William Edward Harney

William Edward Harney (* April 18, 1895 Charters Towers in Queensland, Australia, † December 31, 1962 in Mooloolaba, Queensland ) also known as Bill Harney, was an Australian writer, naturalist and Chief Protector of Aborigines in the Northern Territory.

Harney was the third child of parents who were born in England. At the age of twelve years he worked as a drover in western Queensland. In 1915 he joined the Australian Imperial Force and was military training in Egypt, to be later used on the Western Front during the First World War. In 1927, he married Kathleen Beatti Linda, with whom he had two children. Both his children and his wife died early. Subsequently lived together with a woman from the tribe of Aborigines Wardaman, with whom he had his son Bill Yidumduma Harney.

After the war he worked in various jobs, especially in the Northern Territory. From 1940 to 1947 Harney was with the Government as Protector of Aborigines and commanding officer. In addition to his literary career, he worked as a counselor to expeditions of the National Geographic Society in Arnhem Land and Melville Iceland. He was also a consultant to the film Jedda in 1955.

In 1959 he was appointed the first Ranger of Uluru ( Ayers Rock). He held the post until he retired in 1962.

Harney left the service in 1962 and died in this year. According to him, a fat tail bag mouse named, Sandstone Dibbler ( Pseudantechinus bilarni ), which reflects its name in a language of the Aborigines in Arnhem Land.

Work

Herney spent most of his life in the outback, so his work is mainly dedicated to the Aborigines in the Northern Territory. From Harney there next to his book editions also numerous articles in popular magazines. Books that are by him or which he has written with other authors: