William Edward Hanley Stanner
CMG (24 November 19058 October 1981), often cited as W.E.H. Stanner, was an Australian
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms an ...
who worked extensively with
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
. Stanner had a varied career that also included journalism in the 1930s, military service in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and political advice on colonial policy in Africa and the South Pacific in the post-war period.
He was the
Commanding Officer
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the
2/1st North Australia Observer Unit
The 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit (2/1 NAOU) was an Australian Army reconnaissance unit of World War II. Formed in early 1942 in the Northern Territory, the unit was a light horse mounted unit that was tasked with providing early warning o ...
(NAOU) during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, also known as the "Nackeroos" and "Curtin's Cowboys". The NAOU was the military predecessor to the modern
NORFORCE. Formed in March 1942 and disbanded March 1945, they patrolled northern Australia for signs of enemy activity.
Stanner was an influential figure prior to the successful
1967 referendum
The 1967 Australian referendum occurred on 27 May 1967 under the Holt Government. It contained three topics asked about in two questions, regarding the passage of two bills to alter the Australian Constitution.
The first question (''Constitution ...
on Aboriginal affairs which removed provisions in the
Australian Constitution
The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the A ...
which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. In 1967, the Prime Minister
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party.
Holt was born in ...
invited Stanner to join
H. C. Coombs
Herbert Cole "Nugget" Coombs (24 February 1906 – 29 October 1997) was an Australian economist and public servant. He is best known for having been the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, in which capacity he served from 1960 to 19 ...
and
Barrie Dexter
Barrie Graham Dexter (15 July 1921
– 13 April 2018) was an Australian senior diplomat and public servant ...
to form the Commonwealth Council for Aboriginal Affairs and advise on national policy. He subsequently played an important role in establishing the
.
Stanner is known for coining and popularising the term the Great Australian Silence in his 1968
Boyer Lectures
The Boyer Lectures are a series of talks by prominent Australians, presenting ideas on major social, scientific or cultural issues, and broadcast on ABC Radio National.
The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commis ...
entitled ''After the Dreaming'', which reflected on the silence on Indigenous Australians in
Australian history
The history of Australia is the story of the land and peoples of the continent of Australia.
People first arrived on the Australian mainland by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, and penetrated to all parts ...
after European settlement. Stanner profoundly changed the way Australians thought about themselves, their country and
Aboriginal culture
Australian Aboriginal culture includes a number of practices and ceremonies centered on a belief in the Dreamtime and other Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, mythology. Reverence and respect for the land and oral traditions are empha ...
.
Biography
A number of biographical references exist, the most detailed being by Diane Barwick, Jeremy Beckett and
Marie Reay
Marie Olive Reay (1922 in Maitland, NSW – 2004 in Booragul, NSW) was an Australian anthropologist, known particularly for work in the New Guinea Highlands.
Career
Reay did undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney, taking anthropo ...
which was largely completed before his death in 1981.
Early career
Stanner was born at
Watson's Bay, Sydney on 24 November 1905, the second son of Andrew Edwin Stanner and Mary Catherine Stanner (née Hanley). He was 3 years old when his father died. He was educated at state schools and won a bursary to
Parramatta High School
, motto_translation = The torch of the mind lights the path to glory
, logo = Parramatta logo.gif
, established =
, type = Government-funded co-educational dual modality partially aca ...
(1919–21), but was unable to stay on after the Intermediate Certificate for financial reasons. Stanner worked for two years in a bank and matriculated by private study. He worked as a journalist while studying at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
, initially for the
Cumberland Argus. In 1927 Stanner obtained full-time work as a reporter for the Sydney ''
Daily Guardian'' for
Frank Packer
Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family.
Early life
Frank Packer was born in K ...
, the first of a number of posts in journalism which financed his studies in Australia and England.
At University, Stanner had an interest in athletics, football and was the secretary of the university's
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
Society. He stated afterward that his selection of anthropology as a profession was influenced by the famous anthropologist
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, FBA (born Alfred Reginald Brown; 17 January 1881 – 24 October 1955) was an English social anthropologist who helped further develop the theory of structural functionalism.
