Using truth-telling to capture unexpected links between Newcastle and Ngukurr

Wednesday, 15 November 2023

University researchers have secured funding from the Australian Research Council to use collaborative storytelling to highlight historical links between Newcastle and Ngukurr - a remote Aboriginal community in Southeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

Ngukurr

The three-year project involves researchers with expertise in Indigenous history, medical anthropology, intercultural research, Indigenous languages and archival science.  Their collective aim is to use the power of storytelling to support the capacity, health and wellbeing of people in remote Aboriginal communities and to showcase the influence that Aboriginal communities have had in shaping Australian society.

The research team will work closely with community leaders, linguists and artists from Newcastle and Ngukurr to capture unexpected linkages between these two places, which sit more than 3,500 kilometres apart.  They'll then use those stories to explore the impact and influence that people from Ngukurr had on our region's history.

The Newcastle-Ngukurr Connection

In Aboriginal communities, stories have transmitted knowledge across generations and cultural groups for thousands of years.

Since colonisation, Aboriginal stories have frequently been collected, controlled and circulated through non-Indigenous institutions such as museums, libraries and universities, and these institutions often excluded Aboriginal perspectives and their impact on society in general.

Such stories have included portraits of influential Aboriginal people throughout Australia’s post-colonial history.  These stories are sometimes held by Aboriginal families.  Other times they have become lost, with only fragments remaining in the memories of elders.  Remnants can also be found in printed archives and files across libraries and other such institutions.

Some Aboriginal communities have a strong interest in reclaiming these stories.  One such story connects Ngukurr - a remote Aboriginal community in Southeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory - with the city of Newcastle.

The ARC-funded project focusses on the 1960s legacy of Indigenous activists like Ngukurr man Dexter Daniels, who worked extensively with the unions of the southern states to raise awareness about Aboriginal workers’ rights and land rights.

The story of Dexter and his relationship with trade unions provides a catalyst for exploring intercultural connections and how Newcastle became a hub for Indigenous activism and awareness.

“This project will tell the stories of Indigenous people of influence, who have been largely forgotten in Australian history, with the aim of making these stories accessible for future generations.” said Dr Raymond Kelly, Chief Investigator.

Stories about Dexter Daniels and others like him provide evidence of ways in which Aboriginal people formed both national and international linkages for a growing civil rights and social justice movements.

Previous work by the multi-disciplinary research team has also shown that leadership and civic responsibility are vital determinants of health and wellbeing and that young people in remote communities look for mentors to guide them as they take on the mantle of leadership.

This research project is funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Indigenous Grants scheme.  It builds on previous work led by Professor Kate Senior entitled From Ngukurr to Newcastle. Exploring the activism, impacts and legacy of Dexter Daniels, - one of the initiatives in the University's Purai Global Indigenous History Centre.

University of Newcastle investigators on this ARC-funded project include Dr Raymond Kelly, Professor Kate Senior, Professor John Maynard, Professor Victoria Haskins and University Archivist Gionni Di Gravio.

Other collaborators include Professor Richard Chenhall and Dr Frances Edmonds from the University of Melbourne along with Professor Kathleen Clapham from the University of Wollongong.

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