Rare photos found in attic shed light on Indigenous rights movement

In an unexpected discovery, old photographs from the 1950s and 60s have shed light on a lesser-known chapter in Indigenous rights history. The images, found in the attic of a Roebourne nursing home, depict the struggles of Aboriginal stockmen and women during the 1946 Pilbara strike. The strike, which lasted three years, was a response to poor wages and unfair working conditions on pastoral stations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The photos, taken by anthropologist John Wilson, reveal the resilience and hard work of the Indigenous workers, who formed mining cooperatives and pearl shell farms under the guidance of communist organiser Don McLeod. These operations were among the first of their kind in the Pilbara, a region that was far from the cities and faced opposition from governments and local pastoralists.

Professor Darren Jorgensen from the University of Western Australia emphasized the uniqueness of this visual record, which documents the economic independence of these Indigenous workers. He noted that these individuals were far from the mainstream narrative of the government awarding Aboriginal people their land back in the 1970s. Instead, they created their own path, enduring hardships and establishing self-sustaining communities.

The exhibition, "Strike Camps: The Photographs of John Wilson," which opened at the University of Western Australia's Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, features these captivating images. The exhibition's co-curator, Ursula Wilson, expressed her emotional connection to her father's work, highlighting the pride she feels in his journey and the significance of these photographs in preserving a vital part of Indigenous history.