OODGEROO NOONUCCAL
(Kath Walker)
1920 - 1993
An inspiring aboriginal
By Carolyn Elliot
Why I chose this person…
I chose this person because she
is an Aboriginal person from the past.
She is also a person that I have not heard about before.
I like it that this person is a woman and that she has achieved
a lot in her lifetime.
I am interested in what she did in her life and the way in which she
tried a lot of different things.
I also like that she started off her life as a servant
at the age of 13 and wasn’t content with this.
She then went and did what she believed.
How is her life story different to
mine…
Kath Walker was born on the 3rd November,
1920 on North Stradbroke Island, just off the
coast of Brisbane. She died in 1993 at the
age of 72.
 She went to Dunwich Primary School and left
at the age of 13.
 She had an English name (Kath Walker) and
then changed back to her aboriginal name
“OODGEROO NOONUCCAL”. Oodgeroo is
the Aboriginal name for “paperbark tree” and
Noonuccal is the name of her tribe. The
Paperbark tree is what she used as paper.

Brisbane, Queensland
Other interesting differences…
When she lived on Stradbroke Island she ate
food such as dugongs, pippys, wallabies and
bandicoots.
She wrote great poems.
She stood up for Aboriginal people.
She was a great teacher and helped lots of
children.
Why is she an inspiration?

I think this person is an inspiration because she teaches us never to
give up. She was determined to succeed even when others said she
couldn’t. She was persistent and believed that Australia should be one
group of people.
 She shows us that we should treat people as equals and that we
should believe what we see not what others tell us.
 She was the first aboriginal person to have her work published.
What does this person teach us?

Kath Walker reminds us that we do not own the land and that we
were not here first. She also teaches us that we should be
neighbours and friends not against one another and that tolerance
is important.
You devout Salvation-sellers
Make us neighbours, not fringe-dwellers,
Make us mates, not poor relations,
Citizens, not serfs on stations.
Must we native Old Australians
In our land rank as aliens?
Banish bans and conquer caste,
Then we'll win our own at last.
Poem by Kath Walker from “Aboriginal Charter of Rights”
Taken from http://www.bookworm.com.au/jw000246.htm
Glossary of terms




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Aboriginal – Any of the original inhabitants of Australia
Inspiration – The arousing of feelings, ideas, impulses etc.,especially
those that lead to creative activity.
Persistent – To continue firmly in some course of action, state, despite
opposition or difficulties.
Serfs – A person who is treated like a slave.
Tolerance – The quality or practise of accepting or being fair towards
beliefs, customs, etc. which are different from one’s own.
Source: The Heinemann Australian Dictionary, 4th Edition
Where I got my information from…

North Stradbroke map
http://www.amitybungalows.com.au/island.htm
 A biography of Kath Walker
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/thwaites/noonuca.htm
 Biography of Kath Walker
http://www.brisbanestories.powerup.com.au/lit_trail/lit_trail_authors/noonuccal.htm#bio
 Biography of Kath Walker
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/ms/Uqfl84.html#biognote
 Poem by Kath Walker
http://www.bookworm.com.au/jw000246.htm
 Picture of Kath Walker
http://www.ermington-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/noonucca.htm
 Newspaper article – Why I am now Oodgeroo Noonuccal
The Age 30 – 12 – 1987
 The “fringe dweller” who won world literary acclaim
The Age 17 – 9 - 1993
© State of Victoria 2003
This work has been created by the teacher listed below as employees of
the Department of Education and Training, Victoria and copyright is
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Teacher’s name and materials produced – C. Elliot - Multimedia
presentation.