Dick Butler

Richard (Dick) Butler (1908 – 24 August 1987) was a Wugularri/Jawoyn man who became a sportsman, soldier and gardener in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Butler spent much of his early life at the Kahlin Compound and was a member of the Stolen Generations.

On 1 July 1931 Butler married Louisa Fanny Spain, whose family had immigrated from Cebu in the Philippines.

In 1939 Butler enlisted as a gunner in the Darwin Mobile Force, as a part of the 7th Military District, where he was employed, alongside other First Nations men, as artillerymen. They were stationed at Peewee Camp, at East Point, and they called themselves the "Australian Black Watch". Other Aboriginal men he served alongside included Willy McLennen, Samuel ('Smiler') Fejo, Juma ('Jim'), Bill Muir and Victor Williams.

Butler's wife, Louisa, had been evacuated to Brisbane with their 2 children throughout the war, and she returned in 1946 and she would later die during Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

When Butler left the army he became the head gardener at Government House, Darwin where he worked until his retirement in 1978. During this period Butler also worked to create the East Point Military museum.

Legacy

Butler Place in Holtze, Northern Territory is named for Butler.