Biography
Alfred Reginald Radcli ...
. Stanner worked as a journalist until 1932 by which time he was chief sub-editor of the ''Sunday Sun'' including several years in the Parliamentary Gallery. Stanner won the Frank Albert Prize in anthropology in two successive years and graduated with a BA (Honours) (Anthropology and Economics) in 1932.
In September 1933, as lecturer in anthropology at University of Sydney, in the midst of the
Caledon Bay crisis
The Caledon Bay crisis, refers to a series of killings at Caledon Bay in the Northern Territory of Australia during 1932–34, referred to in the press of the day as Caledon Bay murder(s). Five Japanese trepang fishers were killed by Aboriginal ...
, Stanner wrote a piece in ''The Sun'' in praise of the Minister for the Interior's decision not to send a punitive expedition to punish the murderer of Constable Albert McColl in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
.
In 1933 Stanner took up a temporary position on the personal staff of
Bertram Stevens, the
Premier of NSW, for whom he drafted parliamentary and public speeches and prepared reports. At that time he met
H.C. Coombs and formed an enduring friendship with
W.C. Wentworth with whom he worked in later life.
He earned an
MA (Class 1 Honours) in Anthropology in 1934 from Sydney University, for which he did extensive field research in the
Daly River region of Northern Australia.
A. P. Elkin judged Stanner's 1934 thesis on culture-contact at the
Daly River as "a work of outstanding quality". Stanner criticised the popular assumption that the main function of the anthropologist was "the naive search for uncontaminated aboriginal cultures". He presented an exposition of a method for studying contact and cultural change, insisting that this was "an important and neglected problem". Barwick, Beckett and Reay wrote in 1985 that already his lifelong concern with the practical value of anthropology to Aboriginal welfare was apparent.
Stanner lectured part-time at Sydney University and was the news editor at the World under Sydney newspaperman
G. W. 'George' Warnecke.
In 1935, on his second field work, Stanner accompanied the
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
Father
Richard Docherty
Richard Docherty (1899–1979) was a Catholic priest who established the mission at Port Keats, now known as Wadeye in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Timeline
In 1899, Docherty was born in Urwin, Western Australia. 28 years later, in 1 ...
to Port Keats, now known as
Wadeye
Wadeye ( ) is a town in Australia's Northern Territory. It was formerly known (and is still often referred to) as Port Keats. At the , Wadeye had a population of 2,280. Wadeye is the 6th most populous town, and the largest Indigenous community ...
on the south-western coast of the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, halfway between the mouths of the
Daly River and
Fitzmaurice River
The Fitzmaurice River is a river in Australia's Northern Territory.
Course
The river drains into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in the Timor Sea from a source just north of the Wombungi homestead. The river flows in a westerly direction between th ...
. Docherty was commissioned to establish a
mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
in the region and Stanner helped him choose the site. Over the next thirty years, the people of the two river valleys came into the mission and eventually became permanent residents. On his appointment to the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, Stanner renewed his interest in the Port Keats
Wadeye
Wadeye ( ) is a town in Australia's Northern Territory. It was formerly known (and is still often referred to) as Port Keats. At the , Wadeye had a population of 2,280. Wadeye is the 6th most populous town, and the largest Indigenous community ...
area, renewing old friendships. Much of his work as an
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms an ...
was based on his field work with
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
in the Port Keats
Wadeye
Wadeye ( ) is a town in Australia's Northern Territory. It was formerly known (and is still often referred to) as Port Keats. At the , Wadeye had a population of 2,280. Wadeye is the 6th most populous town, and the largest Indigenous community ...
area.
Stanner moved to London in 1936, completing his PhD at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
in 1938 studying under
Bronisław Malinowski
Bronisław Kasper Malinowski (; 7 April 1884 – 16 May 1942) was a Polish-British anthropologist and ethnologist whose writings on ethnography, social theory, and field research have exerted a lasting influence on the discipline of anthropol ...
. Compatriots included
Phyllis Kaberry
Phyllis Mary Kaberry (17 September 1910 – 31 October 1977) was a social anthropologist who dedicated her work to the study of women in various societies. Particularly with her work in both Australia and Africa, she paved the way for a femin ...
and Piddington.
