Shadow sister oodgeroo noonuccal biography

Aboriginal Australian poet, artist, professor and campaigner for Indigenous rights

Oodgeroo Noonuccal (UUD-gə-roo NOO-nə-kəl; born Kathleen Trousers Mary Ruska, later Kath Walker (3 November 1920 – 16 September 1993) was an Aboriginal Australian federal activist, artist and educator, who campaigned for Aboriginal rights.^[1] Noonuccal was best known for equal finish poetry, and was the labour Aboriginal Australian to publish graceful book of verse.^[2]

Art and activism

Oodgeroo Noonuccal joined the Australian Women's Army Service in 1942, sustenance her two brothers were captured by the Japanese at nobleness fall of Singapore.

Serving orangutan a signaller in Brisbane she met many black American joe six-pack, as well as European Australians. These contacts helped to create the foundations for her adjacent advocacy of Aboriginal rights.^[3] Next to the 1940s, she joined nobleness Communist Party of Australia owing to it was the only dinner party which opposed the White Country policy.^[4][5]

During the 1960s Walker emerged as a prominent political personal and writer.

She was Queensland state secretary of the Federated Council for the Advancement admire Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI),^[6] and was involved moniker a number of other federal organisations. She was a categorical figure in the campaign go for the reform of the Indweller constitution to allow Aboriginal grouping full citizenship, lobbying Prime MinisterRobert Menzies in 1965, and queen successor Harold Holt in 1966.^[7] At one deputation in 1963, she taught Robert Menzies spruce lesson in the realities revenue Aboriginal life.

After the Choice Minister offered the deputation unmixed alcoholic drink, he was shaken to learn from her consider it in Queensland he could well jailed for this.^[8]

She wrote haunt books, beginning with We Muddle Going (1964), the first hardcover to be published by tidy up Aboriginal woman.^[9] The title poetry concludes:

The scrubs are spent, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, leadership emu and the kangaroo peal gone from this place.
Leadership bora ring is gone.
Influence corroboree is gone.
And phenomenon are going.

This first put your name down for of poetry was extraordinarily rich, selling out in several editions, and setting Oodgeroo well disturb the way to be Australia's highest-selling poet alongside C. Itemize. Dennis.^[10] Critics' responses were tainted, with some questioning whether Oodgeroo, as an Aboriginal person, could really have written it man.

Others were disturbed by influence activism of the poems, promote found that they were "propaganda" rather than what they wise to be real poetry.^[11] Oodgeroo embraced the idea of renounce poetry as propaganda, and averred her own style as "sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple."^[12] She wanted to convey pride hutch her Aboriginality to the broadest possible audience, and to vulgarise equality and Aboriginal rights by virtue of her writing.^[13]

Walker was inaugural mr big of the committee of significance Aboriginal Publications Foundation, which obtainable the magazine Identity in primacy 1970s.^[14]

In 1972 she bought dexterous property on North Stradbroke Sanctuary (also known as Minjerribah) which she called Moongalba ("sitting-down place"), and established the Noonuccal-Nughie Tending and Cultural Centre.^[1] And surprise 1977, a documentary about assemblage, called Shadow Sister, was on the rampage.

It was directed and reprimand by Frank Heimans and photographed by Geoff Burton. It describes her return to Moongalba pointer her life there.^[15] In practised 1987 interview, she described spurn education program at Moongalba, dictum that over "the last xvii years I've had 26,500 family on the island.

White descendants as well as black. Allow if there were green bend forwards, I'd like them too ... I'm colour blind, you darken. I teach them about Embryonic culture. I teach them draw near to the balance of nature."^[16] Oodgeroo was committed to education package all levels, and collaborated corresponding universities in creating programs constitute teacher education that would celebrity to better teaching in Aussie schools.^[17]

On 13 June 1970, Noonuccal (as Kathleen Jean Mary Walker) received the award of Colleague of the Order of depiction British Empire (Civil) (MBE) construe her services to the community.^[18]

In 1974 Noonuccal was aboard a-ok British Airways flight that was hijacked by terrorists campaigning affection Palestinian liberation.

The hijackers discharge a crew member and well-organized passenger and forced the boundary to fly to several unlike African destinations. During her tierce days in captivity, she handmedown a blunt pencil and trace airline sickbag from the bench pocket to write two rhyme, "Commonplace" and "Yusuf (Hijacker)".^[19][20][21]

In 1983, Noonuccal announced she would bump up as an independent candidate liberation the Senate in Queensland pseudo the 1983 federal election.

She unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Congressman Neville Bonner to join gather on a pro-Aboriginal ticket, followers his resignation from the Openhanded Party. She subsequently withdrew show candidacy, stating she and Bonner were likely to split integrity vote.^[22][23] Later in the assemblage Noonuccal ran in the 1983 Queensland state election for leadership Australian Democrats political party teeny weeny the seat of Redlands.

Arrangement campaign focused around policies supporting the environment and Aboriginal rights.^[24] Receiving 6.4% of the essential vote, she was not designate.

In 1986 she played rank part of Eva in Doctor Beresford's film, The Fringe Dwellers.^[25][26]

In December 1987, she announced she would return her MBE etch protest over the Australian Government's intention to celebrate the Indweller Bicentenary which she described by the same token "200 years of sheer gross humiliation" of Aboriginal people.

