List of Indigenous Australian firsts

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Torres Strait Islanders are indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are at the northernmost tip of Queensland near Papua New Guinea. The term "Aboriginal" has traditionally been applied to indigenous inhabitants of mainland Australia, Tasmania, and some of the other adjacent islands. Since the colonisation of Australia in 1788, indigenous Australians have been segregated from European Australians both in their rights and socially within society. The 'firsts' listed in this article contain historical steps that have changed this initial racist segregation both legally and culturally.

Contents

18th century
19th century: 1820s • 1830s • 1840s • 1850s • 1860s • 1870s • 1880s • 1890s
20th century: 1900s • 1910s • 1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s
21st century: 2000s • 2010s
See also
References

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people


Total population
517,000, 2.5% of Australia's population (in 2006)[1][2]
Languages
Several hundred Indigenous Australian languages (many extinct or nearly so), Australian English, Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol
Religion
Majority Christianity, with minority following traditional animist (Dreamtime) beliefs.
Related ethnic groups
see List of Indigenous Australian group names

17th century

1600s

18th century

1780s
  • 1788
    • First Indigenous Australian to live amongst Europeans: Arabanoo.[4]

1790s

19th century

1800s
  • 1802
    • First Indigenous Australian to circumnavigate Australia: Bungaree.[8]

1810s
  • 1815
    • First Indigenous Australian to be granted land by the colonial authorities: Bungaree.[9]

1830s
  • 1835
    • First Indigenous Australian to be recorded playing western sport: Shiney (cricket in Hobart).[10]
  • 1836

1850s
  • 1856
    • Indigenous Australian males first given the right to vote in elections (South Australia).[12]

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

20th century

1900s

1910s

1920s
  • 1920
  • 1921
  • 1924
  • 1925
    • First Indigenous Australian to tour abroad as part of open sporting team: Glen Crouch (Queensland rugby league team to New Zealand).[28]
  • 1926
  • 1927
    • First Indigenous Australian to have a book published: David Unaipon (Aboriginal Legends).[29]
  • 1928
  • 1929
    • First Indigenous Australian to win the World Professional Sprint Championship: Lynch Cooper.[30]

1930s
First major national Indigenous day of protest: Australia Day protest by the Aborigines Progressive Association.[33]

1940s

1950s
  • 1950
    • The first named Indigenous Australian to appear on an Australian stamp: Gwoya Jungarai.
  • 1952
  • 1953
  • 1954
  • 1955
  • 1956
  • 1957
  • 1958
    • First Indigenous Australian woman to be selected for a national sporting side: Faith Coulthard (cricket).[41]
    • First song written and recorded by Indigenous Australians: "Give the Coloured Boy a Chance" (written by Jimmy Little, Snr and recorded by Jimmy Little).[42]
  • 1959

1960s
  • 1960
    • First Indigenous Australian to compete at the Paralympics: Kevin Coombes.[44]
    • First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby league: Lionel Morgan.[45]
  • 1961
    • First Indigenous Australian to win the Bay Sheffield: Ken Hampton.[46]
    • First Indigenous Australians to represent Australia in basketball: Bennie Lew Fatt and John Bonson.[47]
  • 1962
    • First Indigenous Australian to win a Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games: Jeff Dynevor (Bantamweight boxing).[48]
    • First Indigenous Australian to release an album: Georgia Lee (Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under).[49]
    • First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby union: Lloyd McDermott.[50]
    • Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Australian federal elections.[19]
    • Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Northern Territory elections.[19]
  • 1963
    • First time Indigenous Australians legally allowed to drink alcohol in New South Wales (30 March).[51]
    • First Indigenous Australian to have a number one hit on the Australian music charts: Jimmy Little ("Royal Telephone").
    • First documentary recognition of Indigenous Australians in Australian law: Yirrkala bark petitions.[52]
  • 1964
  • 1965
    • First Indigenous Australian police officer: Colin Dillon.[55]
    • Indigenous Australians first given right to vote in Queensland elections.[19]
    • First all-Indigenous Australian contemporary music concert held in Sydney.[43]
    • First novel by an Indigenous Australian author to be published in Australia: Wild Cat Falling by Mudrooroo[56]
  • 1966
    • First Indigenous Australian university degree graduates: Charles Perkins (see also 1984) and Margaret Valadian.[57]
    • First Indigenous Australian to be ordained as a Minister of the Methodist Church: Lazarus Lamilami.[58][59]
  • 1967
    • Indigenous Australians allowed to be counted in the Australian census[19] (the first census to include Indigenous Australians was 1971).
  • 1968
  • 1969

