Oodgeroo of the Noonuccal Tribe, 1992 (printed 2009)

Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) (1920-1993) was an Aboriginal activist, poet and writer. Throughout her life, she aimed to promote cultural pride amongst Aboriginal people through her writing, which she described as 'sloganistic, civil rightish, plain and simple'. She became State secretary of the Federal Council for the advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders 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. Having gained world acclaim for her writing and advocacy (for which she was also conferred with three honorary doctorates), she published her last collection of poems, Kath Walker in China, in 1988. That year, she reassumed her tribal name in protest at the Bicentennial celebrations, and returned the MBE she had been awarded in 1970.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2010
© George Fetting/Copyright Agency, 2020