Now Let’s Get Down To Business: Who is Joan Margaret West

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Users are advised that this article contains Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander material that may be culturally sensitive where annotations and terminology have been used from an era at time of creation and may be considered inappropriate today. Material may also contain images, voices or names of deceased persons.

Guest blogger: Rachel West-Captain - 2021 Monica Clare Research Fellow.

This is my Grandmother, Joan Margaret West.

Joan West made it onto the front cover of the Dawn Magazine, after this amazing picture was taken of her whilst she attended the Annual Summer Camp at La Perouse, NSW in January 1956.

Joan was selected in a “preferential” nomination to attend that Annual Summer Camp at La Perouse.

Joan Margaret West was born in Goodooga, NSW, between 1939 and 1942. I believe it is more likely she was born in 1942. Her actual date of birth has been hard to confirm due to many conflicting birth years listed in the large amount of documentation that was recorded about her by the Governmental Department who took her 12 children off her. I will fill you in about that later.

Joan had perfect teeth. As you can see from her photo on the front page of the Dawn Magazine! Not many of the 76 children who attended Summer Camp and had their teeth examined by the dentist, had perfect teeth. Only 2 kids; And my Grandma was one of them.

These are some of the children Joan West grew up with on the Goodooga Reserve.   

Joan West lived with her parents Bindi West and Terrisa Captain and her 8 siblings on the Goodooga Reserve from the 1930's til the 1960's, and also spent some time living in the surrounding areas of Bourke, Walgett, Brewarrina, Wee Waa and Lightning Ridge, during her short life.

Clem and Isabel Orcher now live at the site where my Great Grandparents Bindi West and Terrisa Captain once lived with their family which included my Grandma Joan West and her siblings Kathleen, Ronald, Keith, William, Nita, Ray, David and Robert (Rock) West. I was fortunate to meet Clem and spend time talking with him about the history of Goodooga Reserve, in my family history research trip in July 2022. These photos were taken at Clem's house, on the site where my Great Grandparents used to live, House 26 on the Bokhara River at Goodooga Reserve.

Prior to moving to Goodooga into House 26 in the 1930's, Bindi West and Terrisa Captain, (Joan's parents) lived at Dennawan, NSW. They ended up in Dennawan after their families were involved with the removals that occurred in the late 1920's from Tongy and Tomoo Station in Bollon, Queensland, where they had originally come from; on Kooma and Gunggari Country. The West's lived on this country until they were around their 30 and 40 years of age, this is where they bore and raised their first 5 children, Kathleen, William, Ronny, Keith and Nita West.

After moving to Dennawan, Joan West’s father Bindi West was recorded as being a singer in the Murruwarri corroborees held at Dennawan. Bindi was reputedly a key figure in the ceremonial life of Dennawan.

Information regarding the community of First Nations people who resided at Dennawan was recorded in Rodney Harrison’s book Shared Landscapes.

Joan West’s Mother, Terrisa Captain was known as Granny Bindi, and she was described as ‘A True Old Christian Lady’. Bindi and Terrisa were reportedly devout Christians. Granny Bindi used to gather all the children on the reserve and take them to her home for Sunday School. Granny Bindi was adored by all the children. Those children are now the Murruwarri Elders of Goodooga and Weilmoringle, and 2 of them who I met recently at the Goodooga Reunion held in September 2022, Vera and Josie Byno, spoke fondly when recalling their memories to me of Granny Bindi, Joanie West’s Mother.

In 1962 an American Missionary Film crew came out to Goodooga, Brewarrina and Weilmoringle etc, and filmed their church service held at Goodooga Reserve and Weilmoringle. Terrisa Captain and Joan West were captured in this film, and June Barker who narrated the film spoke about both my Grandmother Joan West and Great Grandmother Terrisa Captain.

Below is a snippet of the film featuring Joan West, with the full film further below.  The times have been listed when Terrisa Captain and Joan West are on screen, to assist with identifying my family. 

The West Family are mentioned in this film, and vision is  captured of my Great Grandmother Terrisa Captain, her daughter Joan West (my Grandmother), and Joan's brothers, "the West boys".

• Filming at the town of Goodooga occurs between 14:15 and 17:17. 
• At 16:31-16:33 My Great Grandmother Terrisa Captain is seen talking to the Englishman in the background.
• At 16:46-17:17 Joan West is carrying her baby David (not Wayne as June Barker thought it might be), behind the Bush Queen Essey Coffey (who is also carrying her baby), and then narrator June Barker talks about what happened to Joanie.
• At 16:53-16:59, just as Joan goes out of the frame her mother Terrisa (Granny Bindi) reenters in her white dress and walks to the right.

This was the scene of what church in the Goodooga Tin Camp looked like, in the film produced in 1962.

The above photo is a stillshot from the film of Joan West at Goodooga with her baby Gerald Thomas West. This baby is admitted to the Aborigine Welfare Board's control and ended up with a foster family who changed his name to David. This baby was never to be returned to Joan West, despite her pleas and attempts to have her baby returned to her. 

