Table of Contents
Oral Communication
David Unaipon was born on the 28th of September in 1872. He was born in a modest Indigenous mission in South Australia, on the banks of Lake Alexandrina, 80 km South-east of Adelaide. David was married to his wife Katherine Carter. His father was James Unaipon, and his mother was Nymbulda Ngunaitponi, and he also had 9 siblings.
David was an Indigenous Australian of the Ngarrindjeri people, and he attended Point McLeay mission school.
David Unaipon’s main occupation was as an Australian Preacher, however he also worked as an Author, but he was best known to be an Inventor. He was well known for his inventions, as he created 7 of them, and among these were an industry changing sheep shearer, the first draft of a helicopter, and a mechanical propulsion device. Davids reasoning for doing the amazing things he did, was he was just great at them, was passionate, and had an eye for inventing things amongst doing other things. This can be justified as he invented several things and got paid little to nothing for them whilst others gained a lot financially from his brilliant ideas. Davids inventions such as the new and improved sheep shearer, and the other things he made helped make an enormous difference to Australian history, because this is where technology started really being introduced more, and becoming more advanced. Furthermore David Unaipon was one of the inventors who helped make this happen with his marvellous inventions.
127 our experts are availableright now
David Unaipon was such a significant Aboriginal Australian, and Icon, that he is featured on the $50 note still to this day. This is just a reminder of his incredible legacy left behind for future generations, and will never ever be forgotten in Australian history. The significant difference in Australian history that David Unaipon made, and how he helped make Australia the great country it is now, also links back to the statement “A newly federated commonwealth requires the insight and vision of significant individuals in contributing to the making of a nation”. This statement means, you need new and improved ideas to grow and become one great big nation, and Mr Unaipon was one of these great people, that changed history through his inventions. Furthermore David helped make an impact not only economically, but also socially and politically as well.
For example David stood up for the rights and equality of Aboriginal people and assisted inquiries and commissions into Aboriginal welfare and treatment, and it served the Aboriginal people immensely, as he grew up in a time when Aboriginal people had little to no voice. This is just one of the many social implications he enforced and backed up. David also worked as an author and gave people insight into the Aboriginal culture, told dreamtime stories, and showed their way of life through his terrific writing pieces.
In 1953 David Unaipon was awarded a Coronation Medal for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, this is just another recognition for the significant contributions he made to Australia.
Sadly David died on the 7th of February 1967, at the age of 95. However through looking at all of Mr Unaipon’ achievements, this proves his contribution to making a significant impact on the nation of Australia was substantial.
Bibliography
- David Unaipon – Aboriginal Inventor and writer on the $50 note 2019, Discover, viewed 31 August 2019, .
- David Unaipon biography 2019, The famous people, viewed 31 August 2019, .
- Graham jaunay 2019, Ancestral and local history research, viewed 31 August 2019, .
- Remembering David Unaipon: the man on the fifty dollar note 2019, Sbs, viewed 31 August 2019, .
- Unaipon David 2019, Australian dictionary of biography, viewed 31 August 2019, .
