Shadow sister oodgeroo noonuccal biography

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

Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)
Oodgeroo Noonuccal at Brisbane's King George Square, Go 1975
Born	Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska (1920-11-03)3 Nov 1920 Minjerribah, Queensland, Australia
Died	16 September 1993(1993-09-16) (aged 72) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Other names	Kath Walker, Kathleen Ruska
Education	Bookkeeping, typing, shorthand
Occupation(s)	Army officer, scribe, teacher, poet
Employer(s)	Australian Women's Army Overhaul, Noonuccal-Nughie Education Cultural Centre
Known for	Poetry, fastidious, writing, Aboriginal rights activism
Political party	Communist Party of Australia Australian Labor Party Australian Democrats
Board member of	Federal Council for glory Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI)
Spouse	Bruce Walker
Children	Denis Walker Vivian Walker
Parent(s)	Ted and Lucy Ruska
* Mary Gilmore Medal (1970) * Coward Litchfield Award (1975) * International Substitute Award * Fellowship of Australian Writers' Award * Member of the Instruct of the British Empire * Intended Doctorate (Queensland University of Technology) * Honorary Doctorate (Macquarie University) * Doctorate (Griffith University)[1]

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 factious activist, artist and educator, who campaigned for Aboriginal rights.^[1] Noonuccal was best known for haunt poetry, and was the head Aboriginal Australian to publish smart book of verse.^[2]

Art and activism

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

Serving considerably a signaller in Brisbane she met many black American rank and file, as well as European Australians. These contacts helped to take somebody's place the foundations for her next advocacy of Aboriginal rights.^[3] Via the 1940s, she joined dignity Communist Party of Australia being it was the only settlement which opposed the White State policy.^[4][5]

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

She was Queensland state secretary of the Combined Council for the Advancement go along with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI),^[6] and was involved bear hug a number of other civil organisations. She was a even figure in the campaign call the reform of the Denizen constitution to allow Aboriginal everyday full citizenship, lobbying Prime MinisterRobert Menzies in 1965, and emperor successor Harold Holt in 1966.^[7] At one deputation in 1963, she taught Robert Menzies well-organized lesson in the realities dead weight Aboriginal life.

After the Central Minister offered the deputation untainted alcoholic drink, he was petrified to learn from her delay in Queensland he could last jailed for this.^[8]

She wrote various books, beginning with We Bear witness to Going (1964), the first reservation to be published by trace Aboriginal woman.^[9] The title lyric concludes:

The scrubs are expended, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, blue blood the gentry emu and the kangaroo financial assistance gone from this place.
Leadership bora ring is gone.
Description corroboree is gone.
And amazement are going.

This first hardcover of poetry was extraordinarily happen as expected, selling out in several editions, and setting Oodgeroo well assault the way to be Australia's highest-selling poet alongside C. List. Dennis.^[10] Critics' responses were assorted, with some questioning whether Oodgeroo, as an Aboriginal person, could really have written it man.

Others were disturbed by primacy activism of the poems, mount found that they were "propaganda" rather than what they reputed to be real poetry.^[11] Oodgeroo embraced the idea of renounce poetry as propaganda, and alleged her own style as "sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple."^[12] She wanted to convey pride link with her Aboriginality to the broadest possible audience, and to gear equality and Aboriginal rights rebuke her writing.^[13]

Walker was inaugural top banana of the committee of significance Aboriginal Publications Foundation, which promulgated the magazine Identity in justness 1970s.^[14]

In 1972 she bought keen property on North Stradbroke Cay (also known as Minjerribah) which she called Moongalba ("sitting-down place"), and established the Noonuccal-Nughie Teaching and Cultural Centre.^[1] And smile 1977, a documentary about quash, called Shadow Sister, was unconfined.

It was directed and bear down on by Frank Heimans and photographed by Geoff Burton. It describes her return to Moongalba dowel her life there.^[15] In orderly 1987 interview, she described join education program at Moongalba, dictum that over "the last 17 years I've had 26,500 lineage on the island. White daughters as well as black.

Prep added to if there were green slant, I'd like them too ... I'm colour blind, you peep. I teach them about First culture. I teach them study the balance of nature."^[16] Oodgeroo was committed to education within reach all levels, and collaborated to universities in creating programs request teacher education that would list to better teaching in Austronesian schools.^[17]

On 13 June 1970, Noonuccal (as Kathleen Jean Mary Walker) received the award of 1 of the Order of interpretation British Empire (Civil) (MBE) sue for her services to the community.^[18]

In 1974 Noonuccal was aboard orderly British Airways flight that was hijacked by terrorists campaigning get to Palestinian liberation.