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...
, the first Prime Minister (1963–1964) of
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and subsequently President (1964–1978) was a fellow student. Stanner's doctoral dissertation was an analysis of economic and ceremonial transactions in the Daly River communities. In London, Stanner also worked as a sub-editor in the Foreign Room at
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
.
Early academic appointments and field research included:
* 1932–36 Department of Anthropology,
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
.
* 1932, 1934–35 Field research in north and central Australia (for the Australian National Research Council).
* 1936–38 Research Assistant,
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
.
* 1937 Personal staff of
Commonwealth Treasurer,
The Right Honourable The Lord Casey at the Imperial Conference in London.
* 1938–39
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
Expedition to Kenya (Oxford Social Sciences Research Committee).
Under the auspices of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
he did field research in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
in 1938–39 as part of the Oxford Expedition to Kenya and East Africa for the Oxford Social Studies Research Committee. This field research was discontinued at the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
when Stanner returned to Australia. He obtained employment at the Department of Information and subsequently acted as adviser to successive Ministers for the Army,
Percy Spender
Sir Percy Claude Spender (5 October 18973 May 1985) was an Australian politician, diplomat, and judge. He served in the House of Representatives from 1937 to 1951, including as a cabinet minister under Robert Menzies and Arthur Fadden. He was ...
and
Frank Forde
Francis Michael Forde (18 July 189028 January 1983) was an Australian politician who served as prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945. He was the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1932 to 1946. He served as pri ...
who subsequently became Prime Minister.
WW2 Military service
In March 1942, his pre-war experience in northern Australia led to him being directed to "raise and command" to what became the 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit (NAOU), otherwise known as "Stanner's Bush Commandos". At this time he enlisted in the 2nd AIF (1942–1946). Known colloquially as "Nackeroos", the men were deployed in small groups throughout the rugged north of Australia, where they observed and reported on signs of enemy activity, often patrolling on horseback. As the unit's Commander, Major Stanner made contact with many local Aboriginal groups, and employed some to assist his troops as guides and labourers. Nackeroo operations were scaled down as the threat of Japanese invasion passed, and the unit was eventually disbanded in March 1945. The history of the unit was documented in detail by Dr. Amoury Vane.
Promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (Lt Col) in 1943, on being appointed as assistant director of
DORCA.
[Gray, G. (2012) "W.E.H. Stanner: Wasted war years" i]
'Scholars at War' (ed. G.Gray, D.Munro, C.Winter), ANU, Canberra, pp. 95–116
/ref> A developer of post-war colonial policy for DORCA, Stanner presented papers to numerous wartime authorities, and finally was appointed Senior Civil Affairs Officer for the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit (BBCAU) until the conclusion of the war.[
]
Career post WW2
He continued his anthropological work after the war, becoming a prominent writer, lecturer and public advocate of the study and appreciation of Aboriginal society and its place in Australia.
Stanner's notable career postings post-World War II included:
* 1946 Department of External Affairs. This was a temporary appointment working with Sir Frederick Eggleston on a proposed South Seas Commission.
* 1946–47 Researcher: Papua-New Guinea, Fiji, West Samoa (Institute of Pacific Relations). This led to the delayed publication in 1953 of his first book ''South Seas in Transition''.
* 1947–49 Foundation Director of the East African Institute of Social Research, Makerere Uganda.
* 1949–64 Reader in Social Anthropology, Australian National University. Resumed field work in Daly River and Port Keats in the Northern Territory.
* 1953–56 Australian Commissioner, South Pacific Commission.
* 1961 Convenor and chairman, Commonwealth Conference on Aboriginal Studies.
* 1961–62 First Executive Officer, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
.
* 1964–70 Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, Australian National University.
* 1967–77 Appointed to Commonwealth Council for Aboriginal Affairs.
* 1971 Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Australian National University.
* 1972–74 Visiting Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies.
* 1974–75 Special Adviser to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs.
* 1975–79 Department of Prehistory and Anthropology, Australian National University.
