People

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, elders, activists, and cultural figures whose contributions have shaped history and continue to inspire.

b. 16 February 1973

Cathy Freeman

Kuku Yalanji, Birri Gubba

Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman who won Olympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, becoming one of Australia's most iconic athletes and a symbol of reconciliation.

28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967

David Unaipon

Ngarrindjeri

Ngarrindjeri inventor, preacher, and writer whose face appears on the Australian $50 note, a man of extraordinary intellect who bridged Aboriginal and Western knowledge.

29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992

Eddie Koiki Mabo

Meriam

Meriam man from the Torres Strait whose landmark High Court case overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and established native title in Australian law.

20 June 1924 – 24 August 1993

Len Waters

Gamilaraay

Australia's first and only Aboriginal fighter pilot in World War II, a Gamilaraay man who flew 95 combat missions.

21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011

Lionel Rose

Gunditjmara

Gunditjmara man who became the first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing championship, and was named Australian of the Year in 1968.

c. 1908 – 1988

Vincent Lingiari

Gurindji

Gurindji elder and Aboriginal land rights activist who led the historic Wave Hill Walk-Off in 1966, sparking the modern land rights movement in Australia.

c. 1860 – 29 March 1941

William Cooper

Yorta Yorta

Yorta Yorta elder who founded the Australian Aborigines' League and led a remarkable protest against the Nazi persecution of Jewish people during Kristallnacht.