William John Kennedy
Encyclopedia
William John Kennedy, better known as Uncle Jack Kennedy, (1919–2005) was a lifelong activist for the rights of Australian Aborigines
, a Wotjobaluk clan elder of the people who spoke the Wergaia
language in the Wimmera
region of western Victoria, Australia. He was born on 23 March 1919 on the banks of the Wimmera River
, not far from the Ebenezer Mission
and died on 6 September 2005. He was the great grandson of Dick-a-Dick
, a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England in 1867-68.
He served with the Australian Army in the Syrian Campaign
and North Africa
and later in the Pacific
during World War II
, and was awarded the Australian Service Medal
and the English Defence Medal for this service.
In 2003 he was named Male Elder of the Year at the National Aborigines' Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week Awards.
In the historic determination of native title in the Wimmera handed down on 13 December 2005, just 3 months after Kennedy's death, Justice Merkel said of Kennedy, as reported by The Age
newspaper:
In his reasons for judgement Justice Merkel directly quoted Uncle Jack Kennedy twice:
and
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
, a Wotjobaluk clan elder of the people who spoke the Wergaia
Wergaia
Wergaia is an Indigenous Australian language group in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. 20 clans made up the Wergaia language group which consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk; Djadjala/Djadjali; Buibadjali; Biwadjali...
language in the Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
region of western Victoria, Australia. He was born on 23 March 1919 on the banks of the Wimmera River
Wimmera River
The Wimmera River is a river in Western Victoria, Australia. It begins in the Pyrenees, and flows into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, although in many years flows do not reach these terminal lakes and the river contracts to a series of pools of varying sizes...
, not far from the Ebenezer Mission
Ebenezer Mission
Ebenezer Mission station was established near Lake Hindmarsh, Victoria, Australia in 1859 by the Moravian Church on the land of the Wotjobaluk. The first missionaries were two Germans, Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer and Reverend F.W. Spieseke. In 1861 the Victorian Colonial Government gazetted as a...
and died on 6 September 2005. He was the great grandson of Dick-a-Dick
Dick-a-Dick
Dick-a-Dick was an Australian Aboriginal tracker and cricketer, a Wotjobaluk man of the people who spoke the Wergaia language in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia...
, a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England in 1867-68.
He served with the Australian Army in the Syrian Campaign
Syria-Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
and North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
and later in the Pacific
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was awarded the Australian Service Medal
Australian Service Medal
The Australian Service Medal is an Australian military decoration. It was authorized 13 September 1988 to recognise prescribed service in peacekeeping and non-warlike operations. It is awarded with a clasp to denote the prescribed operation and subsequent awards of the medal are made in the form of...
and the English Defence Medal for this service.
In 2003 he was named Male Elder of the Year at the National Aborigines' Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week Awards.
In the historic determination of native title in the Wimmera handed down on 13 December 2005, just 3 months after Kennedy's death, Justice Merkel said of Kennedy, as reported by The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper:
- "he had achieved 'what the elders expected of him' by, as was stated in his eulogy, 'fighting for this little piece of country for his ancestors and future generations'," Merkel said. "However, as a result of that fight, Uncle Jack Kennedy and his supporters have demonstrated something of even greater importance, namely, that the tide of history has not washed away all entitlements to native title in the south-eastern part of Australia."
In his reasons for judgement Justice Merkel directly quoted Uncle Jack Kennedy twice:
- If we follow BunjilBunjilIn Australian Aboriginal mythology, Bunjil the eagle is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being. In the Kulin nation in central Victoria he was regarded as one of two moiety ancestors, the other being the trickster Crow. Bunjil has two wives and a son, Binbeal the rainbow. His brother...
’s law and look after the country then the country will look after us. ... All the rules we have come from Bunjil. I must pass on Bunjil’s law so it continues.
and
- I am looking forward to getting some of my country back before I die so I can die knowing I have done what the elders expected of me. The Beal trees are dying at Lake Albacutya because they are not getting enough water. If we look after the river properly it will run clear again, run all the way to the Teardrop Lakes. If the Wotjobaluk continue to follow Bunjil then things will go on as the old people would want.
External links
- Uncle Jack Kennedy - Voices of Ebenezer - Mission Voices - Koorie Heritage Trust on the Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
website - Wotjobaluk man as told by William John Kennedy Snr, Interview by Tracey Rigney, Eureka StreetEureka StreetEureka Street is an Australian magazine concerned with public affairs, arts, and theology started in 1989 by Michael Kelly SJ, Morag Fraser, and Adrian Lyons SJ. It was published in paper format for 15 years and was an opinion-forming magazine for many of those years...
, 8 July 2006