Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Aboriginal Australian poet, activist, and educator.
Oodgeroo Noonuccal (3 November 1920 – 16 September 1993), also known earlier as Kath Walker, was an Aboriginal Australian poet, activist, artist, and teacher. She fought for Aboriginal rights and became the first Aboriginal Australian to have a book of poetry published.
She was born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska in Bulimba, Queensland. Her father, Edward Ruska, was a labourer from the Nunukul people near Moreton Bay, with Filipino and German heritage. Her mother, Lucy, was the daughter of a Scottish migrant and a Wanggamala-Pitapita woman from western Queensland. At age ten, Lucy was taken from her family and trained as a housemaid; she became pregnant to a white man at fourteen and was sent to the Holy Cross Laundry in Brisbane. She later met Edward on a trip to Stradbroke Island, and they married. Oodgeroo grew up at the One Mile settlement on North Stradbroke Island, near Dunwich, and attended Dunwich State School until she was thirteen, when the Great Depression forced her family to end her education.
During World War II, after her two brothers were captured by the Japanese in Singapore, she joined the Australian Women's Army Service in 1942. Working as a signaller in Brisbane, she met both black American soldiers and white Australians, experiences that shaped her later activism. In the 1940s, she joined the Communist Party of Australia because it was the only party opposing the White Australia policy.
By the 1960s, she had become a prominent activist and writer. She served as Queensland state secretary for the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) and was involved in many other groups. She played a key role in the campaign for constitutional reform to give Aboriginal people full citizenship, lobbying Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1965 and Harold Holt in 1966. During one 1963 meeting, she shocked Menzies by pointing out that offering her an alcoholic drink could land him in jail under Queensland law.
On 13 June 1970, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for community service. In December 1987, she announced she would return the MBE to protest the Australian Bicentenary, which she called "200 years of sheer unadulterated humiliation" of Aboriginal people. She also changed her name to Oodgeroo Noonuccal—"Oodgeroo" meaning "paperbark tree" and "Noonuccal" being her people's name.
In 1983, she ran as an independent candidate for the Senate in Queensland at the federal election, but withdrew after failing to recruit Senator Neville Bonner to a joint pro-Aboriginal ticket, fearing they would split the vote. Later that year, she stood for the Australian Democrats in the Queensland state election for the seat of Redlands, focusing on environmental and Aboriginal rights issues. She received 6.4% of the primary vote and was not elected.
Her writing career began with *We Are Going* (1964), the first book published by an Aboriginal woman. It was a huge success, selling out multiple editions and making her one of Australia’s best-selling poets, alongside C. J. Dennis. Critics were divided: some doubted an Aboriginal person could have written it, while others dismissed the poems as propaganda. Oodgeroo embraced that label, describing her style as "sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple." She aimed to share pride in her Aboriginality widely and promote equality and Aboriginal rights.
She was the first president of the committee for the Aboriginal Publications Foundation, which published the magazine *Identity* in the 1970s. In 1972, she bought a property on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), naming it Moongalba ("sitting-down place"), and founded the Noonuccal-Nughie Education and Cultural Centre. A 1977 documentary, *Shadow Sister*, directed by Frank Heimans, showed her life there. In a 1987 interview, she said she had hosted 26,500 children—both white and black—over seventeen years, teaching them Aboriginal culture and the balance of nature. She also worked with universities to improve teacher education for Australian schools.
