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

Queensland Great Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland. History Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation of Queensland from the Colony of New South Wa ...

in 2008.

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 Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to study further. She was married for approximately 30 years.

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. 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. She continued her teaching career elsewhere, including in the Torres Strait and New Zealand, and in 1977 was appointed to the National Aboriginal Education Committee. She also worked as Head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit at the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

, and in senior roles in the public service. She held a Bachelor of Letters in anthropology from 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 ...

and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in education from the University of Canberra. She completed her thesis on Aboriginal humour and was awarded a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in 2014.

Honours

She received a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

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. Later, in 2008, she was named a

, an honour which "recognises the efforts and achievements of remarkable individuals... for their invaluable contribution to the history and development of hestate".

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 Ignazia Graziella "Grace" Grace (née Farfaglia; born 12 August 1958) is an Australian politician from the state of Queensland. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the seat of McConnel and its predecessor seat, ...

labelled her a "trailblazer in education" and a "true Queensland great". 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 ngher 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".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Pearl 1933 births 2022 deaths Gamilaraay Indigenous Australian academics Indigenous Australian women academics Australian National University alumni University of Canberra alumni University of Queensland alumni Queensland University of Technology faculty Recipients of the Centenary Medal Queensland Greats