Jack Dale, Ngarinyin senior lawman was born in the bush on Mount House Station, circa 1922 and lives in Derby, Western Australia.
He is Kimberley history personified. His mother, Moddera, was an indigenous woman traditional to the Komaduwah clan estate that falls within the Mount House pastoral lease. Jack's father, who died when Jack was a small boy, was a hard-living frontiersman who reputedly died (unlamented) as violently as he lived. After a lifetime as a stockman, retirement sat heavily on Jack, and in the last few years, he has started to document his own rich cultural history and significant historical events in the Kimberley through his paintings.

It is estimated that Jack Dale is about 82 years old however there are no records of his birth. He was born at a time when it was common to kill the babies of indigenous women who were fathered by white men, either by the orders of the father, or by senior members of the mother's clan concerned about possible disruption to tradition and social order in the future. It is uncertain why Jack's life was spared. Following the death of his father, he grew up in the bush with his mother's father, learning about traditional law and the ways of the hunter-gatherer, with a constant threat of being abducted by police and placed in an institution.
For most of his life Jack worked as a stockman and was greatly revered amongst old stockmen as a skilled, tough uncompromising man who was never thrown from a horse or beaten by a beast. He has seen many changes in the pastoral industry which he greatly resents and laments.
In recent times Jack has sought to rediscover and relive his experience of bush life through his art. The modern history of the Kimberley is portrayed in Jack's work. Images of Afghan camel traders and early missionaries, the stark lines of chained Aboriginal men being marched to Boab prison trees and images of Wandjinas, the most powerful spirit ancestors of the Northern Kimberley. Jack paints mainly with traditional earth pigments (ochres) but also at times also uses acrylic paints.

Private collections: Europe, London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth.

Text courtesy of Burrinja Gallery, Melbourne