Dolly Gurinyi Batcho

Dolly Gurinya Batcho (c.1905 - 1973) was a Larrakia woman (part of the Danggalaba clan)[1] from Darwin, Northern Territory and she was one of an estimated 6,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who worked in support of the war effort in World War II as a part of the Aboriginal Women's Hygiene Squad, 69th Australian Women's Army Service Barracks at Adelaide River.

[4][5] Despite this, reports of the time were often condescending towards Batcho, particularly regarding the way she wore her uniform with the strips on the front and "coy" colour patches on her should strap.

This is seen in newspaper coverage in late 1944 when numerous newspapers around Australia reported the following of the Aboriginal women working for the Hygiene Squad:[6] They have bestowed upon themselves military ranks, and heroine of the party is "Corporal Dolly," whose stripes mean all the world to her though they, of course, have no official significance.In 1945 journalist Ernestine Hill wrote about Batcho, who she also named only as "Corporal Dolly" in an article for The Chronicle (Adelaide) in which she spoke about the changing role of women in society during the war.

[7] While at Adelaide River, Batcho experienced homesickness and so, in a hope of making her feel better, they collected a bucket of sand from Mindil Beach, while on a trip there for supplies, to help console her.

She was a signatory to the 1972 Larrakia Petition which was intended for presentation to Princess Margaret on her visit to Darwin in 1972:[9] this was a landmark document which was signed by more than 1,000 people.

The petition, which was three metres long, was torn in the process, so they patched it up and sticky taped it back together and posted it to Buckingham Palace with a letter.