Oodgeroo noonuccal biography templates
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Aunty Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920 - 1993) was an Aboriginal rights activist, poet, veteran, environmentalist and educator.
*Aunty Oodgeroo Noonuccal previously known and is often referred to as Kath Walker. In 1988 she adopted the name Oodgeroo (meaning 'paperbark tree') Noonuccal.
Aunty Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born in Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland in 1920. Her father, Edward, was a Quandamooka man from the Noonuccal Clan from the area around Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island and her mother, Lucy, was of the Peewee clan from inland Australia.
"We belong here, we are of the old ways. We are the corroboree and the bora ground, We are the old sacred ceremonies, the laws of the elders" – We Are Going
Growing up, Aunty Oodgeroo had a strong connection to her sand and water Country and her culture. Her totem was Kabool the carpet snake. Aunty Oodgeroo’s father taught all his children about Aboriginal lore and values.
The Dispossessed
Image: Kath Walker, Moongalba, one 1974 Carol JERREMS. NGV.
In 1942 when Aunty Oodgeroo was 21, she enlisted in the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) after her two brothers were captured by the Japanese in Singapore. She said “&
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Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920–1993), formerly Kath Walker, was a Quandamooka woman, activist, poet, writer and educator. Born in Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland, she enlisted in the Australian Women's Army Service in 1942 before beginning her career in political activism. In the 1940s she was a member of the Communist Party of Australia, which opposed racial discrimination. She became Queensland State Secretary of the Federal Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement in 1961, and campaigned successfully for amendments to Sections 51(xxvi) and 127 of the Constitution in 1967. In the 1970s she chaired a number of bodies set up to promote Indigenous interests, including the Queensland Aboriginal Advancement League. Throughout her life, she aimed to promote cultural pride among Aboriginal people through her writing, which she described as 'sloganistic, civil rightish, plain and simple'. Her first book of poetry, We are Going, published in 1964, was the first poetry publication by an Aboriginal person. Noonuccal returned to Minjerribah in 1971 where she taught Aboriginal culture to thousands of school children, and published two children's books: Stradbroke Dreamtime (1972) and Father Sky and Mother Earth (1981). Having g
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Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Aboriginal Inhabitant poet, creator, teacher presentday campaigner disclose Indigenous rights
Oodgeroo Noonuccal | |
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Oodgeroo Noonuccal | |
| Born | Kathleen Pants Mary Ruska (1920-11-03)3 November 1920 Minjerribah, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 16 September 1993(1993-09-16) (aged 72) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Kath Footer, Kathleen Ruska |
| Education | Bookkeeping, typing, shorthand |
| Occupation(s) | Army officer, author, teacher, poet |
| Employer(s) | Australian Women's Blue Service, Noonuccal-Nughie Education Ethnical Centre |
| Known for | Poetry, finicky, writing, Abo rights activism |
| Political party | Communist Band together of Australia Australian Labor Party Australian Democrats |
| Board member of | Federal Council espouse the Event of Aborigine and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) |
| Spouse | Bruce Walker |
| Children | Denis Walker Vivian Walker |
| Parent(s) | Ted and Lucy Ruska |
* Mary Gilmore Medal (1970) | |