1970s
  • 1970
  • 1971
  • 1972
    • First Indigenous Australian theatre company formed: "Nindethana" (founded by Jack Charles and Bob Maza).[71]
    • First Indigenous Australian-produced community radio programs went to air (5UV in Adelaide and at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Media Association (TAIMA) at Mount Stuart, south of Townsville, on 4KIG FM2).[72]
    • First Indigenous Australian representative Australian rules team to play overseas (Papua New Guinea).[73]
    • First film made by an Indigenous Australian (Blackfire, by Bruce McGuinness and Martin Bartfeld).[74]
  • 1973
  • 1974
  • 1975
    • First Indigenous Australian to be employed in Australia's tertiary education sector as a lecturer: Maryann Bin-Salik.[78]
  • 1976
  • 1977
    • First Indigenous Australian to hold a shadow portfolio in a federal, state or territory parliament: Neville Perkins (Northern Territory).[19]
    • First Indigenous Australian to referee a world title boxing match: Trevor Christian.[81]
    • First city council to fly the Aboriginal flag (Newcastle City Council).[82]
  • 1978
  • 1979
    • First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in volleyball: Mark Tutton.[83]
    • First woman to be appointed to the New South Wales Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board. Patricia O'Shane
    • First Indigenous Principal in Western Australia after being promoted to Principal Class II of Wiluna Special Aboriginal School: Len Hayward

1980s
  • 1980
    • First Indigenous Australian to receive a PhD: Bill Jonas.[84]
    • First Indigenous Australian to officially address the United Nations: Jim Hagan.[85]
  • 1981
  • 1982
    • First Indigenous Australian woman to gain a private pilot's licence: Virginia Wykes.[88]
    • First Indigenous Australian man to play at Wimbledon: Ian Goolagong (mixed doubles with sister Evonne).[89]
    • First Indigenous Australian to win the Norm Smith Medal: Maurice Rioli.[90]
    • First Indigenous Australian to head a state government department (New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs): Pat O'Shane.[91]
  • 1983
  • 1984
    • First Indigenous Australian to become permanent head of a federal government department (Department of Aboriginal Affairs): Charles Perkins.[93] (see also 1966)
  • 1985
  • 1986
  • 1987
    • First Indigenous Australian psychologist: Pat Dudgeon.[97]
  • 1988
  • 1989

1990s

21st century

2000s
  • 2001
    • First Indigenous Australian woman elected to an Australian parliament: Carol Martin.[111]
  • 2002
  • 2003
    • First Indigenous Australian woman Minister of the Crown: Marion Scrymgour.[99]
    • First Indigenous Nurse Practitioner Australia: Lesley Salem
    • First Indigenous medical practitioner to be awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy: Sandra Eades.
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
    • First Indigenous Australian surgeon: Kelvin Kong.[112]
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2009
    • First Indigenous Australian woman to become an Anglican remote area priest: Yulki Nunggumajbarr.[113]

2010s

2020s

Notes
  1. "The estimated resident Indigenous population of Australia at 30 June 1991 was 351,000 people. In 2006, there were 517,000 people, representing 2.5% of the total Australian population. Between 1991 and 2006 the Indigenous population increased by 2.6% per year on average, compared with 1.2% for the total Australian population. The population of Indigenous Australians is projected to increase to between 713,300 and 721,100 people in 2021, at an average growth rate of 2.2% per year": Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Australia" (2009)
  2. "Australian Bureau of Statistics, "States and Territories" (2009)". Abs.gov.au. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
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  7. Smith, Keith. "Bennelong's letter expresses authentic Aboriginal voice". The Australian. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  8. McCarthy, FD. "Bungaree (?–1830)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
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References
  • Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (2009), Journeys into Medicine, AIDA: Sydney. ISBN 978 0 646 52119 0.
  • Gale, M-A. (1997) Dhanum Djorra'wuy Dhawu, Aboriginal Research Institute: Underdale. ISBN 0 86803 182 8.
  • McMillan, A. (2007) An Intruder's Guide to East Arnhem Land, Niblock Publishing: Darwin. ISBN 978 0 9803904 1 4.
  • Rolfe, C. (2009) Winners of the Melbourne Cup: Stories That Stopped a Nation, Red Dog Books: Sydney. ISBN 1 74203 513 2.
  • Screen Australia (2010) The Black List, Screen Australia: Sydney. ISBN 978 1 920998 11 0.
  • Tatz, C. & Tatz, P. (1996) Black Diamonds, Allen & Unwin: Sydney. ISBN 1 86448 065 3.
  • Tatz, C. & Tatz, P. (2000) Black Gold, Aboriginal Studies Press: Canberra. ISBN 0 85575 367 6.
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