From Ngukurr to Newcastle

In early 2020, a surprising discovery was made by Associate Professor Kate Senior in the Special Collection of University of Newcastle’s Copley Archive. In the 1960s, Newcastle unionists and activists, Merv and Janet Copley collected newspaper clippings about Dexter Daniels' speaking tours and participation in rallies for land rights and equal pay for Aboriginal people in the Australian southern states. Dexter Daniels was a man well known to Professor Senior from her work in the remote Indigenous community of Ngukurr in the Northern Territory. These clippings were boxed and remained sealed until Professor Senior re-opened them. The story that emerged from the archives was about Daniels' work outside of the Northern Territory and his strong association and support from the trade unions, particularly those in Newcastle, who raised money to support him and encouraged their members to recognise and engage with the Australian Indigenous people’s struggle.

This serendipitous finding in the archives presented opportunities for development of a new research approach for the proposed team; for Professor Senior and Dr Daniels, it provides opportunities to work in collaboration with other University of Newcastle historians, Professor Victoria Haskins and Dr Raymond Kelly to build on anthropological work established in collaboration with the Ngukurr community. For all members, this project will build local linkages with the Newcastle community with clear opportunities for the development of ongoing, competitive funding. In collaboration with Dr Daniels, this project proposes to consolidate information about Dexter Daniels in relation to his activities in NSW and explore the reasons why his story has been largely forgotten both in his own community and nationally.

In its initial stages, the team will investigate the following collections:

• The Copley Archive (University of Newcastle)
• The Ngukurr Mission Archives (State Library of NSW)
• Newcastle Trades Union records – through material held at Purai, University of Newcastle and Hunter Workers Library
• Recorded interviews with people who remember Daniels (and in identifying others to interview, prepare an ethics grant application for use in an ARC Discovery project).

Ngukurr and Newcastle Community Connections

A strong focus of this project is the development of researcher capacity and strong collaborative networks between the Ngukurr and Newcastle community which leads to ongoing, impactful and engaging research and teaching.

To this end, consolidating and building research relationships with two key partners: Ngukurr Arts and Hunter Workers will be a priority. In consultation with the Ngukurr community and facilitated by Dr Daniels, the purpose of this research will be explained, and the outcomes for the community determined. Ongoing research findings will be compiled and communicated to the Ngukurr community as the project progresses. Ngukurr Arts have expressed keen interest in using this material as a catalyst for their artists to re-tell the Dexter Daniels' story. Exhibitions both at Ngukurr Arts centre and at Hunter Workers will be discussed and facilitated in collaboration with Dr Daniels. Funding applications to support two exhibitions to be held at Ngukurr Arts and Hunter Workers are currently being sought.

In 2022, as part of the project, Dr Daniels and Associate Professor Senior worked with students and staff at the secondary school, Cook’s Hill Campus to create a major artwork based on Dexter Daniels’ activism and his time in Newcastle. Indigenous artist Kerri Clarke and her son, Mitch Mahoney, both experts in the art of making possum skin cloaks, led the workshops. They used the cloak as a medium to talk about Dexter Daniels’ work and to share their knowledge about all stages of construction of the cloak, from sewing though to creation of the dye and design.

National Connections

The From Ngukurr to Newcastle project is embedded in a larger project, The Living Archive of Indigenous Knowledge, where Dr Daniels plays a key role in a collaboration between the University of Newcastle, The University of Melbourne and Museums Victoria. The archive is an open access online resource available to all teachers and students containing thousands of authentic texts which can support the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges across the curriculum. It allows teachers and students around Australia to easily access a vast range of literature, art and language, leading them to think about different ways to consider Indigenous knowledge in their own contexts, including exploring opportunities for connection with local authorities, research into culture and language of the area, and even to investigate opportunities to support language revitalisation. Schools and teachers with limited or no connection to Indigenous peoples can easily access materials that can be readily used in the classroom, and those who have connections can also use these resources to support or develop relationships and incorporate knowledge directly from Indigenous authorities.

International Connections

Information of Dexter Daniels’ legacy will be included in a subject currently taught through Holyoke College, USA, Indigenous Art and the Archive , culminating in the development of an overarching course for co-delivery between Holyoake College and the University of Newcastle. The course will explore the links between Australian Indigenous communities and material held in archives and museums internationally with a particular focus on Australian Indigenous Activism. Students will engage in research projects which follow-up on material in collections across the world which they will present at the end of the course. This material has often been overlooked or neglected and will add considerable depth to the project’s research findings. The Purai Global Indigenous History Centre will facilitate international connections with museums and archives in the USA, such as the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia.

In addition to these outputs, a co-authored peer-reviewed article exploring the impact and then subsequent silencing of the Dexter Daniels' story will be written and published in a Q1 journal such as the International Journal of Labor and Working-Class History, Ethnohistory.

The preparation of a literature review and full listing of archival sources will be used in a 2023 application for an ARC Discovery Project which will explore the national and international impacts of Australian Northern Territory Aboriginal activists on shaping history, politics and society in the late twentieth century. This ARC project will involve field work and workshops with the Ngukurr community as the team work together to re-tell these stories and consider their legacy.