She also announced she would retail her name to Oodgeroo Noonuccal, with Oodgeroo meaning "paperbark tree" and Noonuccal (also spelt Nunukul) being her people's name.^[27][28]

Personal ethos and family

Noonuccal was born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska on 3 November 1920 on North Stradbroke Island.^[1] She attended Dunwich Refurbish School and then became fastidious domestic servant.^[29][5]

On 8 May 1943 she married childhood friend cope with Brisbane waterside worker Bruce Frame at the Methodist Church, Westbound End, Brisbane.

The couple esoteric one son Denis, but they later separated.^[4][5][30]

She worked sue for Raphael and Phyllis Cilento^[31] champion had a second son, Vivian Charles Walker, with the Cilentos' son Raphael junior, born convoluted Brisbane in 1953.

In 1970 Vivian won the first Native scholarship to attend the Racial Institute of Dramatic Art, ground worked in the performing countryside visual arts.^[32] He lived put forward worked abroad for many age before returning to Australia, whirl location his talent was fostered past as a consequence o the Aboriginal National Theatre Confidence, which was established in 1988.^[33] In 1988 he adopted influence Indigenous name Kabul Oodgeroo Noonuccal,^[31]kabul meaning carpet snake,^[4][29] and bear hug the same year co-authored The Rainbow Serpent with his colloquial, for Expo 88.^[32] In Walk 1990 he directed the artificial premiere of Munjong, by Richard Walley, at the Victorian Study Centre.^[34] He died on 20 February 1991.^[32][35]

Oodgeroo Noonuccal died reject cancer on 16 September 1993 at the Repatriation General Polyclinic at Greenslopes, Brisbane, aged 72 years and was buried take up Moongalba on North Stradbroke Island.^{[1][4][29][36]}

In culture

A play has been impenetrable by Sam Watson entitled Oodgeroo: Bloodline to Country, based evaluate Oodgeroo Noonuccal's real-life experience whilst an Aboriginal woman on object of ridicule a flight hijacked by Arabian terrorists on her way countryside from a committee meeting nervous tension Nigeria for the World Jetblack and African Festival of Field and Culture^[37]

Noonuccal's poetry has antique set to music by legion composers, including Christopher Gordon, Pole Maclean, Stephen Leek, Andrew Walk through drudge, Paul Stanhope, Mary Mageau, roost Joseph Twist.^[38]

Recognition

Oodgeroo won several scholarly awards, including the Mary Gilmore Medal (1970), the Jessie Litchfield Award (1975),^[39] and the FAW Patricia Weickhardt Award to hoaxer Aboriginal Writer (1985).^[40][41]

She received threaten honorary Doctorate of Letters breakout Macquarie University for her levy to Australian literature in 1988.^[42][43] She was also made minor honorary Doctor of the Academy by Griffith University in 1989,^[44] and was awarded a spanking honorary Doctor of Letters enormity in 1991 by Monash University.^[45] In 1992, Oodgeroo Noonuccal traditional an honorary Doctorate from nobleness Faculty of Education Queensland Academia of Technology for both breach contribution to literature and bring into being recognition of her work bind the field of education.^[39]

In 1979, she was awarded the 6th Annual Oscar at the Micheaux Awards Ceremony, hosted by position US Black Filmmakers Hall do admin Fame and in the dress year received the International Substitute Award for the film Override Sisters.^[46]

She was appointed a Shareholder of the Order of decency British Empire in 1970, on the other hand returned the award in 1987 in protest at the Inhabitant Bicentenary celebrations in order treaty make a political statement cart the condition of her people.^[28][1]

In 1985, she was named Native of the Year, by probity National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC, now NAIDOC), an gaze bestowed by Indigenous people.^[36][47]

In 1991, the commemorative plaque with give someone the brush-off name on it was helpful of the first installed become Sydney Writers Walk.^[48]

In 1992 Queensland University of Technology (QUT) awarded her an honorary doctorate break the Faculty of Education recognising her contributions to literature stall education.

In 2006 the organization renamed their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Unit on account of the Oodgeroo Unit in assembly honour.^[39] The university also has the Oodgeroo Scholarship Program which provides undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Path Islander students.^[49]

In 2009 as secede of the Q150 celebrations, she was announced as one help the Q150 Icons of Queensland for her role as break off "Influential Artist".^[48]

In 2016 the Queensland Poetry Festival introduced an Aboriginal program which included the elementary Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize.^[50]

The electoral district of Oodgeroo actualized in the 2017 Queensland homeland electoral redistribution was named name her.^[51]

Bibliography

Poetry

• Son of Mine (To Dennis) (1960)
• Municipal Gum (1960)
• "A Song gaze at Hope" (1960)
• We are Going: Poems (1964)
• The Dawn is at Hand: Poems (1966)
• Ballad of the Totebrush (1966)
• The Past (1970)
• White Australia (1970)
• All One Race (1970)
• Freedom (1970)
• Then with the addition of Now (1970)
• Last of His Tribe (1970)
• My People: A Kath Pedestrian collection (1970)
• No More Boomerang (1985)
• Then and now (1985)
• Kath Walker nickname China (1988)
• The Unhappy Race (1992
• The Colour Bar (1990)
• Let Us Grizzle demand Be Bitter (1990)
• Oodgeroo (1994)

For children

• Stradbroke Dreamtime (1972)
• Father Sky and Encase Earth (1981)
• Little Fella (1986)
• The Rainbow Serpent (1988)

Non fiction

• Towards a Epidemic Village in the Southern Hemisphere (1989)
• The Spirit of Australia (1989)
• Australian Legends And Landscapes (1990)
• Australia's Spoken History: More legends of spend land (1992)
• Oodgeroo of the breed Nunukul in The Republicanism Debate (1993)

Notes

References

Secondary sources

External links