Bill Onus facts for kids

William Townsend Onus Jnr (born 15 November 1906 – died 10 January 1968) was an important Aboriginal Australian activist. He was also a talented designer and showman, famous for his amazing boomerang-throwing skills. Bill Onus was the father of the well-known artist Lin Onus.

Bill Onus: His Early Life and Learning

Bill Onus was born on 15 November 1906 at the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve in New South Wales. He was the oldest child of William Townsend Onus Snr and Maud Mary Onus. His father was from the Wiradjuri people, and his mother was from the Yorta Yorta people. He had a brother named Eric Onus and a sister named Maude, also known as "Sissy".

In 1916, many people were leaving Cummeragunja. This was because land was being taken away, and some children were being removed from their families. Bill's mother, Maude, also left and moved to nearby Echuca, in Victoria.

Bill grew up with other young people who would become important leaders for their communities. These included Doug Nicholls, John (Jack) Patten, and Margaret Tucker. Bill went to school at Thomas Shadrach James' mission school in Cummeragunja. He also spent two years at school in Echuca when he was ten years old.

In 1918, Bill's family moved to the Riverina area. His father worked there as a drover, moving cattle and sheep.

Bill Onus: Working and Fighting for Rights

In 1922, at the age of 16, Bill Onus left home. He became a shearer and worked in this job for seven years.

In 1929, he moved to Sydney. He first worked at the Bankstown Aerodrome. During the Great Depression, Bill took on many different jobs. He prospected for gold near Bega and drove trucks when he returned to Sydney in 1934. He lived at the Salt Pan Creek camp, where many Aboriginal people lived.

Joining the Fight for Aboriginal Rights

In 1939, Bill Onus joined the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA). He later became the secretary and worked full-time for the group. He was known as a strong and determined activist. He started the APA branch in Moree. He also worked with the Committee for Aboriginal Citizen Rights. This group wanted to change the Aborigines Welfare Board in New South Wales.

In Redfern, where many Aboriginal families were settling, Bill organized weekly dances to raise money. This money helped Aboriginal war veterans with legal costs. It also supported the Redfern All Blacks rugby league team, which he helped start in 1938.

In 1939, Bill returned home to take part in the Cummeragunja walk-off. This was one of the first big protests by Indigenous Australians.

In 1945, Bill went to the Northern Territory for the filming of The Overlanders. There, he saw Aboriginal stockmen being treated badly.

Activism in Melbourne

From 1946, Bill Onus lived with his parents in Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne. He worked as a shipping clerk. He met his second wife, Mary Kelly, at a Communist Party rally.

He teamed up with pastor Doug Nicholls and his brother Eric. The three traveled widely, holding public rallies and meetings. They used the media to speak up for Aboriginal rights. They supported the Pilbara strike in Western Australia. They also protested against the Woomera rocket testing range in South Australia.

In 1949, Bill Onus spoke to a crowd in The Domain in Sydney. He considered running for federal parliament but decided not to.

The Aboriginal Advancement League (AAL) worked to keep the Lake Tyers Mission, an Aboriginal reserve. In 1963, Bill and Eric Onus organized a march in Melbourne. They later worked with Stan Davey to form the Save Lake Tyers Committee. This led to the first successful land rights claim in Victoria. In 1971, Lake Tyers was returned to the traditional owners.

Activists began to use Aboriginal culture as a way to protest and raise awareness. Bill Onus was a big part of many performances.

In the 1950s, he joined protests against British nuclear tests at Maralinga. When he planned to travel to the United States to talk about Indigenous rights, his passport was suddenly cancelled.

Bill Onus became a leader for Aboriginal Victorians in the fight for the "yes" vote in the 1967 referendum. This referendum changed the Australian Constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the federal government to make laws for them. He was the first Aboriginal president of the Aboriginal Advancement League (AAL). In the same year, he became a representative on the Victorian Aboriginal Welfare Board.

He was also the first Aboriginal Justice of the Peace.

