Ned Hoskins

Edward “Ned” Hoskins was a long-term resident and community member of Wallaga Lake where he worked as a handyman/labourer under the management of the former Aborigines Protection Board.

Ned was married to Mary, and together they had five children, among them daughters Ida and Iris Joyce, and sons Ian and Steven. The August 1952 Dawn Magazine reports that Ned and his family visited Sydney on holiday where he said they had a “wizard of a time” visiting Luna Park, spending hours walking on the Harbour Bridge and attending the picture theatre as well as attending the official opening of the new school at La Perouse.

In 1957, “Old Ned” was recorded as a performer at a Tilba event as part of a family ensemble with Ida and Ian Hoskins on string instruments, accompanied by Guboo Ted Thomas, who tap-danced, sang, and played the gumleaf.

Ned played a significant cultural and social role within the Wallaga Lake community. According to oral history interviews conducted at Wallaga Lake, he (alongside other older men) helped pass on traditional knowledge and practices including spear making to younger generations. Ned was an active participant in sustaining community traditions, stories, and connections to Country and culture.

Ned Hoskins life is representative of the generations of Aboriginal people who lived through the institutional conditions of the Wallaga Lake reserve yet maintained cultural identity, family ties, and care for their community.