Dick Roughsey facts for kids

Dick Roughsey (born around 1920 – died 1985) was an Aboriginal Australian artist. He belonged to the Lardil language group from Mornington Island. This island is in the south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. His tribal name was Goobalathaldin. This name means "the ocean, dancing," like a "rough sea."

Dick Roughsey worked hard to keep the culture of the Lardil people alive. He is most famous for his children's picture books. These books retell old Aboriginal stories, including "The Rainbow Serpent."

Early Life and Learning

Dick Roughsey was born around 1920 on Langu-narnji Island. This island is connected to Mornington Island by sand at low tide. It is part of the North Wellesley Islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria. His tribal name was Goobalathaldin. His mother, Kuthakin, gave birth to him under Pandanus palms. His father's name was Kiwarbija.

Dick's early life was free and happy. He played with his brothers in the bush. He lived a traditional Indigenous lifestyle. He learned the ceremonies and Dreaming stories of his people. His father taught him the rich history of the Lardil tribe. The stories told how his ancestors created the land, plants, and animals we see today.

When Dick was about 7 or 8, white missionaries asked his parents to send him to school. This was at the Presbyterian mission on Mornington Island. He was scared at first but soon settled in. He had a happy, but strict, Christian education. The mission gave him the name "Dick." His father died while Dick was at the mission school.

Dick loved going home for holidays. During one holiday, he caught an eye disease called trachoma. This caused problems with his eyesight later in life. On these holidays, he helped hunt and fish. He also saw his first small airplane. It was from the Flying Doctor service.

Dick left school around age 13. He continued his education with the tribal elders. He learned Lardil laws and hunting skills. He learned when to feast and when to dance. He did not go through the special initiation ceremony. This was because the missionaries had asked the elders to stop these ceremonies. Dick spoke Lardil language but not Damin language. This was because he was not initiated.

Family Life and Education

Dick Roughsey and his wife, Elsie, had six children. Their children were Mervyn, Raymond, Kevin, Eleanor, Basil, and Duncan. Elsie mostly raised them on Mornington Island. Dick often traveled for work. While he was away, Elsie would send him lists of things she needed. Raymond, the oldest son, helped his mother raise his younger brothers and sister.

The Roughsey children went to school on Thursday Island. Dick believed this education would help them find more jobs. He thought it would give them better chances on mainland Australia. Dick's brother, Lindsay, also lived on Mornington Island. Lindsay was also an artist. He often sent his artworks to Percy Trezise to sell. Dick and Lindsay seemed to have a difficult relationship.

Career as an Artist

Around 1940, Dick Roughsey moved to mainland Australia for work. He worked in many manual jobs. He was a stockman, deckhand, fisherman, sailor, and yardman. Then he served in the Second World War. After the war, Roughsey returned to Mornington Island. There, he started his family life with Elsie.

Roughsey became interested in painting. He met Percy Trezise, who helped him develop his own painting style. This style was popular and could be sold. Roughsey began using oil paints. His art today shows the start of a new Aboriginal art movement.

Roughsey became a respected artist. He also supported projects that protect Indigenous culture. He worked with Percy Trezise to record old Aboriginal sites and important rock paintings. This was one of the first projects of its kind. It helped people learn to respect and protect these sites. In 1968, he and Trezise found the important Hann River site. This site is in the central Cape York Peninsula.

Roughsey was part of international art exhibitions. The Aboriginal Arts Board (AAB) organized these shows. The AAB sent Aboriginal art to about 40 countries. They also published books and gave art to museums overseas. This helped people around the world learn about Aboriginal art. In 1973, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam made Roughsey the first leader of the AAB. He held this role until 1975.

Working with Percy Trezise

Roughsey met Percy Trezise in 1962. They met at Karumba Lodge near the Norman River. Trezise was a pilot for Ansett Airlines. He also painted as a hobby. He quickly became Roughsey's mentor. Trezise told Roughsey to paint stories from his own country. He told him not to copy famous artists like Albert Namatjira. Trezise encouraged Roughsey to paint on bark first, then on canvas with oil paints. Trezise often gave Roughsey art supplies. He even cut bark himself from around his home in Cairns.

Trezise strongly supported Roughsey's art. He organized many exhibitions of Mornington Island art across Australia. Trezise also helped protect Lardil customs and stories. Roughsey gave him the name 'Warrenby' in 1963. Trezise and Roughsey traveled together for many years. They explored and documented cave paintings for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

Trezise and Roughsey also worked together on children's picture books. These books retold traditional Aboriginal stories. Some of them were among the first books to teach Australian children about Aboriginal culture.

Awards and Recognition

Dick Roughsey was very passionate about protecting Indigenous culture. In 1970, he was asked to join the Aboriginal Advisory Committee for the Australia Council. In 1971, he wrote the first autobiography by an Aboriginal author. From 1973 to 1975, Roughsey was the Chair of the Aboriginal Arts Board. He was also a member of the Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

His important awards for his books helped people from different cultures understand each other.

• Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award, Picture Book of the Year, 1974: commended for The Giant Devil-Dingo
• Fellowship of Australian Writers Patricia Weickhardt Award to an Aboriginal Writer, 1976 for The Rainbow Serpent
• Fellowship of Australian Writers Patricia Weickhardt Award to an Aboriginal Writer, 1976.
• Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award, Picture Book of the Year, 1976: winner for The Rainbow Serpent
• Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award, Picture Book of the Year, 1979: winner for The Quinkins
• IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour Diploma, Illustration, 1980 for The Quinkins
• Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award, Picture Book of the Year, 1983: commended for Turramulli the Giant Quinkin
• The Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for Service to Aboriginal Art and Culture, 1978

His work also inspired the Gooalathaldin Memorial Community Centre. This center opened in his honor on Mornington Island in 2003.

Published Works

Autobiographical Books

• 1971 – Moon and Rainbow: The Autobiography of an Aboriginal. Reed: Sydney.
• 1989 – ‘School Days’, in North of Capricorn: An Anthology of Prose. (Eds: Des Petersen & Stephen Torre). Foundation for Australian Literary Studies, JCU: Townsville.
• 1990 – ‘Gidegal the Moon-Man’, in The Macmillan Anthology of Australian Literature. (Ed: Ken Goodwin). Palgrave Macmillan.

Poetry and Prose

• 1980 – ‘In The Old Days’, in Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History. (Ed. and comp. Jennifer Isaacs). Lansdowne Press: Sydney.
• 1980 – ‘Gidegal the Moon-Man’, in Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History. (Ed. and comp. Jennifer Isaacs). Lansdowne Press: Sydney.

Children’s Illustrated Books

• 1973 – The Giant Devil Dingo. Collins: London.
• 1975 – The Rainbow Serpent. Collins: Sydney.
• 1978 – The Quinkins. (With Percy Trezise). Collins: Sydney.
• 1978 – The Turkey and the Emu. Harcourt Brace: Sydney.
• 1980 – Banana Bird and the Snake Men. (With Percy Trezise). Collins: Sydney.
• 1982 – Turramulli the Giant Quinkin. (With Percy Trezise). Angus & Robertson: Sydney.
• 1983 – The Magic Firesticks. (With Percy Trezise). Collins: Sydney.
• 1984 – Gidja the Moon. (With Percy Trezise). Collins: Sydney.
• 1985 – The Flying Fox Warriors. (With Percy Trezise). Collins: Sydney.