A. O. Neville

Auber Octavius Neville (20 November 1875–18 May 1954) was a public servant, notably Chief Protector of Aborigines, in Western Australia.

Born in Northumberland, England, Neville immigrated to Victoria, Australia as a child.

In 1897 he went from Victoria to Western Australia and joined the civil service there, quickly rising through the ranks. Neville became the state's second appointment, in 1915, to the role of the Chief Protector of Aborigines. During the next quarter-century, he presided over the controversial policy of removing Aboriginal children from their families, children who were later termed the Stolen Generation. More than 69% of Noongah were removed in this way and sent to "camps" at Mogumber at Moore River and Carrolup near Katanning. In 1936, Neville became the Commissioner for Native Affairs, a post he held until his retirement in 1940.

The practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families was advocated at the time, and the role of Chief Protector was never persistently challenged. In 1934, a royal commission was called to examine the current state of Aboriginal people with regard to the role of Chief Protector. This ended up giving the Chief Protector more authority over the lives of Western Australian Aboriginal people which, some say, only increased their suffering. In 1937 Neville declared:

Are we going to have one million blacks in the Commonwealth or are we going to merge them into our white community and eventually forget that there were any Aborigines in Australia?

The attempt to culturally assimilate Aboriginal people during Neville's time as Chief Protector had followed an era of direct conflict with indigenous Australians with regard the theft of cattle and sheep, which were used for food. Government funding given to Neville was slight and his capacity to improve their circumstances was restricted. Open hostility was still expressed, in public and parliament, and the level of violence in more remote regions continued. Many indigenous people became impoverished, especially by cases of forced dislocation with police assistance, as the population and development of the State increased. The Chief Protector was given responsibility for these people, who did not have political rights, and Neville sought to improve the circumstances in which they lived. The attempt did not achieve its aims. Whilst Neville had the statutory role of protecting Aboriginal people,some now say that the government of the day put the needs of Non Aboriginal people first.

...
Wikipedia