Pearl Duncan

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.

She was married for approximately 30 years.

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. 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.{{cite news|title="Children of the Wasteland" Draws Large Audience|newspaper=Townsville Daily Bulletin|date=17 June 1953|access-date=19 September 2019|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/62502232}} She continued her teaching career elsewhere, including in the Torres Strait and New Zealand,{{cite web|title=Pearl Duncan|url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/7519871|publisher=AustLit|date=27 March 2017|access-date=19 September 2019}} and in 1977 was appointed to the National Aboriginal Education Committee.{{Cite news|title=Pearl's passion|newspaper=Sunshine Coast Daily|url=https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/education-pearls-oyster/340096/|date=2 June 2008|access-date=19 September 2019}} 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.{{Cite news|title=Workshop Provides Better Understanding of Domestic Violence|newspaper=Torres News|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255520248|date=8 March 1996|access-date=19 September 2019}}

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.{{Cite web|title=Love of laughter leads to PhD for Pearl|publisher=University of Queensland|date=15 December 2014|url=http://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2014/12/love-of-laughter-leads-phd-pearl|access-date=19 September 2019}}

She received a Centenary Medal {{nowrap|"[i]n}} recognition of community service through Indigenous education" on New Year's Day 2001, before being Queensland's nominee for Senior Australian of the Year in 2004.{{Cite web|title=Pearl Duncan|url=https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/pearl-duncan/1670/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221091201/https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/pearl-duncan/1670/|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 February 2022|publisher=National Australia Day Council|access-date=21 February 2022}}

Later, in 2008, she was named a Queensland Great,{{Cite web|url=https://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/2008-recipients/|title=2008 Queensland Greats recipients|publisher=Government of Queensland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531060254/https://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/2008-recipients/|archive-date=31 May 2017|access-date=19 September 2019}} an honour which "recognises the efforts and achievements of remarkable individuals... for their invaluable contribution to the history and development of [the] state".{{Cite web|url=https://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/|title=Queensland Greats Awards|publisher=Government of Queensland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531022559/https://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/|archive-date=31 May 2017|access-date=19 September 2019}}

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".{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/GraceXtwo/posts/pfbid02sD7VEyrx5u3YrNqfr5V1SawDVD7wmzYq7Fimv9Y2qFnPih5BnX5h4mdPLQEaMsKTl|title=I was saddened to hear Aboriginal teacher and decorated Queenslander, Dr Pearl Duncan, passed away last week aged 89.|last=Grace|first=Grace|author-link=Grace Grace|publisher=Facebook|date=29 July 2022|access-date=4 October 2022}}

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".

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Category:1933 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:Gamilaraay

Category:Indigenous Australian academics

Category:Indigenous Australian women academics

Category:Australian National University alumni

Category:University of Canberra alumni

Category:University of Queensland alumni

Category:Academic staff of Queensland University of Technology

Category:Queensland Greats