David Unaipon’s achievements have helped make Australia a better place

A man born on a mission, who left school at the age of 13 became one of our greatest inventors, revolutionising sheep shearing technology and conceptualising the helicopter 20 years before it became a reality after he was inspired by the boomerang.

David Unaipon was one of Australia’s greatest inventors.

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A man born on a mission, who left school at the age of 13 became one of our greatest inventors, revolutionising sheep shearing technology and conceptualising the helicopter 20 years before it became a reality after he was inspired by the boomerang.

David Unaipon became known as the “Australian Leonardo da Vinci” and his improvements to the handheld shearing comb in 1909 still in use today — although he did not make any money out of it.

Now immortalised on our $50 note, the early 20th century author, inventor, preacher and political activist confounded the indigenous stereotypes of his time and even helped begin the reconciliation process decades before he was allowed to vote.

He is immortalised on the $50 note.

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Born in 1872 at South Australia’s Point McLeay Mission, Unaipon’s intelligence and fascination with science was remarked upon from an early age but left school when he was just 13 and went to work as a servant in Adelaide.

There, he was encouraged to pursue his interests in areas such as science, literature, philosophy and music.

In 1914 he told the Daily Herald: “An aeroplane can be manufactured that will rise straight into the air from the ground by application of the boomerang principle … the boomerang is shaped to rise in the air according to the velocity with which it is propelled, and so can an aeroplane.

He died on February 7, 1967. Picture: Handout Historical

“This class of flying machine can also be carried on board ships, the immense advantages of which are obvious.”

Besides the improvements to the handheld shearing comb, Unaipon’s other inventions included a centrifugal motor, a multi-radial wheel and a mechanical propulsion device — he also dedicated much of his life trying to create a perpetual motion machine.

Unaipon took out provisional patents for 19 separate inventions during his lifetime, which spanned a remarkable 95 years, but did not succeed in getting any of his inventions fully patented.

Unaipon became the first Aboriginal writer to be published, with an article in this newspaper on August 2, 1924 called: “Aboriginals: Their Traditions and Customs”.

The article Unaipon wrote for The Daily Telegraph in 1924.

Soon after, he travelled through southern Australia compiling “Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines”, which was published in 1930 under the name of anthropologist William Ramsay Smith. It has since been republished under Unaipon’s name as “Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines”.

During his travels, he gave sermons and spoke of the need for “sympathetic co-operation” between black and white Australians. Before he died on February 7, 1967, he was awarded the Coronation Medal in 1953, recognising his achievements.

In 1995, Unaipon was put on the $50 note and one of his mechanical designs featured on Google’s home page on the 140th anniversary of his birthday in 2012.

Originally published as David Unaipon’s achievements have helped make Australia a better place