The Rraywala Memorial

Abstract

On Sunday 3 May 2009, a headstone will be unveiled at the graveside of the famous Yolngu leader, Rraywala, in the historic Darwin cemetery at Marrara. Rraywala belonged to the Welangarr clan whose country centres on an important sacred waterhole at a place called Garrinyal near the mouth of the Glyde River. Rraywala is perhaps most famous as 'Raiwalla' - friend, companion and interpreter to the Melbourne anthropologist, Donald Thomson, who he accompanied during most of Thomson's travels across Arnhem Land between 1935 and 1937. Rraywala was the only enlisted soldier in the Northern Territory Special Reconnaisance Unit set up in 1942 by the then Squadron Leader Donald Thomson. Dr Hamby and Ms Allen will present the background leading to this event in the context of their joint Arnhem Land research on the Donald Thomson Collection held at Museum Victoria. Show more