Withnell Warriors – John & Emma Withnell (Green)
John Withnell and his wife Emma played a significant role in the early colonial settlement of the Pilbara region. Emma Withnell was known for her care towards local Aboriginal communities, while John Withnell was involved in more violent interactions such as the ‘Flying Foam Massacre of 1868. The Flying Foam Massacre’ was a series of brutal confrontations between settlers and the Jaburara people in the Pilbara region. John Withnell was involved in coordinating attacks that occurred in the Flying Foam Passage in Murujuga (the Burrup Peninsula), resulting in the deaths of an estimated 150 Jaburara people.
The Withnells’ legacy has two sides: Emma Withnell for her compassionate support of Indigenous communities and John Withnell for his participation in the massacre of local Indigenous people.
In the 1960’s, ‘Withnell Way’ in Karratha was named after the Withnells. In 1978, this area of Karratha was called Bulgarra. The Withnell Warriors totem animal is the thatharruga, Ngarluma for ‘fish.’
Harding Heroes – John Harding (Red)
John Harding was a volunteer member of the ‘Nickol Bay Expedition,’ where the Pilbara’s suitability for settlement was assessed. The expedition led to Aboriginal land being taken and as the farming industry grew, Indigenous people were exploited as labour and forced to work against their will.
The Harding River was named after John Harding in 1861 and the Harding Dam constructed over a two-year period. The Harding River, known as ‘Ngurin’ to local Ngarluma people, holds deep cultural and environmental significance to within the area. Before and during the construction of the dam, Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma people appealed the construction of the dam due to the impact on their cultural heritage. Protests were held at the dam, and a case presented to the State Government with an appeal to the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. The appeal was rejected, and the dam construction was completed in 1984.
‘Harding Way’ is a street in Bulgarra named after John Harding. The Harding Heroes have the mangguruas theirtotem animal, which is Ngarluma for ‘kangaroo.’
Gregory Giants – Francis Gregory (Yellow)
Francis Gregory was an explorer recognised for expeditions in Western Australia where large areas of land for settlement and farming were made accessible. This unfortunately significantly impacted Indigenous communities in these regions. Valuable geographical and natural resource information was attained by Gregory, paving the way for further European settlement in the area. Gregory’s work facilitated the establishment of farming lands which marginalised Indigenous people from their land, brought new disease and created conflict. Gregory was known to promote good relations with Indigenous groups, but his actions towards colonisation were detrimental to their communities.
‘Gregory Way’ is a street located in the southeast corner of Bulgarra. The Gregory Giants totem animal is the gurrumurnju, Ngarluma for ‘goanna’. Karratha Primary School has some large gurrumurnju, who sometimes like to come out to say hello!
Lockyer Legends – The Lockyer Brothers (Blue)
The five Lockyer Brothers Arnold, Edgar, Elbert, Elliot, and Eric were local Aboriginal boys from the Pilbara region. They attended Roebourne and Whim Creek Schools and worked on pastoral stations in the region. The Lockyer brothers enlisted to serve in World War II, even though at the time Aboriginal men didn’t go to war. The brothers were determined to serve Australia and make their communities and families proud. Arnold and Edgar joined the Royal Australian Air Force and Elbert, Elliot and Eric joined the Australian Army. Out of the five brothers, tragically only three of the brothers returned home.
In 2006, a memorial was established as a tribute to the brothers and their service for Australia at Whim Creek, which hosts a moving ANZAC service every year. The memorial stands as a reminder of the deep historical significance of Indigenous contributions to Australia’s military efforts.
In the 1960’s a street in Karratha was named as a tribute to the Lockyer family. The Lockyer Legends totem animal is the wagari, Ngarluma for ‘fish.’