Pearl Duncan

Pearl Maud Duncan Booth (27 April 1933 – 19 July 2022) was an Australian teacher, anthropologist and academic. A Gamilaraay woman,[4] she was the first known tertiary-qualified Indigenous teacher in Australia.[5][6] She was named a Queensland Great in 2008.

Pearl Duncan
Born
Pearl Maud Duncan[1]

(1933-04-27)27 April 1933[2]
Emmaville, New South Wales[3]
Died19 July 2022(2022-07-19) (aged 89)
Occupation(s)Teacher, anthropologist, academic

Early and personal life

Duncan, a Gamilaraay woman, was born on 27 April 1933 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.[3]

She was married for approximately 30 years.[3]

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.[3] 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.[7] She continued her teaching career elsewhere, including in the Torres Strait and New Zealand,[8] and in 1977 was appointed to the National Aboriginal Education Committee.[9] She 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.[10]

She held a Bachelor of Letters in anthropology from the Australian National University and a master's 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.[11]

Honours

She received a Centenary Medal "[i]n 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.[12]

Later, in 2008, she was named a Queensland Great,[13] an honour which "recognises the efforts and achievements of remarkable individuals... for their invaluable contribution to the history and development of [the] state".[14]

Death and legacy

Duncan died on 19 July 2022 at the age of 89. In a tribute following her death, Queensland Minister of Education Grace Grace labelled her a "trailblazer in education" and a "true Queensland great".[15]

Each year, the Queensland Department of Education awards multiple Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking to study education, named in honour of Duncan "dedicat[ing] her life to improving not only the outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders but to ensuring a firm foundation for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievers of tomorrow".[4]

References
  1. "Ms Pearl Maud DUNCAN". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. "DUNCAN BOOTH, Pearl". 26 July 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. Gibson, Vanessa (2015). "Pearl Duncan". Our Footprint. Bacon Factory Films.
  4. "Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarship". Queensland Department of Education. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  5. Vonow, Brittany (17 February 2012). "Pearler of success for students". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. "Dr Pearl Duncan". Queensland College of Teachers. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  7. ""Children of the Wasteland" Draws Large Audience". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 17 June 1953. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  8. "Pearl Duncan". AustLit. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. "Pearl's passion". Sunshine Coast Daily. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  10. "Workshop Provides Better Understanding of Domestic Violence". Torres News. 8 March 1996. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. "Love of laughter leads to PhD for Pearl". University of Queensland. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. "Pearl Duncan". National Australia Day Council. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  13. "2008 Queensland Greats recipients". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  14. "Queensland Greats Awards". Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  15. Grace, Grace (29 July 2022). "I was saddened to hear Aboriginal teacher and decorated Queenslander, Dr Pearl Duncan, passed away last week aged 89". Facebook. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
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