* 1977–79 Consultant to Northern Territory Land Commission.
* 1971–1981 Honorary Fellow, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs is a constituent of the College of Asia and the Pacific, but was formerly part of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, ANU, which was founded in 1946 as part of the Institute of Advanced ...
(RSPAS), Australian National University
Stanner also held a number of key leadership positions at the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
including:
* 1954 Chairman of the Governing Body, University House, Australian National University.
* 1954–55 Bursar, University House, Australian National University.
* 1960–1981 Honorary Member, University House, Australian National University.
Referendum in 1967
Stanner was an influential figure prior to the successful 1967 referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on Aboriginal affairs which removed provisions in the Australian Constitution
The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the A ...
which discriminated against Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
.
Council for Aboriginal Affairs
In 1967, the Prime Minister Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party.
Holt was born in ...
invited Stanner to join H. C. Coombs
Herbert Cole "Nugget" Coombs (24 February 1906 – 29 October 1997) was an Australian economist and public servant. He is best known for having been the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, in which capacity he served from 1960 to 19 ...
and Barrie Dexter
Barrie Graham Dexter (15 July 1921
– 13 April 2018) was an Australian senior diplomat and public servant ...
to form the Council for Aboriginal Affairs and advise on national policy. Stanner held that position through successive political regimes, including the Whitlam Government, which began to implement much of the program Stanner, Coombs and Dexter endorsed: land rights, the movement to outstations, increased social welfare and community-based economies.
Stanner brought to this policy package an anthropologist's sensitivity to the importance of ceremony and ritual. In particular, at the handover of the first native title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
grant to the Gurindji people
The Gurindji are an Aboriginal Australian people of northern Australia, southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory's Victoria River region.
Language and culture
Gurindji is one of the eastern Ngumbin languages, in the Ngumbin-Yapa s ...
at Wattie Creek in the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
in 1975, Stanner recommended Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...
should perform the memorable symbolic act of pouring earth through the hands of Gurindji leader, Vincent Lingiari
Vincent Lingiari (13 June 1908 or 1919 – 21 January 1988) was an Australian Aboriginal rights activist and member of the Gurindji people. In his early life he started as a stockman at Wave Hill Station, where the Aboriginal workers were g ...
.
Boyer Lectures in 1968
In 1968 Stanner presented the Boyer Lectures
The Boyer Lectures are a series of talks by prominent Australians, presenting ideas on major social, scientific or cultural issues, and broadcast on ABC Radio National.
The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commis ...
, which he titled "''After the Dreaming''". The Boyer Lectures, an annual series of lectures delivered by prominent Australians on the Australian Broadcasting Commission
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...
's Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
since 1959, have stimulated thought, discussion and debate in Australia on a wide range of subjects. Stanner's lectures, in which he most notably coined the phrase "the great Australian silence" (referring to the erasure from history of the violent colonial encounters with Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
, and Indigenous history in general), have since been reprinted a number of times. The 2019 Boyer Lectures, delivered by filmmaker
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
Rachel Perkins
Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films ''Radiance'' (1998), ''One Night the Moon'' (2001), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2010), and ''Jasper Jones'' (2017). Perkins is an ...
, were entitled "''The End of Silence''", a direct reference to Stanner's phrase and lectures, 60 years later.
The Great Australian Silence
Stanner was most famous for coining the term "the Great Australian Silence" in his 1968 Boyer Lecture. Stanner stated that there was a "cult of disremembering" which had reduced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to little more than a "melancholy footnote" in Australia's history. He frequently spoke and wrote about the erasure from history of the violent colonial encounters "invasion, massacres, ethnic cleansing and resistance" between European settlers and the Indigenous population meant that there was "a cult of forgetfulness practised on a national scale". Stanner's Boyer Lectures in 1968 called historians to ensure this pervasive forgetfulness of the Indigenous population ceased, a process that Beasley notes was already under way to a small degree when the lectures were delivered. Beasley has stated that "Ultimately Indigenous Australians moved from being a ‘melancholy footnote’ in Australian history, to occupying a central place in the historiography."
