Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

How the West was Lost (1987)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
clip Four dollars a fortnight education content clip 1

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

In 1946, Indigenous station workers in the north west of Western Australia went on strike. Strikers Sam Coppin and Crow Yougarla explain the pay and conditions and their decision to strike. Their testimonies are interspersed with historical footage of Indigenous workers handling livestock on a station.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

Director David Noakes’ inclusion of personal testimony from some of the surviving strikers is one of the strengths of this documentary. By allowing his subjects to speak for themselves and present their own perspectives on, and motivations for, the strike, the audience can better understand this historically significant event from the point of view of individuals involved.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This clip shows an interview with Sam Coppin, one of the Indigenous stockmen who, in 1946, went on strike for better conditions. Coppin describes working conditions before the strike. Archival colour footage of Indigenous workers handling stock is shown, followed by Crow Yougarla, another stockman, describing the strike itself. Shots of the landscape and livestock are accompanied by the voices of those involved in the strike.

Educational value points

  • The 1946 stockmen’s strike is an important but little-known event in Western Australian history. In May 1946, 600 Indigenous stockmen on 20 of the 22 stations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia refused to work until they were guaranteed better conditions and a minimum wage of 30 shillings per week. Dooley Bin Bin, with the assistance of communist unionist Donald McLeod, organised the strike. This was a significant achievement considering the distances involved and the lack of communications technology. The strike continued for more than a year and, although it was initially unsuccessful, 2 years later the stockmen won the concessions they sought.
  • The clip highlights the determination and desperation of the workers. It was against the law for Indigenous workers to leave their place of employment and they could be (and in some cases were) returned to their stations in chains when they walked off the job. Their conditions of employment were untenable, with their pay so minimal that they were always in debt to station owners and had to struggle to feed and clothe themselves and their families.
  • In the 1930s Indigenous Australians began to organise groups such as the various Aboriginal Advancement Leagues to focus and coordinate activism. The men’s voices recorded here provide evidence that Indigenous workers continued to fight for better conditions in the 1940s. In the 1950s, the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines was formed to lead further activism. In 1967, the Australian Constitution was changed to recognise Indigenous Australians as equal citizens with equal rights.
  • The clip brings to the viewer’s attention an early example of solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The stockmen’s strike was supported by 19 Western Australian unions, seven federal unions and four trades and labour councils. The Seamen’s Union, for example, placed a ban on transport of wool from stations affected by the strike, putting pressure on station owners to meet the demands of the strikers. The strike was widely supported and was socially significant in its positive outcome for Indigenous stockmen and their families.
  • The strike continues to be celebrated as a major achievement and an important development for all Australian workers. In 2006, Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre hosted a social event to educate the public about the strike and the strikers. In 2004, Black Swan Theatre staged a production of Yandy, directed by Indigenous artist Rachael Maza and adapted from a book about one of the Indigenous strike leaders, Peter Coppin.
  • How the West Was Lost is an example of the work of Australian film director and producer David Noakes. Noakes has worked widely in the Australian film industry since the late 1970s, producing and directing a number of documentaries about social issues, including this documentary, which was nominated for five Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards. Noakes has also worked as a consultant to film production companies.

Sam Coppin is interviewed over historical footage of Indigenous workers handling sheep and a horse on a cattle farm.
Sam Coppin, former striker Four dollar a fortnight – that’s all we get. Them young fellas only get a dollar a fortnight – 50 cent a week. That’s all we have to get. Boots, we got to pay for the boots with that same money. Shirt and trousers. Gotta pay for woman’s dress. Tobacco, matches. We in debt all year round. Never get off the debt – all the time. That’s the way keep us there all the time. Man want to go away, he get the police, fetch him back because you owe too much in the station. We can’t live.

Crow Yougarla is interviewed over footage of a large flock of sheep and a group of Indigenous cattlemen.
Crow Yougarla, former striker One night we got the message. The next morning we walk to the yard – sheep camp yard. And the squatter’s bloke came into the yard. Well, we’ve got to draft these 3,000 sheep. No! We’re not working – we strike! The squatter’s bloke said, ‘Alright then, it’s up to you.’ That’s what he say. So we walked back, to the river. Next morning policeman was coming, to the river. We say, ‘We’re not going back to work. We finish.’