Contact History | Work

From Left to Right: Norm Yarran snr at Badjaling Spring 1960 ( 004378D), Forest workers in 1920s (022083PD) Courtesy State Library of Western Australia, The Battye Library. Philip Ugle, 1968, Courtesy of the Herald and Weekly Times Ltd.

No further reproduction may be made from the copies for any purpose without the permission of the Library Board of Western Australia

Since 1829, Noongar people have worked in many different kinds of employment:

Clearing land
Domestic service
Farming
Guiding European expeditions
Hunting and selling possum and kangaroo skins
Shearing
Shepherds
Tracking
Whaling (Albany)

Often Noongar people were not paid for their work. Some were offered a slaughtered sheep and a place to camp in return for labour. If there were wages, these were paid into government-run trust accounts. Noongars (and other Aboriginal people) were subsequently unable to access their own money. These funds are known as 'Stolen Wages'.

Noongar people contributed greatly to the development of the south-west and to the war effort. During the World Wars, many Noongar men enlisted as soldiers and fought overseas. As many European workers were abroad during these years, record numbers of Noongar women and men were employed in the south-west.

After 1967 and the Citizenship Referendum, Noongar people began to receive equal wages. This came about through advocacy and struggle by Aboriginal people for over a decade.

Noongars: Sport, the Arts and Politics

In 1968, Philip Ugle, an ex-farmhand and Noongar man became the first Noongar person [and Aboriginal person], to work at Parliament House. The news was reported across Australia. Also that year, Marjory Scott became the first Aboriginal person in Australia to apply for her full-pilot license.

Many Noongar people have achieved high repute as professional football players, (such as Graham 'Polly' Farmer, Phillip and Jim Krakouer) artists (Revel Cooper, Shane Pickett, Lance Chadd, Athol Farmer, Laurel Nannup), and writers (Kim Scott, Hazel Brown).

In 2010, Noongar man Ken Wyatt became the first Aboriginal person elected into the Federal Lower House of parliament.

Noongar people are still fighting to be paid back Stolen Wages.