Uncle William Ferguson

William “Bill” Ferguson (1882-1950), known to Yuin people, was a pioneering Aboriginal rights campaigner and unionist from the Riverina region of New South Wales. Born at Waddi he was the second of three sons of Thomas Ferguson, a Scottish shearer, and Elizabeth Ford who had worked as a housemaid.

Ferguson’s early work as a shearer brought him into contact with inequities faced by Aboriginal workers, so he turned to union organising and by the mid-1930s became impatient with the paternalist controls exercised by the Aborigines Protection Board. In June 1937 he co-founded the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) in Dubbo and helped organise the first Day of Mourning protest in 1938, an event marking 150 years of Australian colonisation by demanding full citizenship and rights for Aboriginal people. During the 1940s, he served on the Aborigines Welfare Board, where he pressed for reform of the racially discriminatory “protection” laws.

As he declared in 1949: “To all you people of Aboriginal blood, I say… I am fighting for your freedom. Aboriginals still live under laws meant only to control criminals and lunatics: they are not allowed ordinary human rights… I can promise you nothing but the will to work.”

Following his death in 1950, his legacy continued to grow. In 2019 a life-sized bronze statue of Bill Ferguson was unveiled in Dubbo, honouring his contributions to indigenous rights and unionism. Ferguson’s leadership carved a path for generations of Aboriginal activists who have been inspired by his belief in justice, self-determination and the power of collective action.