The proposed resolution was:. Doug Nicholls rose to support the resolution on behalf of the Victorian Aborigines League that day, saying:. On behalf of Victorian Aborigines I want to say that we support this resolution in every way. The public does not realise what our people have suffered for years.
Aboriginal girls have been sent to Aboriginal Reserves and have not been given any opportunity to improve themselves. Their treatment has been disgusting. The white people have done nothing for us whatever. Put on Reserves, with no proper education, how can Aborigines take their place as equals with whites? Now is our chance to have things altered. We must fight our very hardest in this cause. After years our people are still bossed and influenced by white people. I know that we could proudly hold our own with others if given the chance.
Do not let us forget, also, those of our own people who are still in a primitive state. It is for them that we should try to do something. We should all work in co-operation for the progress of Aborigines throughout the Commonwealth. The movement took 30 years to coalesce and achieve anything like its stated goal, but it soon made its focus the Constitution of Australia which, in its original form, prevented the Commonwealth from making any law that would benefit the Aboriginal people.
In , Jessie Street approached Nicholls about bringing in the Victorian Aboriginal Advancement League to form a federal council to campaign for Aboriginal affairs to become a federal matter — this would became the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Its early work involved drafting and collecting petitions, from suburbs and town centres from across the country. By they had achieved , signatures with the stated goal of , signatures.
The movement supporting a change to the constitution, which removed the block on the Federal Government making a laws regarding Aboriginal people, soon became known as the "yes" campaign.
However, creating the political momentum involved substantial grass roots action. Nicholls' daughter, Pam recalls her father winning support from white Australians at football games:. Nicholls interacted with the media frequently. Drawing on his abilities as a preacher, he was able to deliver pithy, persuasive messages which were effective in winning over the Australian public.
One common line of argument he made was for the "Yes" vote was:. And we will form a part of the British commonwealth of nations and there should be no legislation setup to discriminate us. Following the successful outcome of the referendum, Pastor Doug argued that much more than a legal change had been made, rather, it was:.
Nicholls was a minister and social worker with Aboriginal people. Following his mother's death he took a renewed interest in Christianity and was baptised at Northcote Church of Christ now Northern Community Church of Christ in He officiated at church and hymn services as a lay preacher at the Gore Street Mission Centre in Fitzroy. In Nicholls received his call-up notice and he joined the 29th Battalion but, in , at the request of the Fitzroy police, he was released from his unit to work as a social worker in the Fitzroy Aboriginal community.
He cared for those trapped in alcohol abuse , gambling, and other social problems, and those who were in trouble with the police. Indigenous people gathered to him and eventually the group was so large that he became the pastor of the first Aboriginal Church of Christ in Australia. In recognition of the ministry he was already expressing, he was ordained as a minister. It was Carlton's loss, as he went on to star for Northcote, drawing huge crowds and helping his team win the premiership.
At the same time, he continued to excel as an athlete and boxer. In , Sir Doug moved to play for the Fitzroy Football Club, where he remained until his retirement from the game. The move was significant as it involved him with the small but ever-growing Aboriginal community that called Fitzroy home. It was from here that one of the most important Aboriginal rights movements would arise, with Sir Doug as one the main driving forces behind it.
Joining the church was a pivotal moment for Sir Doug — simply Doug to those he met. He became a pastor after his mother's death in , and led church services from Fitzroy's Gore Street Mission. The compassion he displayed while tackling disadvantage shaped his reputation as a father figure to the community. He was chosen to give the first Aboriginal Day of Mourning speech in , during which he expressed that ""Aboriginal people are the skeleton in the cupboard of Australia's national life Sir Doug enlisted during the Second World War but was recalled from service at special request in , in order to continue addressing the social problems - such as alcohol abuse and crime - that plagued his community.
For the next decade, the frontline for Sir Doug was the streets of Fitzroy, as he strove to improve lives and assist those who'd slipped through society's cracks. In , he married his wife Gladys — a respected community leader in her own right. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Useful tips. Esther Fleming April 25, Table of Contents. Previous Article Who founded Green Bay? Next Article Why do they call blankets afghan?
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