Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes
Turning
points
·
Sykes
left school at age 14
·
she was
pack-raped by four white men
·
She first
became an activist in the lead-up to the landmark to census and make laws of
Aboriginal people
·
she
became deeply involved in the emerging ''black power'' movement
·
she was one of the founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
in Canberra
·
she married an English migrant
·
she divorced
·
She
returned to Australia from Harvard determined to create more educational
opportunities for others and devoted herself to being a proactive voice for
indigenous Australians.
·
Sykes
suffered a stroke at her unit in Redfern in November 2002
Achievements
·
She
graduated in the 1980s with a doctorate in education
·
She
was awarded the prestigious university's highest academic award
·
Sykes
went on to be awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 1994
·
She
became the first secretary at the embassy
·
She
authored 10 books, among them two on poetry
·
She had
used the Aboriginal snake motif in her acclaimed autobiographical trilogy,
Snake Dreaming - made up of Snake Cradle (1997), Snake Dancing (1998) and Snake
Circle (2000)
·
She began
writing in the 1970s and in a 10-year period as a freelance writer, contributed
many more articles on Aboriginal disadvantage and indigenous politics to
various outlets, as well as film reviews and poetry
·
She also
worked as the education and publicity officer for the newly established
Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern. From 1975 to 1980
·
Her first
book of poetry, Love Poems and Other Revolutionary Acts, was published in 1979.
·
Sykes
went off to Harvard with her young daughter in tow and completed her master's
degree in a year, followed by a PhD in Aboriginal education in a further two
years.
·
She
gained a creative writing appointment at Macquarie University
·
She went
on to be a consultant to several government departments, including the NSW
Department of Corrective Services and the Royal Commission into Aboriginal
Deaths in Custody
·
David
Bardas, the former owner of the Sportsgirl stores, has offered to commission a
portrait of Sykes to be hung in the National Portrait Gallery to honour her
place in Australian history.
·
Bardas
recalled visiting Sykes on the campus at Harvard
Roberta
"Bobbi" Sykes
1943 - 2010
1943 - 2010
- 1943 - born in Australia
- 1957 - left school and worked shop assistant and nurse's
assistant in Townsville
- 1960 - she was pack-raped by four white men
- Mid 1960 - she took the stage name Opal Stone
and performed striptease dancer in Kings Cross
- 1960
- married an English migrant
- 1967 - lead-up to census and make laws of Aboriginal
people.
- 1971
- divorced
- 1972 - One of the founders of the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra.
- 1970 -1980 - a freelance writer, articles on Aboriginal
disadvantage and indigenous politics
- 1975-1980 - worked the newly established Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern
· 1979 - Published first book of poetry, Love Poems and Other
Revolutionary
- 1981 - completed master's degree
- 1981
- ghosted
the award-winning autobiography of well-known
- 1983
- completed PhD in
Aboriginal education
- 1994 - awarded the
Australian Human Rights Medal
- 1997 - used the Aboriginal snake motif made up of
Snake Cradle
- 1998 -
used the Aboriginal snake motif made up of Snake Dancing
- 2000
- used the Aboriginal snake motif made up of Snake Circle
- 2002
- suffered a stroke at her unit in Redfern
- 2010 - died
aged 67 year old
