Charles Perkins (Aboriginal activist)
Aboriginal activist, soccer player, and public administrator.
Charles Nelson Perkins—known as Charlie—was born on 16 June 1936 at the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station. His mother, Hetty Perkins, came from near Arltunga and had a white father and an Arrernte mother; his father, Martin Connelly, from Mount Isa, Queensland, had an Irish father and a Kalkadoon mother. Perkins had one full sibling and nine half-siblings through his mother. He was a cousin of artist and soccer player John Moriarty, and great-uncle of Pat Turner, whose work for Indigenous self-determination he inspired. From 1952 to 1957, he worked as an apprentice fitter and turner at British Tube Mills in Adelaide. On 23 September 1961, he married Eileen Munchenberg, from a German Lutheran family; they had two daughters, Hetti and Rachel, and a son, Adam. His granddaughter through Hetti is actress Madeleine Madden.
Perkins began his schooling at St Mary’s Church School in Alice Springs, then moved to St Francis House for Aboriginal Boys in Semaphore South, a beachside suburb of Adelaide. There he was treated kindly, attended the local school, and met future Aboriginal leaders including Gordon Briscoe, John Kundereri Moriarty, Richie Bray, Vince Copley, and Malcolm Cooper. He later studied at the Metropolitan Business College in Sydney, then at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts—the first Indigenous Australian man to earn a university degree. While studying, he worked part-time cleaning toilets for the City of South Sydney.
In 1965, Perkins was a key figure in the Freedom Ride, a bus tour through New South Wales protesting discrimination against Aboriginal people in rural towns. Inspired by the US Civil Rights Movement’s 1961 Freedom Rides, the group aimed to expose poor living, education, and health conditions for Aboriginal communities. They targeted towns like Walgett, Moree, and Kempsey, publicising acts of blatant discrimination. In Walgett, a local RSL club refused entry to Aboriginal people, including ex-servicemen from both World Wars. At one point, the protesters’ bus was run off the road. On 20 February 1965, Perkins and his party tried to enter the Moree swimming pool, which had barred Aboriginal swimmers for 40 years. They stood at the gate, refusing to let anyone else in if they were not admitted. Hundreds of local white Australians, including community leaders, opposed them physically, pelting them with eggs and tomatoes. The events were broadcast nationwide; under public pressure, the council reversed the ban. As the Freedom Ride left town, a line of cars followed, and one collided with the bus, forcing the group back to Moree, where the council had reneged. They protested again, and the ban was removed once more.
On 6 August 1965, Perkins staged a fake “kidnapping” of five-year-old Nancy Prasad at Sydney airport, snatching her from immigration officials to highlight the injustice of her deportation under the White Australia policy. The stunt made headlines, but Prasad was taken to the airport again and deported to Fiji the next day.
In 1967, a referendum proposed constitutional amendments to include Aboriginal people in censuses and allow the federal parliament to legislate specifically for them. As manager of the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs, Perkins led the campaign for a Yes vote. The amendment passed with 90.77% support.
In 1969, Perkins began his Commonwealth public service career in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra, which became the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1972. That year, he underwent a kidney transplant. Soon after arriving in Canberra, he founded Aboriginal Hostels Limited, aiming to create a national network of temporary accommodation for Aboriginal people. He became the inaugural chair of its board in 1973; Joe McGinness and Vince Copley later managed different regions. In 1974, he was suspended on full pay by Barrie Dexter for calling the Liberal–Country Coalition government in Western Australia “the biggest racist political parties this country has ever seen,” following an earlier altercation with his minister, Labor Senator Jim Cavanagh. During his suspension, he was hailed as a hero for disarming a gun-toting man who was threatening others.
