Richard “Dick” Piety Jr

Richard “Dick” Piety Jr (1844–1918) was born on 1 November 1844 at Mullenderee near Moruya. His father, Richard Piety Sr, was born in Kent, England in 1814 and transported to Australia as a convict after being sentenced to fourteen years for stealing a watch. Assigned to settler Francis Flanagan at Broulee, he met and later married Jane “Sissy” Namble, a Yuin woman born around 1823. Their marriage brought together convict-settler and Aboriginal lineages at a formative moment in Eurobodalla’s shared history.

In 1865 Richard married Catherine “Kate” Sutton at St Mary’s, Moruya. Catherine, born in 1847 at Kiora, was also connected to long-standing Yuin family networks. Between 1867 and 1890 the couple had ten children: Jane, Margaret, Catherine, Lucy, Annie, Richard, Mary, Annie (the first Annie having died young), Lizzie and William. The family lived through a period of enormous disruption for Yuin people.

Richard was widely respected as a community leader and spiritual guide. He performed baptisms in local Aboriginal communities, including a service at Woodenbong Aboriginal Station, where he immersed members in Tooloom Creek as a confession of faith. His leadership complemented the work of his daughter, Mary Ellen Piety, a respected midwife and caregiver remembered for supporting generations of families across Wallaga Lake and Tilba Tilba.

Richard died on 24 September 1918 at Newstead, Moruya, and was buried in the Catholic section of Moruya Cemetery. Today, his descendants form an important part of the living genealogy of Yuin Country, reflecting both the upheavals of colonisation and the enduring strength of family, faith, and connection to place.