A self-confessed ‘stirrer’, Dick was a tireless and much respected community Elder and advocate for Aboriginal issues in the Illawarra. He regularly spoke up, both in front of the camera and behind boardroom doors in support of social issues and the protection of Aboriginal culture. Following the passing of legislation in 1974, protecting Aboriginal sites in NSW, it was a requirement to identify and assess sites which may be impacted by developments. This work was typically coordinated by archaeologists and relied heavily on information provided by local Aboriginal people. As a long term representative of the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, Dick worked closely with archaeologists, to identify and protect local sites and places of cultural significance.
Dick’s local knowledge was extensive, and drew upon both his family and community networks, as well as his personal experience. Originally from Walcha, Dick’s association with the Illawarra began as a boy growing up on the southern bank of Currambene Creek and the Bilong encampment near Huskisson. He married Thelma Brown, from the local Illawarra community. Prior to his Land Council work, Dick’s experience spanned jobs in forestry, farming and soil conservation. Dick’s work with the local soil conservation service introduced him to the vulnerability of Aboriginal sites, such as middens and burials, within coastal dune deposits. Long before the systematic recording of Aboriginal sites by government authorities, Dick was creating his own mental map of places and sites, revealed during his work, or told to him by community members.
The holders of cultural knowledge are faced with a difficult decision when confronted with the legal processes of assessment and development approval: to attempt to influence through constructive engagement and knowledge sharing; or to remain covert and protest as necessary from a position outside of that process. Both options have their drawbacks, and both are evident across the history of cultural heritage impact in the Illawarra. In a long association and friendship with NOHC founders Kerry and Kelvin, Dick’s response to this dilemma was always one of pragmatic engagement and personal integrity. He always provided an appropriate level of information and assisted in the assessment process with the aim of achieving good conservation and social outcomes. An example of a positive outcome was the abandonment by Council of a proposed road crossing across the lower reaches of Currambene Creek at Jervis Bay. This proposal would have impacted an important early Aboriginal settlement and burial site.
Dick later worked tirelessly for the State Aboriginal Land Council in the repatriation of Aboriginal skeletal material, returning ancestral remains from various museums and collections to their local communities. Towards the end of his life, increasingly bad emphysema became an unwanted companion in this work.
There are many conserved and salvaged archaeological sites across the Illawarra which owe their continued existence and cultural relevance to Dick’s actions and personal engagement. His is a substantial and lasting legacy to the Aboriginal and wider communities of the Illawarra and New South Wales.