- died
- 19 October 2000
- field
- Activism, public administration, soccer
- nationality
- Australian
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Perkins obtained his early schooling at St Mary's Church School in Alice Springs, before moving down to St Francis House for Aboriginal Boys in Semaphore South, a beachside suburb of Adelaide near Port Adelaide, South Australia. There he was treated with kindness, sent to the local school, and met other future Aboriginal leaders and activists, including Gordon Briscoe, John Kundereri Moriarty, Richie Bray, Vince Copley, Malcolm Cooper, and others. He subsequently attended the Metropolitan Business College in Sydney, followed by the University of Sydney, from where he graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts. He was the first Indigenous man in Australia to graduate from university. While at university he worked part-time for the City of South Sydney cleaning toilets. In 1965, he was one of the key members of the Freedom Ride – a bus tour through New South Wales by activists protesting discrimination against Aboriginal people in small towns in NSW, Australia. The tour targeted rural towns such as Walgett, Moree, and Kempsey. On 20 February 1965, Perkins and his party tried to enter the swimming pool at Moree, where the local council had barred Aboriginal people from swimming since its opening 40 years earlier. They stood at the gate refusing to let anyone else in if they were not let in. In response to this action, the riders faced physical opposition from several hundred local white Australians, including community leaders, and were pelted with eggs and tomatoes. These events were broadcast across Australia, and under pressure from public opinion, the council eventually reversed the ban on Aboriginal swimmers. On 6 August 1965, Perkins staged a fake "kidnapping" of 5-year-old Nancy Prasad from under the nose of immigration officials at the Sydney airport for the purpose of highlighting the injustice of her deportation under Australia's "White Australia" immigration policy. In 1969, Perkins began his career in Commonwealth government public service in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra, which became the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) in 1972. Soon after getting his first job in Canberra, he founded the company Aboriginal Hostels Limited, with the aim of setting up a national network of hostels providing temporary accommodation for Aboriginal people. In 1973, he became the inaugural chair of its board. In 1984, Perkins was appointed Secretary of the DAA, holding the position until 1988. Perkins was the first Indigenous person appointed to head an Australian Government department. He served as chair of the Arrernte Council of Central Australia from 1991 until 2000. In 1993, Perkins joined the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), and was elected deputy chair in 1994, serving until he resigned in 1995 to become a consultant to the Australian Sports Commission.
Reader's Guide
Charles Perkins is significant as a pioneering Aboriginal activist and public administrator who used direct action and public service to challenge racial discrimination. As the first Indigenous Australian man to graduate from university and later the first Indigenous head of an Australian government department, Perkins broke institutional barriers. His founding of Aboriginal Hostels Limited provided temporary accommodation for Aboriginal people. Throughout his career, he was a strident critic of Australian Government policies on Indigenous affairs and was renowned for his fiery comments. Bob Hawke once said of Perkins that he "sometimes found it difficult to observe the constraints usually imposed on permanent heads of departments because he had a burning passion for advancing the interests of his people." In 1974, he was suspended on full pay by Barrie Dexter for improper conduct after he called the Liberal–Country Coalition government in Western Australia "biggest racist political parties in this country has ever seen." During his suspension, he was hailed a hero for disarming a gun-toting man who was threatening two senior officers in the department. On 7 April 2000, Perkins suggested that 'Sydney will burn during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.' In May 2000, Perkins declared that the Australian Football League and the Australian Rugby League were racist, suggesting that the AFL "acts in a racist manner at the highest level." His legacy includes inspiring figures like his great-niece Pat Turner, who he inspired to work to improve the lives of and right to self-determination for Indigenous people.
Did You Know?
- Perkins was the first Indigenous man in Australia to graduate from university, earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney in 1966.
- On 6 August 1965, Perkins staged a fake 'kidnapping' of 5-year-old Nancy Prasad at Sydney airport to protest her deportation under the 'White Australia' immigration policy.
- While suspended from his government job in 1974, Perkins disarmed a gun-toting man who was threatening two senior officers in his department.
- Perkins played soccer for English amateur team Bishop Auckland F.C. between 1957 and 1959, and also trialled with Everton F.C. and Manchester United.
- He was the great-uncle of Pat Turner, and inspired her work to improve the lives of and right to self-determination for Indigenous people.
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