Herbert Chapman

Herbert Chapman was a respected Elder of the Walbanga (Yuin) people on the South Coast of New South Wales, whose life embodied deep knowledge of Sea Country, kinship and cultural continuity. As early as 1906, Chapman remembered travelling in a boat with his parents across Wallaga Lake and out to Lake Tyers, a journey he told anthropologists in 1965 to illustrate his people’s longstanding connection to marine and island Country.

His extended family and kin groups, including the Chapmans and the Davises, have camped, fished and gathered in places like Cullendulla Creek and surrounds for generations. Chapman’s stories emphasise that Sea Country was not separate from people, but part of living law, practice, song and survival.
Chapman contributed to early research on Yuin clan distinctions and language when he was interviewed alongside other Elders such as Percy Davis in the 1960s, describing how the clan on Broulee Island identified differently to their neighbours at Moruya.

His knowledge of fishing, shell-gathering, island travel and sea-eagle totems helped shape modern understanding of Yuin law and environment. In the technical report Sea Countries of NSW: A Benefit & Threats Analysis of Aboriginal Peoples’ Connections with the Marine Estate, Chapman’s 1906 boat journey is cited as evidence of continuous practice of Sea Country management.

Today, Chapman’s legacy lives in Yuin led land and sea management, cultural mapping and on Country work. He reminds us that caring for Country includes the lakes, creeks, islands and sea paths. His quiet authority endures in stories and shorelines where his family and community still gather.