Noonuccal, Oodgeroo

▪ 1994

      (KATH WALKER; KATHLEEN JEAN MARY RUSKA), Australian Aboriginal poet and writer (b. Nov. 3, 1920, Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia—d. Sept. 16, 1993, Brisbane, Australia), was the first Aborigine to have her works published, and she used those works to champion the cause of civil rights for Australia's indigenous peoples. On Stradbroke Island, where she grew up, many of the ancient Aboriginal customs were still practiced, and her upbringing exposed her to native traditions. Noonuccal left school at 13 to work as a domestic and then joined the Australian Women's Army Service when World War II broke out. Her awareness of the plight of the Aborigines grew, and she became an activist for Aboriginal rights. She began to write poetry, and her first book, We Are Going (1964), sold out in three days. Other works of poetry, fiction, essays, and folktales followed, including The Dawn Is at Hand (1966), Stradbroke Dreamtime (1972), Father Sky and Mother Earth (1981), and The Rainbow Serpent (1988). She successfully campaigned for the passage of a referendum (1967) that for the first time gave constitutional recognition to Aborigines. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, but in 1988, during celebrations of the 200 years of European settlement in Australia, she returned the honour to Queen Elizabeth II to protest the history of mistreatment of Aboriginal people. At that same time, she changed her name from Kath Walker to a traditional tribal name.

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