| Bill Onus | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Townsend Onus November 15, 1906 Cummeragunja, Australia |
| Died | January 10, 1968 (aged 61) Deepdene, Australia |
| Cause of death | Coronary occlusion |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Ethnicity | Wiradjuri |
| Known for | Indigenous rights activism |
| Children | Lin Onus |
William Townsend Onus Jr (15 November 1906 - 10 January 1968), known as Bill Onus, was an Aboriginal Australian political activist.[1]
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Onus was born at the Cummeragunja Mission to William Townsend Onus Sr and Maud Mary Onus née Nelson who were of the Wiradjuri people of central New South Wales.[1]
He was educated at Thomas Shadrach James' mission school in Cummeragunja as well as spending two years at school in Echuca from the age of ten.[1]
As a teenager his family travelled throughout the Riverina while his father worked as a drover.[1]
At the age of 16 Onus left home to take up shearing, an occupation in which stayed for seven years.[1]
In 1928 Onus moved to Sydney where he initially worked at the Bankstown Aerodrome as a rigger. During the Great Depression Onus took a number of jobs, including prospecting and truckdriving.[1]
During the late 1930s Onus joined the Aborigines Progressive Association, later becoming secretary and becoming a full-time employee of the association.[1]
In the mid-1940s Onus moved to Melbourne where he worked for a shipping company as a clerk.[1]
In 1952 Onus started business venture of his own - Aboriginal Enterprise Novelties - which produced collectables and souvenirs with Aboriginal motifs. By the end of the decade he had his own factory and shop. He became known as a boomerang thrower as he hawked his goods.[1]
Onus had roles in a series of Australian movies including Uncivilised (1936), Lovers and Luggers (1937) and The Overlanders (1946). He also appeared in the documentary Forgotten People (1967).[1]
In 1962 Onus was presenter of the Alcheringa documentary series on ABC Television.[1]
Onus died in January 1968 of a coronary occlusion.[1]