Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Tracking the history of WA’s Aboriginal Police Trackers

The names and details of more than 400 Aboriginal men who played a crucial role in tracking and wayfinding for Western Australian Police between 1931 and 1954 have been released, the Western Australia advised today.

The Aboriginal Trackers of Western Australia Index is a searchable database to help Aboriginal people who are seeking more information about their family history.

“Aboriginal Trackers are the unsung heroes in the history of policing. Their intimate knowledge of the land underpins their expertise to guide people through often harsh and desolate Country and to locate missing or wanted persons,” said Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Dr Tony Buti.

“We know they were often removed from their families, against their will, to be Police Trackers and that they were not adequately paid for their time. Records show that many ran away within days or weeks of arriving at a station.

“It is important that we acknowledge these uncomfortable truths while providing Aboriginal people with the resources they need to learn more about their family history.”

From the early 1800s through to the mid-1900s the State’s fledgling police forces were heavily reliant on Aboriginal Trackers to guide them through uncharted country.

“Aboriginal Trackers had an extraordinary ability to locate people and animals by following barely distinguishable tracks,” the Government said in a statement.

“However, they were not adequately paid for their skills or time and were often assigned to locations far from their Country and families to deter them from running away.

“This was allowed through various government policies that legalised the removal of Aboriginal people from one district to another and allowed government authorities to place them onto missions, reserves or into employment.”

The index has been produced by the Aboriginal History Western Australia (AHWA) team, within the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

It is one of many initiatives undertaken by AHWA in partnership with Aboriginal communities and stakeholders to connect people to their Aboriginal ancestry. For more information or to search the index visit https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/Aboriginal-Trackers

The police stations covered in the Aboriginal Trackers of Western Australia Index were in the following towns:

  • Gascoyne – Carnarvon and Gascoyne Junction
  • Goldfields-Esperance – Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Laverton, Menzies and Norseman
  • Great Southern – Mount Barker
  • Kimberley – Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Turkey Creek and Wyndham
  • Mid West – Leonora, Meekatharra, Mount Magnet, Mullewa, Wiluna and Yalgoo
  • Murchison – Lawlers, Peak Hill and Sandstone
  • Perth Metro – Perth Stables
  • Pilbara – Marble Bar, Nullagine, Onslow, Port Hedland and Roebourne
  • South West – Bridgetown
  • Wheatbelt – Merredin, Moora, Narrogin, Northam and Southern Cross.

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