Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) (November 3, 1920 - 1993) was an Australian poet, actress, writer, teacher, artist and a campaigner for Aboriginal rights.

Oodgeroo was best known for her poetry, and she was the first Aboriginal Australian to have a book of poetry published.

Oodgeroo was born in Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). She was the 2nd youngest child in her family. Odgerro's father was a labourer and lead a strike in 1935 to get wages for Oodgeroo as they were labourers those days. Oodgeroo loved the sea and the seashore, but not her schooling. She wrote with her left hand, and was punished for it. She first worked as a domestic servant then in 1939 (WWII) she worked as a communication worker. She married Bruice Walker in 1942. Her marrage ended after 10 years. She qualified for scholarship as book keeping, typing & shorthand. In 1965 she lobbied Robert Menzies (MP) unsucessfully. In 1966 she lobbied his sucessor, Harold Holt sucessfully. She wrote many books, as well as being the first Aboriginie to publish a book. She died in 1993.

Publications

• We are Going : poems (1964)
• The Dawn is at Hand : poems (1966)
• My People : a Kath Walker collection 1970)
• Stradbroke Dreamtime (1972)
• Father Sky and Mother Earth (1981)
• Quandamooka, the Art of Kath Walker (1985)
• Little Fella (1986)
• The Rainbow Serpent (1988)
• The Spirit of Australia (1989)
• Towards a Global Village in the Southern Hemisphere (1989)
• Australian Legends And Landscapes (1990)
• Australia's Unwritten history : more legends of our land (1992)
• Oodgeroo (1994)

Reference

• Australian Women
• ABC Coverage
• Ask.com Answers