was seen at the spotlight as athlete, and also minister and campaigner; born December 9, 1906, at Cummeragunja Reserve; he competed professional running and AFL football; later becoming a key proponent of Indigenous rights, founding organizations such as the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League and the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement; knighted in 1972, Australia’s first Indigenous knight; he also briefly served as Governor of South Australia before health issues curtailed his tenure.
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In May 1957 Nicholls formed the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League with the social activist Doris Blackburn, Stan Davey, a committed Christian and activist, and Gordon Bryant, a Federal parliamentarian. As its paid field officer and spokesman, Nicholls contested assimilation policies and used film to raise awareness of issues. When the Welfare Board attempted to close Lake Tyers reserve, Gippsland, he resigned in disgust and led a protest march on parliament in May 1963. … In 1958...
adb.anu.edu.auIn May 1957 Nicholls formed the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League with the social activist Doris Blackburn, Stan Davey, a committed Christian and activist, and Gordon Bryant, a Federal parliamentarian. As its paid field officer and spokesman, Nicholls contested assimilation policies and used film to raise awareness of issues. When the Welfare Board attempted to close Lake Tyers reserve, Gippsland, he resigned in disgust and led a protest march on parliament in May 1963. … In 1958...
ia.anu.edu.auProfessional sportsman, pastor, activist, Father of the Year and Governor of South Australia; Sir Doug Nicholls lived an incredible life.
www.amnesty.org.auSir Doug Nicholls was a prominent Aboriginal Australian figure known for his multifaceted contributions as an athlete, pastor, and activist. Born on December 9, 1906, in Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales, Nicholls was a member of the Yorta Yorta tribe and faced the harsh realities of life under the Aborigines Protection Board during his childhood. His athletic career flourished in the 1920s, where he became notable in professional running and Australian Rules football, earning...
www.ebsco.comA website on the campaigns to include Indigenous Australians as members of Australian society with rights to vote and rights to benefits such as the old age pension; and documents the concurrent campaigns to develop and disseminate an argument - moral, legal and economic - for an Indigenous right to land at a time when mining companies and governments were working together to develop mines in Aboriginal reserves.
www.indigenousrights.net.au