Family
Stanner married Patricia Williams (1 March 1931 – 17 May 2019), a diplomat who resigned on marriage due to the 'marriage bar', in 1962. The couple had two sons: Andrew Stanner and John Stanner.
ANU Conference in 2005
In 2005, the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
commemorated the centenary of the birth of W. E. H. (Bill) Stanner, one of its late professors of anthropology, with a conference discussing his lifetime achievements.
Keith Windschuttle
Keith Windschuttle (born 1942) is an Australian historian and former board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
He was editor of '' Quadrant'' from 2007 to 2015 when he became chair of the board and editor-in-chief. He was the pub ...
described this in ''Quadrant'' magazine as "an uncommon honour for an Australian academic who died 24 years earlier in 1981."
Speakers at the conference were as follows:
* Professor Jon Altman, Professor and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU
* Emeritus Associate Professor Jeremy Beckett, Honorary Research Associate, Sydney University
* Max Charlesworth, Emeritus Professor, Deakin University
Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia.
Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...
* Professor Ann Curthoys
Ann Curthoys, (born 5 September 1945) is an Australian historian and academic.
Early life and education
Curthoys was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 5 September 1945, and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney. In 1 ...
, School of Social Sciences, the ANU, Manning Clark Professor of History at ANU
* Mark Crocombe, Kanamkek—Yile Ngala Museum, Wadeye
* Barry Dexter, Member of the Council for Aboriginal Affairs, Diplomat
* Professor Mick Dodson
Michael James Dodson (born 10 April 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian barrister, academic, and member of the Yawuru people in the Broome area of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia.
His brother is Pat Dodson, also a noted Abor ...
AM, National Centre for Indigenous Studies, the ANU and Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
* Alberto Furlan, PhD in anthropology (University of Sydney).
* Geoffrey Gray,
* Melinda Hinkson, School of Archaeology & Anthropology, the ANU
* Bill Ivory, Charles Darwin University
* Ian Keen
Ian Keen (born 21 November 1938) is an Australian anthropologist, whose research interests cover Yolngu kinship structures and religion, Aboriginal land rights and economies, and language.
Life
Keen was born in the northern London borough of F ...
, School of Archaeology & Anthropology, the ANU
* Professor Marcia Langton
Marcia Lynne Langton (born 1951) is an Australian academic. she is the Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. Regarded as one of Australia's top intellectuals, L ...
A.M., B.A. (Hons) ANU, PhD, Macq., F.A.S.S.A., Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, University of Melbourne
* Professor Howard Morphy, Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, the ANU
* Emeritus Professor John Mulvaney
Derek John Mulvaney (26 October 1925 – 21 September 2016), known as John Mulvaney and D. J. Mulvaney, was an Australian archaeologist. He was the first qualified archaeologist to focus his work on Australia.
Life
Mulvaney was born in Yar ...
, Emeritus Professor of Pre-History, the ANU
* David Nash, Honorary Visiting Fellow, ANU and Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
* Professor Nicolas Peterson, School of Archaeology & Anthropology, the ANU
* Professor Peter Sutton, ARC Professorial Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
* John Taylor, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, the ANU
* Graeme Ward, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
* Nancy Williams, Honorary Reader in Anthropology, University of Queensland
A volume of the conference papers was published in 2008, ''An Appreciation of Difference: W. E. H. Stanner and Aboriginal Australia'', edited by Melinda Hinkson and Jeremy Beckett.
Books and publications
Books, publications and speeches:
* 1945, ''Random Reflections During War''
* 1953, ''South Seas in Transition''
* 1960, ''On Aboriginal Religion''
* 1967, ''Industrial Justice in the Never-Never'', the Presidential Address delivered to the Canberra Sociology Society, 24 March 1966
* 1968, ''After the Dreaming''
* 1975, ''Australian Aboriginal Mythology: Essays in Honour of W. E. H. Stanner''
* 1979, ''White Man Got No Dreaming: Essays 1938–1973''
* 1985, ''Metaphors of Interpretation: Essays in Honour of W.E.H. Stanner''
* 2001, ''People from the Dawn: Religion, Homeland, and Privacy in Australian Aboriginal Culture''
* 2005, ''W. E. H. Stanner: Anthropologist and Public Intellectual''
* 2008, ''An Appreciation of Difference: WEH Stanner, Aboriginal Australia and Anthropology''
at Google Books
Honours and tributes
Honours, named in honour of, or tributes to W.E.H. Stanner:
* Bestowed with the title "Emeritus Professor" by the ANU Congregation on 1 April 1971
* Mueller Medallist awarded by the (ANZAAS) in 1971. Established in 1902 in memory of Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...
