Australian Dictionary of Biography

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Charlie One Lampungmeiua (1920–1974)

by Jenny Rich

This article was published:

Charlie One Lampungmeiua (1920?-1974), coastwatcher, was born probably in 1920 on Melville Island. Belonging to the Ironwood and Tukkarinna (mullet) groups, he was affiliated with the Munupi country, and spoke Tiwi, English and Malay.

In 1942 Lampungmeiua was one of thirty-nine Aborigines recruited for coastwatching work around Bathurst and Melville islands by Jack Gribble, a patrol officer based near Snake Bay, Melville Island. Gribble was commissioned in the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve, but his men were not formally enlisted. Selected for their local knowledge and bush skills, the Aborigines received no wages; they were given a few rations, clothing, clay pipes and tobacco, and were told that they would be paid after World War II had ended.

Issued with naval uniforms and weapons, the Aborigines practised drill, and were trained to use rifles, machine-guns, grenades and two-way radios. They also learned to identify Japanese aircraft and ships. One visitor patronizingly reported that they acquitted themselves 'in a manner comparable with white servicemen'. The Aborigines carried out armed patrols in the motor vessel, Amity, and in dugout canoes; they performed guard duty, built a jetty, dam, store and huts, and made bricks and cultivated gardens at their base. Lampungmeiua was a machine-gunner in the Amity. He and 'Strangler' McKenzie made several secret trips by submarine to Japanese-occupied Timor to assist in landing small parties of allied troops and stores. They were chosen because they spoke Malay.

The main tasks of Gribble's Aboriginal patrol were to watch for enemy invaders, and to search for downed planes and airmen. Members of the group escorted several allied airmen to safety, including the crew of a Dutch bomber and an American fighter pilot. They also rescued eleven survivors from an American supply ship which was sunk off Melville Island. In addition, they warned authorities about a number of Japanese submarines, piloted visiting ships and located enemy sea-mines. In one fifteen-month period they patrolled over 2250 miles (3621 km) by boat and 1150 miles (1851 km) by foot to provide security for the two airstrips and the radar stations in the area. They were taken to Darwin for a special parade.

After the war Charlie One lived near Garden Point, Melville Island. A 'strong and determined leader' who insisted that his 'people respect and maintain their culture', he was held in high regard. He refused a party of miners access to his land to explore for mineral sands. His woven-flax ropes—attached to harpoons for catching dugong and turtle—were valued by the Tiwi. He married three sisters Dorie, Elizabeth and Gladys Puruntatameri. In August 1962 the R.A.N. honoured surviving Aboriginal coastwatchers in a ceremony on Melville Island. Tippaklippa received £200 and was awarded the Defence, War and Australian Service medals. Accidentally spiking his head on a nail, he died on 22 September 1974 at Nguiu and was buried in Garden Point (Pirlangimpi) cemetery. Gladys survived him, as did the daughter of his marriage to Elizabeth.

Select Bibliography

  • S. Baldwin (ed), Unsung Heroes & Heroines of Australia (Melb, 1988)
  • R. Hall, The Black Diggers (Syd, 1989)
  • Northern Territory News, 28 Aug 1962, 27 Sept 1974
  • Department of Defence (Navy Office), Canberra, file 307/201/22
  • NTAC 1980/111 NN and F1 1965/2637 (National Archives of Australia)
  • private information.

Citation details

Jenny Rich, 'Lampungmeiua, Charlie One (1920–1974)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lampungmeiua-charlie-one-10782/text19121, published first in hardcopy 2000, accessed online 28 March 2024.

This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 15, (Melbourne University Press), 2000

View the front pages for Volume 15

© Copyright Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2006-2024

Life Summary [details]

Alternative Names
  • Tippaklippa, Charlie One
Birth

1920
Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia

Death

22 September, 1974 (aged ~ 54)
Nguiu, Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Occupation