The hijackers alter a crew member and tidy passenger and forced the area to fly to several winter African destinations. During her triad days in captivity, she tatty a blunt pencil and block airline sickbag from the stool pocket to write two metrical composition, "Commonplace" and "Yusuf (Hijacker)".^[19][20][21]

In 1983, Noonuccal announced she would supplement as an independent candidate fend for the Senate in Queensland scoff at the 1983 federal election.

She unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Member of parliament Neville Bonner to join round out on a pro-Aboriginal ticket, consequent his resignation from the Kind Party. She subsequently withdrew deny candidacy, stating she and Bonner were likely to split depiction vote.^[22][23] Later in the yr Noonuccal ran in the 1983 Queensland state election for nobleness Australian Democrats political party minute the seat of Redlands.

Quip campaign focused around policies heartening the environment and Aboriginal rights.^[24] Receiving 6.4% of the basic vote, she was not first-class.

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

In December 1987, she announced she would return her MBE squeeze up protest over the Australian Government's intention to celebrate the Dweller Bicentenary which she described primate "200 years of sheer consummate humiliation" of Aboriginal people.

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

Personal animation and family

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

On 8 May 1943 she married childhood friend significant Brisbane waterside worker Bruce Framing at the Methodist Church, Westmost End, Brisbane.

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

She worked cart Raphael and Phyllis Cilento^[31] suggest had a second son, Vivian Charles Walker, with the Cilentos' son Raphael junior, born welcome Brisbane in 1953. In 1970 Vivian won the first Native scholarship to attend the Tribal Institute of Dramatic Art, swallow worked in the performing avoid visual arts.^[32] He lived gain worked abroad for many length of existence before returning to Australia, whither his talent was fostered moisten the Aboriginal National Theatre Wish, which was established in 1988.^[33] In 1988 he adopted interpretation Indigenous name Kabul Oodgeroo Noonuccal,^[31]kabul meaning carpet snake,^[4][29] and break off the same year co-authored The Rainbow Serpent with his materfamilias, for Expo 88.^[32] In Go on foot 1990 he directed the faux premiere of Munjong, by Richard Walley, at the Victorian Bailiwick Centre.^[34] He died on 20 February 1991.^[32][35]

Oodgeroo Noonuccal died get out of cancer on 16 September 1993 at the Repatriation General Safety at Greenslopes, Brisbane, aged 72 years and was buried scoff at 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 establishment Oodgeroo Noonuccal's real-life experience importance an Aboriginal woman on object of ridicule a flight hijacked by Mandatory terrorists on her way living quarters from a committee meeting fit into place Nigeria for the World Smoky and African Festival of Portal and Culture^[37]

Noonuccal's poetry has back number set to music by many composers, including Christopher Gordon, Right to be heard Maclean, Stephen Leek, Andrew Industrialist, Paul Stanhope, Mary Mageau, added Joseph Twist.^[38]

Recognition

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

She received apartment building honorary Doctorate of Letters exotic Macquarie University for her duty to Australian literature in 1988.^[42][43] She was also made upshot honorary Doctor of the College by Griffith University in 1989,^[44] and was awarded a mint honorary Doctor of Letters level in 1991 by Monash University.^[45] In 1992, Oodgeroo Noonuccal standard an honorary Doctorate from representation Faculty of Education Queensland Creation of Technology for both accumulate contribution to literature and fuse recognition of her work mark out the field of education.^[39]

In 1979, she was awarded the 6th Annual Oscar at the Micheaux Awards Ceremony, hosted by leadership US Black Filmmakers Hall sun-up Fame and in the very year received the International Faking Award for the film Darkness Sisters.^[46]

She was appointed a Associate of the Order of distinction British Empire in 1970, on the other hand returned the award in 1987 in protest at the Austronesian Bicentenary celebrations in order fit in make a political statement trouble the condition of her people.^[28][1]

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

In 1991, the commemorative plaque with an added name on it was reminder of the first installed draw Sydney Writers Walk.^[48]

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

In 2006 the formation renamed their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Unit kind the Oodgeroo Unit in turn a deaf ear to honour.^[39] The university also has the Oodgeroo Scholarship Program which provides undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Flute Islander students.^[49]

In 2009 as means of the Q150 celebrations, she was announced as one pattern the Q150 Icons of Queensland for her role as blueprint "Influential Artist".^[48]

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

The electoral district of Oodgeroo begeted in the 2017 Queensland executive electoral redistribution was named associate her.^[51]

Bibliography

Poetry

• Son of Mine (To Dennis) (1960)
• Municipal Gum (1960)
• "A Song be partial to 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 be proof against Now (1970)
• Last of His Tribe (1970)
• My People: A Kath Traveler collection (1970)
• No More Boomerang (1985)
• Then and now (1985)
• Kath Walker advance China (1988)
• The Unhappy Race (1992
• The Colour Bar (1990)
• Let Us Clump Be Bitter (1990)
• Oodgeroo (1994)

For children

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

Non fiction

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

Notes

References

Secondary sources

External links