Dr. Charles Nelson Perkins (16 June 1936 β 18 October
2000) - PUBLIC SERVANT
Introduction
Charles Nelson Perkins, AO, commonly known as Charlie Perkins, (16 June 1936
- 19 October 2000) was an Australian Aboriginal activist, football player
and administrator. He was known as Kumantjayi Perkins in the period
immediately following his death. "Kumantjayi"
is a name used to refer to a deceased person in Arrernte culture.Charles Perkins was born in Alice Springs, originally from nearby
Arltunga, and Martin Connelly, originally from Mount Isa, Queensland. His
mother was born to a white father and an Arrernte mother, while his father
was born to an Irish father and a Kalkadoon mother. Perkins had one full
sibling and nine other half-siblings (from his mother). He married Eileen
Munchenberg on 23 September 1961 and had two daughters (Hetti and Rachel)
and one son (Adam).
Between 1952 and 1957, Perkins worked as an apprentice fitter and turner for
the British Tube Mills company in Adelaide.(Source: Wikipedia)
Charles (Charlie) Perkins was an Aboriginal activist,
public service administrator and soccer player. He was one of the key
members and organisers of the 1965 Freedom Ride β a bus tour of country NSW
that highlighted discrimination against Aboriginal people. In 1967 he was
manager of the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs that advocated the βYesβ
vote in the referendum to count Aboriginal people in the Australian census.
Perkins played soccer in Australia and overseas from 1950 to 1969, and in
England he trialled with Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United. He held
coaching and administrative positions in the sport, and in 2000 became a
member of the Football Federation of Australia Football Hall of Fame.
Perkins held senior positions in the Commonwealth Public Service from 1967
to the mid 1990s, working to improve conditions for Aboriginal people.
During his life he received a number of awards for his work for Indigenous
Australians. (Source: Fairfax)
Early
Life
Charles Perkins was born in
Alice Springs; his mother was Arrente and his father Kalkadoon. He was
removed from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Aboriginal Reserve when he
was 10 and educated at St Francis House, a school established by Father
Percy Smith in Adelaide to educate Aboriginal boys. He trained initially as
a fitter and turner but, being a gifted soccer player, he played
professionally for the English club, Everton, then on his return to
Australia with the Adelaide Croatian and the Sydney Pan-Hellenic Clubs.
(Source: National Museum of Australia)
Education:
He was educated at St Mary's Church School in Alice Springs, St Francis
College for Aboriginal Boys in Adelaide, the Metropolitan Business College,
Sydney and the University of Sydney from where he graduated in 1966 with a
Bachelor of Arts. He was the first Aboriginal man in Australia to graduate
from university.(Source: Wikipedia)
Photo from YouTube: showing Charles, his wife Eileen and
his mother Hetty.
When he entered the University, he
"couldn't wait for the first lecture and when I got there I was ready to do
my degree in five minutes." Education for him was, he said, "like water on a
dry sponge". He studied Government, Psychology, Anthropology, and Social
Theory. He failed his first anthropology examination, but the next day, he
recalls, "I was back there and I was working twice as hard." He still found
time to become involved in activities such as Student Action for Aborigines
and the Freedom Ride through western New South Wales. He writes of being in
Sydney University's Great Hall on Graduation Day in 1965 as the first
Aborigine in the whole of Australia to become a university graduate, where
"they gave me a tremendous cheer in the hall and I did not expect it. I was
very pleased". (Source:
Sydney
University)
In 2000, Sydney University awarded him an
Honorary Doctorate of
Law.
(Source: Obituary Australia)
The Charles Perkins Centre was named in
honour of Perkins, the first Aboriginal graduate of the University
of Sydney and the first Indigenous male to graduate from an
Australian university. Construction began in late 2013. It was built
on a budget of $385 million.
Perkins serves as the symbolic face of the centre, aimed at
researching and finding solutions to various illnesses, with over
900 clinicians, students and researchers.