Bill Onus: Showman and Business Owner

During the 1940s and 1950s, Bill Onus became very well-known for his amazing boomerang-throwing skills. He performed at many tourist spots in Victoria and New South Wales. He also toured New Zealand.

He started a new career as a businessman from his home. He began selling Aboriginal art. After a serious car accident in 1952, he was unable to work for a year. He used the money he received from compensation to start Aboriginal Enterprises. This business sold Aboriginal art and souvenirs in Belgrave, Victoria.

He opened more branches in Port Augusta, South Australia (1964), and Narbethong, Victoria (around 1965). These shops sold bark paintings from Arnhem Land, as well as other Aboriginal items. They also sold furniture, textiles, and pottery made locally. His businesses gave training and jobs to many Aboriginal people, including his family members. His brother Eric managed the Narbethong branch with his wife Winnie. His sister Maude (Sissy) and several of her sons also worked there. His own son Lin, daughter Isobel, and her son Warren (Woz) Owens also helped.

Bill Onus: Performances and Films

In August 1946, Bill Onus was involved in a play called White Justice. It was about the Pilbara strike. The play was co-produced by the AAL and Melbourne's New Theatre. An excerpt from the play was filmed by Bill Onus. This might make him the first Aboriginal filmmaker. The film was rediscovered in 2021 and is now part of his grandson Tiriki Onus's film Ablaze, which is about Bill Onus.

In 1949, Bill Onus organized an Indigenous show called Corroboree 1949. It brought together traditional ceremonies and modern acts. It was performed in Melbourne at Wirth's Olympia. The show included famous artists like Margaret Tucker and Miss Georgie Lee.

In 1951, Bill Onus convinced the Victorian Government to include Aboriginal people in jubilee celebrations. This led to a successful show called An Aboriginal Moomba: Out of the Dark. It was staged at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Bill Onus and Doug Nicholls organized it. It featured Indigenous opera singer Harold Blair and blues singer Georgia Lee. Bill also presented artist Albert Namatjira and actor Robert Tudawali to show off Aboriginal culture.

Because the show was so successful, Bill Onus suggested the name for the Moomba festival in Melbourne in 1955. He said it means "let's get together and have fun."

Films and Documentaries

Bill Onus appeared in several Australian films, including:

• Uncivilised (1936)
• Lovers and Luggers (1937)
• The Overlanders (1946)

In the 1950s and 1960s, Bill Onus started using 8mm film to make home movies. He filmed local tourists and famous visitors. This included footage of Jamaican singer Harry Belafonte learning to throw a boomerang at Aboriginal Enterprises.

He became well-known for hosting ABC Television's 12-part children’s series, Alcheringa in 1962. This show shared and celebrated Aboriginal culture.

He also appeared with Doug Nicholls in the short documentary Forgotten People (1967).

Bill Onus is the main subject of the film Ablaze, made by his grandson, opera singer Tiriki Onus. The film premiered in 2021 and won an AWGIE Award.

Bill Onus: His Family and Lasting Impact

Bill Onus passed away in 1968.

His businesses helped keep Aboriginal culture strong. They also helped build pride and connection within Aboriginal communities. His actions helped show a new and important Aboriginal presence in south-eastern Australia.

Bill Onus married Bella Elizabeth Patten in 1928. She was the sister of Jack Patten, who led the Cummeragunja walk-off. They had two daughters, Christine and Isobel, before they divorced in 1941. Christine's daughter, Christine Donnelly, founded the Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern. Isobel's son is Warren "Woz" Owens, an actor.

In 1947, Bill married Mary McLintock Kelly in Melbourne. Their son, the artist Lin Onus, was born in 1948. Lin's son, Tiriki Onus, is an artist, opera singer, and filmmaker.

Writer, filmmaker, and activist Bruce McGuinness is Bill Onus's nephew.

Bill Onus: Recognition and Legacy

After his death, Bill Onus's work and achievements have been much more appreciated. His work has been shown in exhibitions like Making a show of it (2008) and Modern Times: the untold story of Modernism in Australia (2009). Examples of his work are kept in the collections of major museums, including the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Museum.