Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Gaiarbau
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- McKenzie, Willy
- Doungunja
- Mackenzie, Willie
- Gairabau
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1868-1968
History
William McKenzie, known as Willie McKenzie or by his Aboriginal name Gaiarbau (sometimes spelt Gairabau), was born in Kilcoy, Queensland. He belonged to the Darwarbada people of the Jinibara tribe. In the early 1930s, Gaiarbau contributed to anthropological research led by Caroline Kelly at the Barambah Aboriginal Settlement (now Cherbourg). During the 1950s, he collaborated with medical practitioner and anthropologist Lindsey Winterbotham, helping to document aspects of local Aboriginal culture. Through this work, Gaiarbau became the first Aboriginal person to be recognised as a cultural authority by the University of Queensland. He is also depicted in one of the grotesques in the University of Queensland's Great Court. He died in a Salvation Army Home in Brisbane on 24 June 1968.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Revised
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised, Kymberley Doyle, 10-Jun-2025.
Revised, MSB, 14-Jul-2023.
Revised, Linda Justo, 19-May-2021.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Internal evidence in UQFL489.
Aird, M. (2017). From Relics to Rights: Aboriginal people and anthropology at the University of Queensland. University of Queensland Anthropology Museum website, accessed online 10-Jun-2025.
Maintenance notes
Revised with addition to other form of name to reflect spelling variations, as well as source and some updated history, Kymberley Doyle, 10-Jun-2025.