Professor Steve Simpson said that "He [Perkins] sought to lead
collaborations in situations where a single person or agency could
not deliver. In the same way, the Charles Perkins Centre looks
beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to improve the health of
individuals, communities and the nation".[3] Perkins' wife, Eileen
and their daughters Hetti, Rachel and son Adam attended the
black-tie opening of the building in June 2014. (Source:
Wikiwand: Charles Perkins Centre)
Staircase at Charles Perkins Centre
Employment & Training:
Charles Perkins was instrumental in the 1967
referendum, as he and his company Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs
advocated a "yes" vote in allowing the inclusion of Aboriginal people into
the census and allowing the Parliament of Australia the right to make
legislation only concerning Aboriginals, thereby granting them the rights of
full Australians. The referendum became the most successful in Australian
history, with 90.77% of the Australian community voting "yes".
In the post-referendum era, Charles Perkins first went on a Senior Research
Officer with the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in 1969. However, in 1972, as
a public servant he called the Liberal - Country Coalition government in
Western Australia 'racist and redneck', and was suspended for alleged
improper conduct.
In 1981 he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal
Affairs, the first Aboriginal to become a permanent head of a federal
government department.He served as Chairman of
the Aboriginal Development Commission between 1981 and 1984. Throughout his
career he was a strident critic of Australian Government's policies on
indigenous affairs and was renowned for his fiery comments. Australian
ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke once commented that he (Perkins) : "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". Perkins held the position of Secretary until
1988.
In 1989, he became Chair of the Arrente Council of
Central Australia. In 1993 Perkins was elected Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Commission commissioner for an area of the central Northern
Territory. In 1994 he was elected Deputy Chairperson of ATSIC.(Source:
Wikidot)
Experiences
& Opportunities:
Did You Know?
Freedom Ride 1965
In 1965 Perkins, one of two Aboriginal students at the University of
Sydney (the other was Gary Williams), was keen to find a way to
publicise the Aboriginal cause.
This led to the formation of Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA)
and the decision to organise a bus tour of western New South Wales
towns. About 30 students, led by Perkins, travelled to Walgett,
Moree, Kempsey and other towns exposing discrimination in the use of
halls, swimming pools, picture theatres and hotels. In a number of
towns Aboriginal returned servicemen were only permitted entry to
the Returned Service League clubs on Anzac Day.
This trip became known as the Freedom Ride and assumed iconic status
as the students ensured that they had press coverage for the
conflicts which occurred in these towns. Their effective use of
television brought the issue of racial discrimination in country
towns to national attention. Perkins' role in this action propelled
him to a position as a national Aboriginal leader and spokesman, a
position he held until his death.
(Source:
Indigenous Rights)
Watch the video in memory of the Freedom Rides
(Source: SBS: Living Black)
4. Using this knowledge, create a
caricature of Charles Perkins
Riding
for Freedom: the campaign for civil rights for Indigenous Australians
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:Personal and social capability
1. The Riding for Freedom WebQuest [now
off the Internet - was at
http://ridingforfreedom.yolasite.com/ ] has a resounding challenge
to all young Australians in the Conclusion:
Conclusion:
"It
is hoped that by completing this WebQuest, you will better
understand the significance of the Freedom Rides for indigenous
Australians. The Freedom Rides were an example of how an individual
or small groups can play an important and necessary role in the
democratic process of our nation. Several of the social, political
and cultural developments that have occurred in our nation were
influenced by individuals or small groups, like Charles Perkins and
his fellow Freedom Riders. Due to their campaign against racism,
discrimination and segregation, indigenous Australians now enjoy the
same rights and freedoms as non-indigenous Australians.
Now that you have studied all about Charles Perkins and his fellow
Freedom Riders, it is your responsability to oppose racism,
discrimination and segregation in all its forms. Do your part to
make Australia a more just society.
After all, it's what Charles Perkins would have wanted."
2.
Reflection.
You are to reflect
on
"your part to make Australia a more just society".
What specific actions can
you undertake?
By yourself?
With others?
At school?
In the sports grounds
and clubs?
In your words and actions when with friends?
Discuss with a partner.
3. Will you challenge a
family member[s] who has racist views? How?
4. Write a Reflection in your
Journal in answer to these questions.