DEAN Averil  

Compiled by Gordon Freegard based on research by Merilyn Stewart

Averil Dean was born in 1939 at the Gnowangerup Mission in Western Australia - she discovered her Aboriginal identity through childhood freedom on Country and through observing elders whose spiritual strength and dignified conduct inspired her.
Those elders were rooted in a deep relationship with nature, and modelled how to meet racism and dispossession with pride rather than bitterness, shaping Averil’s sense of self and purpose.
Life at the mission was shaped by both community support and structural racism.
Brother Hedley Wright’s advocacy allowed families to live together and build small homes, creating a protective family environment where her father acted as a local leader and her parents shielded children from hardship.
The mission school was initially rudimentary, but it remained a happy place for Noongar children while at the same time the surrounding town was openly racist.
Indigenous people were segregated in shops, denied full hospital access, barred from state schools, and subjected to permits, curfews and police harassment.
Work opportunities were exploitative; families laboured long hours for minimal pay on their own lands, enduring humiliations that nonetheless coexisted with occasional respectful employers.

AVERIL DEAN            #1

Averil’s family history — including her proud Menang grandfather Eddie Womber and wise grandmother Lilly Burchill — reinforced cultural continuity and the importance of giving knowledge to younger generations.
Her father stressed the loss of land and emphasised education as the key to competing in the broader society.
His insistence meant the children were never allowed to miss school, and this conviction drove Averil and later her siblings toward new educational opportunities.
Government welfare practices sought to assimilate Aboriginal children into white society. Despite initial resistance, Averil and her sister Treasy were sent to boarding in Perth, where wearing a strict school uniform and learning in a different cultural environment was at first a shock.
Such experiences were formative: a recognition by a former student years later that her cultural teaching was the best she received validated her contributions.
Averil trained as a nursing aide and took a challenging posting to Broome, where early isolation on duty and exposure to a flu epidemic tested her clinical and cultural confidence but also deepened her understanding of cultural protocols and pride.
She married Kenneth Dean, raised children, and later moved to Cranbrook where the family found acceptance.
Returning to the Great Southern, Averil became an active cultural teacher and mentor. Encouraged by her brother Jack, she and siblings delivered cultural studies and excursions to high school students, helping transform initial embarrassment among Aboriginal students into visible cultural pride.
She served fourteen years as an Aboriginal visitor at Albany Regional Prison, building trust with inmates and supporting them through grief and rehabilitation, an experience that bolstered her self esteem and community standing.

As a Menang and Goreng Elder, Averil speaks without notes, guided by spiritual insight.
She is an accepted cultural speaker and community leader who channels courage, love and a commitment to passing on knowledge, advocating for improved housing, education and living conditions, and inspiring pride in future generations.
Averil’s story told her story in a recent book ‘Women of a Certain Courage’ edited by Bron Bateman.

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.