Auber Octavius Neville (October 20, 1875–April 18, 1954) was a bureaucrat in Western Australia. Born in Northumberland, England, Neville immigrated to Victoria, Australia as a child. In 1897 he went from Victoria to Western Australia and joined the civil service there, quickly rising through the ranks. Neville became the state's second appointment, in 1915, to the role of the Chief Protector of Aborigines. During the next quarter-century, he presided over the controversial policy of removing Aboriginal children from their parents.[1] In 1936 Neville became the Commissioner for Native Affairs, a post he held until his retirement in 1940. Opposition to this practice, later termed the Stolen Generation, was advocated at the time, but his role as Commissioner was never persistently challenged. The period of cultural assimilation, attempted during Neville's administration, had followed an era of direct conflict with indigenous Australians. The political support and funding given to Neville was slight and his capacity to improve their circumstances was restricted. Open hostilty was still expressed, in public and parliament, and violence in more remote regions was continuing unabated. Many indigenous peoples became impoverished, especially by dislocation, as the population and development of the state increased. The Commission were given the responsibility for these people, who did not have political rights, and Neville sought to improve the circumstances in which they lived.
Neville believed that biological absorption was the key to 'uplifting the Native race.' Speaking before the Moseley Royal Commission, which investigated the administration of Aboriginals in 1934, he defended the policies of forced settlement, removing children from parents, surveillance, discipline and punishment, arguing that
they have to be protected against themselves whether they like it or not. They cannot remain as they are. The sore spot requires the application of the surgeon's knife for the good of the patient, and probably against the patient's will.
In his twilight years Neville continued to actively promote his views. Towards the end of his career, Neville published Australia's Coloured Minority, a text outlining his plan for the biological absorption of aboriginal people into white Australia. Neville had an active interest in social policy and radical politics, such as the pacifism of the 1920-30s 'interwar period'. This was a strongly partisan view of the time, and one he adopted after meeting the anarchist, and fellow public servant, Willem Siebenhaar. He was a notable resident of Darlington and was a regular user of the passenger railway service which closed a few months before his death. He died in Perth, and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.
Portrayals
Neville has been portrayed in artistic works as the public face of this policy in the 2002 film Rabbit Proof Fence (played by Kenneth Branagh), and in Jack Davis' 1985 play, No Sugar.
References
Further reading
- Jacobs, Pat (1990). Mister Neville, A Biography. Fremantle Arts Centre Press. ISBN 0-949206-72-5.
- Kinnane, Stephen (2003). Shadow Lines. Fremantle Arts Centre Press. ISBN 1-86368-237-6.