, government botanist of Victoria and a prodigious collector of botanic specimens. Awarded by the (ANZAAS) for researches in anthropology, botany, geology or zoology.
* Sir Raphael Cilento
Sir Raphael West Cilento (2 December 189315 April 1985), often known as "Ray",Mark Finnane, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 17, Melbourne University Press, pp 216-217. was a notable Australian medical practitioner and public healt ...
Medallist in 1971, established in 1935 by the Australian Institute of Anatomy. Donated by Sir Raphael Cilento
Sir Raphael West Cilento (2 December 189315 April 1985), often known as "Ray",Mark Finnane, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 17, Melbourne University Press, pp 216-217. was a notable Australian medical practitioner and public healt ...
, a prominent Queensland medical man. Awarded biennially to the scientist who has advanced native welfare or advanced tropical medicine in Australia or the Pacific area.
* Honorary Doctorate of Literature, Australian National University in 1972
* Made Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(CMG) in 1972
* Honoured in the list of the "200 Australians who have contributed most to making Australia what it is today", the book published by the ''Australian Bicentennial Authority'' as part of the Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788.
History
The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...
celebrations in 1988.
* The Stanner Award
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
, established in AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
in 1985 "in recognition of the significant contribution of the late Emeritus Professor W.E.H. (Bill) Stanner to the establishment and development of the Institute".
* The WEH Stanner Building at the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
* The Stanner Room at University House at the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
* Stanner Circuit (under construction) at Bonner, Australian Capital Territory
Bonner is a suburb in the district of Gungahlin in Canberra in Australia. The suburb is named in memory after Senator Neville Bonner, Australia's first Indigenous parliamentarian who served the people of Queensland during the years 1971–1984 ...
in Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
* The Stanner Club in Darwin, formerly the Norforce
The NORFORCE (North-West Mobile Force) is an infantry regiment of the Australian Army Reserve. Formed in 1981, the regiment is one of three Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs) employed in surveillance and reconnaissance of the remote areas ...
soldiers club, since renamed.
References
;Footnotes
;Notes
External links
*ABC Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
Report on Bill Stanner
Hindsight, 9 January 2005
Perspective 24 October 2005
W. E. H. Stanner: Anthropologist and Public Intellectual
a two-day symposium to mark the centenary of the birth of W.E.H. Stanner (1905–1981) at the ANU Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, Thursday 24 – Friday 25 November 2005
Stanner Award
established by AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
in 1985 in recognition of the significant contribution of the late Emeritus Professor W.E.H. (Bill) Stanner to the establishment and development of the Institute
WEH Stanner building
home of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research at the Australian National University
The papers of William Edward Hanley Stanner were donated to AIATSIS by Mrs Patricia Stanner in 1982
The paintings of Nym Bandak
The paintings of Nym Bandak were presented by the National Gallery of Australia at an exhibition 'Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art in Modern Worlds' at the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, the most significant exhibition of Australian Aboriginal art ever to travel abroad
an annual refereed publication in the field of Australian ethnohistory, particularly in the post-contact history of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders
references Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stanner, Commanding Officer of the 2/1 Northern Australia Observer Unit (the Nackeroos).
"The Nackeroos" Australia under attack 1942–43
at the Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...
*K. Windschuttle
Bill Stanner and the end of Aboriginal High Culture
''Quadrant'', May 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanner, Bill
Australian anthropologists
Anthropologists of religion
Military personnel from New South Wales
1905 births
1981 deaths
Australian Army officers
University of Sydney faculty
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
People educated at Parramatta High School
20th-century anthropologists
Australian National University faculty