The collage below are still shots taken from the Brewarrina Mission Film, this is Joan Margaret West at Goodooga with her baby Gerald Thomas West (David). These photos are so precious, she obviously loved being a Mum.    

Unfortunately, around this time this video was filmed at Goodooga, My grandmother was suffering domestic violence.

She was forced to reach out to ask for help. Just over 2 months later, Joan tries to get her baby back.

Joan Margaret West had 12 children. All 12 of those children subsequently were taken from Joan following that fateful decision by my Grandmother to reach out to the Aborigines Welfare Board for help, to protect her child whilst both herself and her baby were being cruelly beaten by her de facto.

My Aunties and Uncles and Mother identify as a part of the Stolen Generation.

These are Joan Margaret West’s 12 children, in birth order.

The youngest siblings of my Grandmother’s children, are a set of triplets. 3 of Joan West’s Children have passed on, including my Mother, Rosalind Margaret West. There are 9 surviving West Siblings. Not all of them have met each other yet, even 40 years later.

That is the devastation of the Stolen Generation.

Video above: My Grandmother - Murruwarri Language. Spoken By Thira-Mayinj Haupt in Murruwarri Language. Written by Rachel West-Captain, using words from the Murruwarri dictionary 'The Murruwarri Language' by Lynette Oates

In 2002, the first West Family Reunion was held in Dubbo. 7 of the 12 siblings got to meet for the first time. 4 did not attend as it was too overwhelming; they were just not ready yet. The eldest sibling Wayne West, who was placed in Kinchela Boys Home, had already passed at this time. 

Slanderous reporting on my Grandma’s life was recorded regularly over a period of 14 years by the Aborigines Welfare Board, from the time my Grandmother reached out to them to help her because she feared for the safety of her baby during the violence she was experiencing from her partner in December 1962.

December 1976:

“Living in a dilapidated galvanised iron shanty on the banks of Namoi River”

“Adjacent to the Tulladunna Camping Area, On the banks of the Namoi River, with 6-8 Aboriginal men who come and go from the shack regularly”

“The Health Commission have prepared a large dossier on Miss West which may be used for hospital admission at some future time”

“…Recent plans made by the Health Commission to have her permanently hospitalised have now been suspended for the time being.”

“Joan West continues to buy clothing for the one child who remains in Wee Waa and appears to be anxious to do what she can to assist Mrs Morrison who has the care of the baby.”

The Department constantly harassed my Grandmother to sign her children over for adoption.

She refused every time, and always held onto hope that her children would be returned to her. Joan West continually made efforts and attempts to try to have her children returned to her care.

The Department had no intention of giving her back her children.

Less than 5 years after the Department wrote of their intention and preparation to have Joan West permanently committed to a mental institution, my Grandmother was murdered.

On 3rd August, 1981, Joan was stabbed several times and ran over in a car by a 22 year old male.

My Grandmother Joan Margaret West has 50 living descendants today, descending from her 12 children.

I will be publishing our Aboriginal Family History Story, about My Grandmother Joanie West, and about her children. About where Grandma Joan came from, who her Mother and Father were, who our family was, who our ancestors are. It’s all been lost, and I’m slowly trying to piece it back together.

I wish for my Grandmother’s Children, her Grandchildren, and her Great Grandchildren, and one day very soon her Great Great Grandchildren, to know about their Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother - Joan Margaret West. This Magnificent Lady, who endured a life that included the Trauma of Having 12 Children, But No Children. My Grandmother will be honoured in her death.

Joan's parent's Terrisa Captain and Bindi West.

I was able to obtain this photo, and the below photo of my Grandma learning ‘domestic duties’ at La Perouse Summer Camp for Aboriginal Children – making a bed – from Museums of History NSW, after a tip off from a friendly message from fellow Ancestry Member, Yvette Kirby on my Uncle’s Ancestry profile, asking if we had seen these pictures of his Mum Joan West in the State Library of NSW Collection.

I had been looking for and hoping to find the original photos of these pictures for so long – this message out of the blue alerting me to the original photos this year (2023) was so epic.

I arranged for the high resolution copies to be sent to me from the Reprographics department of Museums on NSW History, and printed a copy of both photos as well as a requesting a rescan High Resolution photo of the entire Front Cover of Dawn Magazine from AIATSIS, to send all 3 of these special photos to all of Joan West’s Stolen Generation descendants.

My Grandmother has exactly 50 living descendants, and the next descendant to be born of Joan West will be her first Great Great Grandchild, due next month in April 2023.

Joan would be extraordinarily proud, I can just imagine.

Rachel West-Captain

The Monica Clare Research Fellowship is generously supported by donations to the Queensland Library Foundation.

Commitment statement

This blog contains Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander content, which has been made available in accordance with State Library of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections Commitments.

Other blogs by Rachel West-Captain

• Introducing the Stars of the Show
• Have you ever been discriminated against? 
• Willing to Stick Out My Neck for Respect - Drover Bindi West

Interested in First Nations family history, see State Library's website for step-by-step guides and resources for finding information on your family history.