace labelled her a "trailblazer in education" and a "true Queensland great".[15]

Each year, the Queensland Department of Education awards multiple Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking to study education, named in honour of Duncan "dedicat[ing] her life to improving not only the outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders but to ensuring a firm foundation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievers of tomorrow".[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ms Pearl Maud DUNCAN". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "DUNCAN BOOTH, Pearl". 26 July 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gibson, Vanessa (2015). "Pearl Duncan". Our Footprint. Bacon Factory Films.
  4. 1 2 "Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarship". Queensland Department of Education. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Vonow, Brittany (17 February 2012). "Pearler of success for students". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. ↑ "Dr Pearl Duncan". Queensland College of Teachers. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  7. ↑ ""Children of the Wasteland" Draws Large Audience". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 17 June 1953. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "Pearl Duncan". AustLit. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "Pearl's passion". Sunshine Coast Daily. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. ↑ "Workshop Provides Better Understanding of Domestic Violence". Torres News. 8 March 1996. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "Love of laughter leads to PhD for Pearl". University of Queensland. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. ↑ "Pearl Duncan". National Australia Day Council. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "2008 Queensland Greats recipients". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  14. ↑ "Queensland Greats Awards". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  15. ↑ Grace, Grace (29 July 2022). "I was saddened to hear Aboriginal teacher and decorated Queenslander, Dr Pearl Duncan, passed away last week aged 89". Facebook. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
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