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Pearl Duncan

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Pearl Duncan
Born
Pearl Maud Duncan[1]

c. 1935 (age approximately 89)
Emmaville, New South Wales[2]
Occupation(s)Teacher, anthropologist, academic

Pearl Maud Duncan (born c. 1935) is a retired Australian teacher, anthropologist, academic and Aboriginal elder. She was the first known tertiary-qualified Indigenous teacher in Australian history.[3][4] In 2008 she was named a Queensland Great.

Early and personal life

Duncan was born in approximately 1935 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.[2]

She was married for approximately 30 years.[2]

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.[2] 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.[5] She continued her teaching career elsewhere, including in the Torres Strait and New Zealand,[6] and in 1977 was appointed to the National Aboriginal Education Committee.[7] She has 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.[8]

She holds a Bachelor of Letters in anthropology from the Australian National University and a masters 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.[9]

Honours

She received a Centenary Medal "[in] 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.[10]

Later, in 2008, she was named a Queensland Great,[11] an honour which "recognises the efforts and achievements of remarkable individuals... for their invaluable contribution to the history and development of [the] state".[12]

Legacy

Each year, the Queensland Department of Education awards multiple Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, named in honour of Duncan "[dedicating] her working life to encouraging, promoting and motivating indigenous participation in education".[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ms Pearl Maud DUNCAN". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Gibson, Vanessa (2015). "Pearl Duncan". Our Footprint. Bacon Factory Films.
  3. ^ Vonow, Brittany (17 February 2012). "Pearler of success for students". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Dr Pearl Duncan". Queensland College of Teachers. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. ^ ""Children of the Wasteland" Draws Large Audience". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 17 June 1953. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Pearl Duncan". AustLit. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Pearl's passion". Sunshine Coast Daily. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Workshop Provides Better Understanding of Domestic Violence". Torres News. 8 March 1996. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Love of laughter leads to PhD for Pearl". University of Queensland. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Pearl Duncan". National Australia Day Council. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. ^ "2008 Queensland Greats recipients". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Queensland Greats Awards". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Pearl Duncan Teaching scholarships" (PDF) (Press release). Queensland Department of Education. 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
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