Inquest into the Suspected Death of Willie PINCHER
Inquest into the Suspected Death of Willie PINCHER
Delivered on : 6 August 2021
Delivered at : Perth
Finding of : Deputy State Coroner Linton
Recommendations : N/A
Orders/Rules : N/A
Suppression Order : N/A
Summary : Willie Pincher (also known as Kungil in his own language) was an Aboriginal man from the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. He disappeared in October or November 1965 and was formally reported missing to WA Police on 12 March 1966.
Mr Pincher had been working as a station worker at Mornington Station with his partner, Dolly Joyjill, prior to his disappearance. When the station closed in late 1965, Mr Pincher and Ms Joyjill decided to walk to Lansdowne Station to look for work. The evidence seems to be that Mr Pincher and Ms Joyjill left the station sometime in October 1965 and became separated early on in their journey. Mr Pincher was last seen walking ahead of Ms Joyjill with his swag and at least one dog. Ms Joyjill followed Mr Pincher’s tracks and tracked him to the Sir John Range. She could not follow him up the rock face as she had injured her foot, so she took a different, easier path to Lansdowne Station. It took Ms Joyjill approximately one week to walk to Landsdowne Station. When she arrived at the station on 4 November 1965 she immediately asked for Mr Pincher and she was told that Mr Pincher had never arrived.
Ms Joyjill was unwell when she arrived at Lansdowne Station. After she had recovered, she walked to Tablelands Station around Christmas 1965 to see if Mr Pincher had gone there, but there had been no sign of him at that station Shen she retuned to Lansdowne Station. She told an owner of the station that she thought something must have happened to Mr Pincher as otherwise someone would have heard from him by then.
Mr Pincher’s disappearance was reported to police, various witnesses were spoken to and conflicting accounts were given as to what might have happened to him. Despite extensive searches and a review again of the case in December 1967 Mr Pincher has not been found.
The Deputy State Coroner was satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt Mr Pincher is deceased and died around the time of his disappearance, on an unknown date between 1 October 1965 and 30 November 1965. The Deputy State Coroner was unable to determine how the deceased died and made an Open Finding as to the manner of Mr Pincher’s death.
Catch Words : Long Term Missing Person : Land Search : Open Finding
Last updated: 6-Oct-2021
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