Alfred Joseph Voules Brown

Alfred Joseph Voules Brown, also known as Alf Brown Inyjarurri (24 October 1868 – 21 July 1955), was an Australian customs officer, trepanger, trader who lived on the Cobourg Peninsula for much of his life and spent a significant amount of time living with the Iwaidja people.

Biography Brown was the third child of Victor Voules Brown and his first wife Julia (née Solomon) in St Marys, South Australia, where he spent much of his early life. In September 1885 he went with his father and uncle (John Alexander Voules Brown) to the Cambridge Gulf in Western Australia where they landed goods for the Durack family. Brown then went on to Derby where he joined the Kimberley gold rush and spent the next 13 years in the region, mostly working on cattle stations. Many of the Iwaidja called Brown 'the Commandant' or 'the Commander' and Mamitpa, who is also known as Tim Finnigen, worked with him for many years. While at Bowen Strait was also appointed the 'Acting Landing Waiter' for customers there and, from 1899 – 1906 collected duties from visiting Macassan traders. Brown defended the industry and openly disagreed with those who lobbied for the exclusion of Macassan traders and stated that, unlike they were accused of doing, they had not brought venereal disease to the surrounding communities and that, because of the customs duties he collected, they brought only small amounts of alcohol with them which was purely for their own consumption. He stated that the problems within the industry existed independently of any 'supposed Macassan competition'.

Following this enquiry, in which he gained respect from the government of the day, Brown was appointed the assistant health officer of Bowen Strait and made frequent trips to Darwin to sell loads of trepang, as well as other goods produced in the region. These goods included buffalo hides collected by Robert Joel Cooper and Patrick "Paddy" Cahill. During the early 1900s Brown also diversified by taking out several pastoral leases. Through Mujerambi, who was also known as Marjorie, he is the father-in-law of Kapiu Masi Gagai. Brown is also recorded to have married sisters Lily Malyurrgi and Daisy Injarraldaj (Magulagi) from the Majunbalmi clan and later Audrey Wungarumala of the Danek clan.

During World War II Brown remained in the area and, when the Japanese bombed Darwin in February 1942 (see: Bombing of Darwin), he was evacuated to Alice Springs with a number of family members. He travelled from there to Adelaide where he remained until he died on 21 July 1955.