Reconciliation Week Film Screening Rebel with a Cause (Oodgeroo Noonuccal)

Acknowledge Reconciliation Week by supporting Reconciliation Film Club and learning about Rebels with a Cause. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a key spokesperson for Aboriginal issues. The first Aboriginal person to publish a book of verse, her poetic viewpoint and visionary defiance - possesses a profound quality still resonating today in generations of Australians.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s vivacious words, archives, hopes, and dreams are intertwined with the present-day activities of her talented family. The first Aboriginal person to publish a book of verse, she quickly rose to fame, eventually being awarded an Order of Australia.

As the Queensland secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAASTI), Oodgeroo became a key spokesperson for Aboriginal issues during and after the 1967 referendum campaign. She shouldered unbearable pressure and scrutiny, pushing her to breaking point, she returned to her beloved Minjerribah.

Oodgeroo's life work culminated in a learning centre back on her island home at Moongalba where she focused on educating younger generations about Aboriginal culture. In 1988, she returned her Order of Australia and changed her name in protest to the bi-centennial celebration.