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Oodgeroo Noonuccal Biography

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Oodgeroo Noonuccal Biography
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born in 1920 on Stradbroke island (Minjerriba to the Aboriginal people), which was in Queensland, and she was born into the Noonuccal people of the Yuggera group. She was an actress, writer, teacher, artist and a campaigner for the Aboriginal people.

Oodgeroo shared a trait with her father that was the sense of injustice. She left school at the age of 13 and worked as a domestic servant until 1939. After that she volunteered for service in the Australian Woman’s Army Service.

Between 1961 and 1970 Oodgeroo popular poetry and writing made her very popular to the aboriginal people, Torre Strait Islanders and the people of Queensland. Oodgeroo Noonuccal became the first published Aboriginal woman when she wrote ‘We are Going’, which was sold out in only three days breaking some Australian records. Between 1964 and 1988 Oodgeroo wrote many Children’s books, short stories, new poems, essays and speeches.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal was involved in many Aboriginal right organizations. Now her work is recognized worldwide and the themes in most of her poems in the need for peace between the black and white Australians. Her aboriginal upbringing helped her for inspiration, what she used to be surrounded to and the way she had been treated.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s father had taught her to be stubborn and to be proud of being Aboriginal and with this, Oodgeroo would push through discriminations and penalties.

Oodgeroo’s campaigning for Aboriginal voting rights started in 1960 when she strived for equality. She traveled Australia giving talks and doing all sorts of stuff to make more people aware. Finally in 1967 the campaigning showed to be successful and the Aboriginals got their rights.

When she tried to campaign Globally nobody would listen to her and she got quite frustrated. She went back to her home, on Stradbroke Island, to build an Aboriginal Museum but the government would not allow it.

In September 1993, Oodgeroo past away and

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