Lizzie Fagan : Short Biography

Elizabeth Grace Fagan was removed from her father's care at Spring Creek Station in East Kimberley in 1908 and sent to Broome. Aged 16 she married Paddy Djiagween. She inherited her father's share of Spring Creek Station but, defined as a 'half-cast', she was subject to Western Australia's Aborigines Act 1905. Her inheritance was kept from her because she had 'not dissolved native associations, had not adopted the manner and habits of civilized life, and was not reasonably capable of managing her own affairs'. She spent more than three decades fighting the WA bureaucracy before she received a Certificate of Exemption in 1952, therby gaining access to her inheritence. Among her surviving grandchildren are Patrick and Mick Dodson.  

This Chronicle has been adapted by kind permission of the Aisling Society. The content has been inspired by the Aisling 20/20 Vision project, which forms part of a programme marking the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate General of Ireland to New South Wales. 

The Aisling Society is an Irish Australian cultural society whose main interests are the study of the history, life, and culture of Ireland, and the effect of Irish heritage on Australian life.