- born
- 3 November 1920, Bulimba, Queensland
- died
- 16 September 1993, Greenslopes, Brisbane
- field
- Poetry, activism, education
- nationality
- Aboriginal Australian
- known_for
- First Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse; advocacy for Aboriginal
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born on 3 November 1920 in Bulimba, Queensland, to Lucy and Edward Ruska. Her father, a labourer, was a member of the Nunukul people from around Moreton Bay who also had Filipino and German ancestry. Her mother, Lucy, was the daughter of a Scottish migrant and a Wanggamala-Pitapita woman. Noonuccal spent her early years at the One Mile settlement on North Stradbroke Island, leaving Dunwich State School at thirteen because the family could not afford to send her to nursing school. In 1942 she joined the Australian Women's Army Service after her two brothers were captured by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore. During the 1940s she joined the Communist Party of Australia because it was the only party which opposed the White Australia policy. In the 1960s she emerged as a prominent activist, serving as Queensland state secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI). She lobbied Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1965 and his successor Harold Holt in 1966 for constitutional reform to allow Aboriginal people full citizenship. At a 1963 deputation, she taught Menzies a lesson in Aboriginal realities: after he offered an alcoholic drink, she informed him that in Queensland he could be jailed for this. On 13 June 1970 she received the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) (MBE). In December 1987 she announced she would return her MBE in protest over the Australian Government's intention to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary, which she described as '200 years of sheer unadulterated humiliation' of Aboriginal people. She also changed her name to Oodgeroo Noonuccal, with Oodgeroo meaning 'paperbark tree' and Noonuccal being her people's name. Her first book of poetry, *We Are Going* (1964), was the first book to be published by an Aboriginal woman. It was extraordinarily successful, selling out in several editions, and setting Oodgeroo well on the way to be Australia's highest-selling poet alongside C. J. Dennis. Critics' responses were mixed; some questioned whether an Aboriginal person could have written it, while others found the poems 'propaganda' rather than real poetry. Oodgeroo embraced the idea of her poetry as propaganda, describing her own style as 'sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple.' In 1972 she bought a property on North Stradbroke Island called Moongalba ('sitting-down place') and established the Noonuccal-Nughie Education and Cultural Centre. By 1987 she had hosted 26,500 children there, teaching them about Aboriginal culture and the balance of nature. In 1974 she was aboard a hijacked British Airways flight; during three days in captivity she used a blunt pencil and an airline sickbag to write two poems, 'Commonplace' and 'Yusuf (Hijacker)'. She died from cancer on 16 September 1993 at the Repatriation General Hospital at Greenslopes, Brisbane, aged 72 years, and was buried at Moongalba on North Stradbroke Island.
Reader's Guide
Oodgeroo Noonuccal's significance lies in her pioneering role as the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse, using poetry as a vehicle for political activism and cultural pride. Her work challenged both racial prejudice and literary conventions, deliberately adopting a plain style to reach a broad audience. Beyond writing, she was a key figure in the campaign for Aboriginal citizenship rights, lobbying Prime Ministers Robert Menzies and Harold Holt and serving as Queensland state secretary of FCAATSI. Her decision to return her MBE in 1987 and rename herself in protest of the Bicentenary underscored her uncompromising stance on Aboriginal sovereignty and dignity. She also contributed to education through her Noonuccal-Nughie Education and Cultural Centre at Moongalba, where she taught 26,500 children about Aboriginal culture and the balance of nature, and collaborated with universities in creating programs for teacher education. Her poetry has been set to music by numerous composers including Christopher Gordon, Clare Maclean, Stephen Leek, Andrew Ford, Paul Stanhope, Mary Mageau, and Joseph Twist. Her legacy endures as a foundational voice in Aboriginal literature and a symbol of resistance and reconciliation.
Did You Know?
- Oodgeroo Noonuccal was the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse, *We Are Going* (1964).
- During a 1963 deputation, she informed Prime Minister Robert Menzies that in Queensland he could be jailed for offering an Aboriginal person an alcoholic drink.
- In 1974, while aboard a hijacked British Airways flight, she wrote two poems on an airline sickbag using a blunt pencil.
- She returned her MBE in December 1987 to protest the Australian Bicentenary, which she called '200 years of sheer unadulterated humiliation' of Aboriginal people.
- By 1987 she had taught 26,500 children at her cultural centre Moongalba on North Stradbroke Island.
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