Rebel with a Cause

Oodgeroo Noonuccal's vivacious words, archives, hopes, and dreams are intertwined with the present-day activities of her talented family.

Born in 1920 and leaving Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) at 13 to work as a domestic, she later joined the army.

Earning a stripe for her service.

After the war, she married, had two children, and became activated in the Communist Party; the only group opposed to the white Australia policy.

There she was introduced to the realist writers and was supported to become the first Aboriginal to publish a book of verse.

Quickly rising to fame.

In 1988, she returned her Order of Australia merit and changed her name in protest the bi-centennial celebration.

Her poetic viewpoint and fierce visionary defiance - possesses a profound quality still resonating today in generations of Australians.