Doc Reynolds

Doc Reynolds is a respected Wudjari Nyungar Elder with 40 years active work in Aboriginal affairs at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Doc has been involved in cultural land care practices for most of his life learning to look after country from the old people he grew up with in Esperance. In the 90’s Doc managed the Bay of Isles Aboriginal Community Inc, ramping up and sharing his knowledge with his people around the Wudjari country. Doing cultural protection work in conjunction with CALM and other numerous land care bodies on the south coast, including Goldfields Land and Sea Council, SCRIPT/SCNRM, Applied Archeology Australia etc. He along with Dave Guilfoyle, set up the Gabbie Kylie Foundation set up under the auspices of the National Trust, taking their directives from the 6 Wudjari Elders, to better document the cultural and environmental richness of the Wudjari Country and use that to underpin improved cultural and mainstream land management practices.

His family business “Kepa Kurl Enterprises Pty Ltd” has operated for many years, and among many achievements Doc established a successful environmental and cultural tourism business operating out of Esperance.

Doc lodged the Tjaltjraak Native Title Claim on behalf of all the old “fullas” in 1994 to connect Wudjari people back to country and sea country, to continue to protect our Sacred and Significant sites scattered across ‘boodja’. He is now a Director and Senior Cultural Advisor of Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) and has been on their Board representing the Reynolds family since November 2021.

Doc was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the Esperance Shire Council and served on many local committees as a Councillor. He has also sat on many State Ministerial Councils including chairing the Aboriginal Lands Trust, which is the largest landholder in Western Australia.

He is a past President of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and held many tourism related positions including, Australia’s Golden Outback board, Tourism Esperance, Tourism Council of WA, World Indigenous Network Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and currently the longest serving Chair of Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) and providing advice in WAITOC’s infancy, 20 year ago.