Pearl Duncan

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.

Pearl Duncan
Born
Pearl Maud Duncan[1]

c. 1935 (age approximately 85)
Emmaville, New South Wales[2]
OccupationTeacher, anthropologist, academic

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]

gollark: Well, we have 9 people here (2 bots) and 11 people in the class, no?
gollark: Oh, hmmm.
gollark: Thomas?
gollark: Or possibly two people.
gollark: Oh, we may be missing one person.

References
  1. "Ms Pearl Maud DUNCAN". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. 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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