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(with the threat of involving the Governor-General of Australia), made wonderful true stories, but display a degree
of perversity.
When she died in 1975 and, at her request, was buried in an unmarked grave in the Alice Springs cemetery,
as interesting, colourful and controversial a figure as has ever lived in Australia was ‘laid to rest’. And yet, although
her pen and her voice were stilled forever, her spirit lives on. Her records assisted the Warlpiri to gain title to their
traditional country and, in 1985, the Olive Pink Flora Reserve was officially opened.
Olive Muriel Pink—Miss Pink—was an intelligent, complex person. Her interests in art, town planning,
anthropology, Australian arid flora and the democratic rights of citizens were deep interests and involved some
excellent work. Unfortunately, a great deal of her anthropological work remains unpublished, so that a true
perspective is not possible. In fighting for her right to express herself she often intruded on the time of others to the
point of irritation and, in her means of expression, undoubtedly filled the role of eccentric—a very sane, intelligent
eccentric who usually achieved what she desired.
G Farwell, Rejoice in Freedom, 1976; M Hazzard (Introduction) & H Hewson (Notes), Flower Paintings of Ellis Rowan, 1982; G Michael,
A Man from Plahgoman, 1983; F O’Grady, Francis of Central Australia, 1977; O Pink, ‘The Landowners In The Northern Division of the
Aranda Tribe, Central Australia’, Oceania vol 6, 1936; J Toohey, Land Claim by Warlpiri and Kartengarurru-Kurintji, 1979; Canberra Times,
1938; Sunday Mail, 13 November 1983; Centralian Advocate, 13 February 1985; R G Kimber, Unpublished notes and tape-recordings;
AA Darwin, CRS 8, Item 8/30; IA 1070, CRS F1, Item 36/577.
R G KIMBER, Vol 1.PITCHENEDER, NORMA CATHERINE (BILLIE) nee HARRIS also NICHOLS (1916– ), shop assistant,
manager, driver, cook, caterer and community worker, was born in Fremantle, Western Australia on 16 May 1916,
the second child and only daughter of James Arthur Harris and his wife Lillian May. Her parents ran a contracting
business supplying ships at the port of Fremantle with food and other requirements. Norma attended primary
school and high school in Fremantle and then took her first job in the shoe department of a large store in Perth,
Boan’s Emporium. It was there that she acquired the nickname Billie, which she happily adopted. Billie changed
jobs several times, working in various shoe departments in Perth, commuting from Fremantle daily.
Finding the routine of a city shop assistant rather dull, Billie was attracted to a newspaper advertisement for
someone to manage a miners’ mess at Marble Bar, in the north of Western Australia. With encouragement from
her father, who believed that experience was the best form of education, Billie applied for the job and, despite a
total lack of experience, was successful. In Marble Bar, she met her first husband, whom she married in May 1939.
However, the marriage lasted only briefly and soon Billie, then Billie Nichols, moved to Port Hedland, Western
Australia, where she helped to run the Pier Hotel. There she met commercial travellers who told exciting stories
of a more exotic life in Darwin and the Top End of the Northern Territory. So interested was Billie that she spent a
holiday in Darwin from October to December 1941, unfortunately on the eve of the Pacific war. In mid December
she was advised to leave the town, so she flew back to Perth via Broome. Nevertheless, her time in Darwin had
already persuaded her that ‘if I was ever to settle permanently it would be in Darwin.’
But in the meantime there was a war on. In June 1942, Billie joined the Australian Women’s Army Service
as a transport driver, training and serving in Melbourne. However, the climate did not suit her and her health
suffered. After a short stint picking peaches and apricots at Cobram in northern Victoria, Billie returned to Perth
and received her discharge. She then worked in a friend’s shop, but again disliked the routine and hankered after
tropical Darwin.
She returned to Darwin on 18 February 1948. Billie found a job at Snell’s contracting company, working in
the mess, helping to cook for about 90 men each day. A local Buffalo Lodge asked her to cater for a function,
which was a successful venture. Several catering jobs for various other lodges followed. Out of this grew the idea
of a catering business. Billie ran her own business for 12 years from a small house she purchased and a small
van. A major responsibility was supplying food for the infant, primary and high schools in Darwin, catering for
approximately 300 to 400 children per day. At the same time, she continued to work at the mess, which meant very
long and tiring working days.
In addition to her paid employment, from the early 1950s Billie gradually took on various kinds of fund raising
and charity work. She helped to raise funds for the Darwin Primary School by means of a ‘Children’s Frolic’
and she worked for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Because she was blind in one
eye, Billie’s mother in Western Australia was involved in the Braille Society; as a result of this connection Billie
undertook to sell badges on a corner in Darwin for the Braille Society, which developed into an annual appeal for
the Society. She also raised money for a guide dog for a blind Darwin man. The many other community groups
for whom she worked included the Country Women’s Association, the Red Cross, the Lions and Lionesses Clubs,
the Pensioners’ Association, the Salvation Army and the Girl Guides. Among the many fund raising activities she
organised were a beer barrel rolling contest, which involved several bank managers rolling kegs down Knuckey
Street, a lawn mower derby in Smith Street, a broom and rolling pin throwing contest and a tug-o’war in Raintree
Park. These were all successful in providing enjoyment and entertainment as well as in raising funds for various
causes. As a result of Cyclone Tracy in December 1974, the Chinese temple in Bennett Street was ruined. Billie
stood outside Woolworths collecting donations to the Chung Wah Society to allow the temple to be repaired.
In 1987, she raised thousands of Dollars to enable Vietnam veterans from Darwin to attend a victory march in
Sydney. Over many years, Billie became a familiar figure outside Woolworths or alongside the highway, selling
raffle tickets or collecting donations. She was popularly known as ‘Auntie Billie’.
In 1961, Billie met her second husband, Peter Pitcheneder, who worked as a ship’s cook. Peter had become
friendly with Billie’s relations in Western Australia, who sometimes asked him to deliver parcels to Billie. On one