Charles Perkins

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Charles Nelson Perkins AO, aka Kumantjayi Perkins immediately following his death, (June 16, 1936 — October 19, 2000) was an Australian Aboriginal activist and football (soccer) player, coach and administrator. Perkins was a cousin of football (soccer) player John Moriarty.

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[edit] Early life

He was born at Alice Springs Telegraph Station Aboriginal reserve, in the Northern Territory, the son of Martin Connolly (of Kalkadoon descent) and Hetti Perkins (of Arrernte descent) in 1936. He was educated at Le Fevre Boys' Technical School, Adelaide, the Metropolitan Business College, Sydney and the University of Sydney from where he graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts, being the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from university. He married Eileen Munchenberg on September 23, 1961 and had two daughters (Hetti and Rachel) and one son (Adam).[1] He had 11 brothers and sisters.

[edit] Public Life

In 1964 he was one of the key members of the Freedom Ride - a bus tour by activists through northern New South Wales rural towns publicising discrimination against Aboriginal people in small-towns Australia. His activism in the Freedom Ride aimed to raise awareness of discrimination against Aboriginal people and tried to redress it. The tour targeted rural towns such as Walgett, Moree, and Kempsey. They were concerned about the living, education, and health conditions of Aborigines in Australia. If there was an issue of blatant discrimination, they took action to publicise it with the intention of overturning it. This was demonstrated through one of the Freedom Ride activities in Walgett. A local RSL club refused entry to Aborigines, including those who were ex-servicemen who participated in the two World Wars. The bus at one stage was run off the road.

On 20 February 1965, Perkin and his party tried to enter the swimming pool at Moree, where local Aborigines had never been able to swim in the 40 years since its opening, against the physical opposition of several hundred local whites, including community leaders, and were pelted with eggs and tomatoes. These events were broadcast across Australia, and under pressure from national public opinion, the council eventually repealed the ban on Aboriginal swimmers.[2] This action played out in parallel with the similar turmoil of the US Civil Rights campaign of African Americans in the US.

In 1972, as a public servant, he was suspended for alleged improper conduct after he called the Liberal - Country Coalition government in Western Australia 'racist and redneck'. In 1981 he was made Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the first Aborigine to become a permanent head of a federal government department. Throughout his career he was a strident critic of Australian Government's policies on indigenous affairs and was renowned for his fiery comments.

He was also notable as having the world's longest recorded survival for a kidney transplant, having received a donor kidney in 1972.

[edit] Football (soccer) Career

Perkins began playing in 1950 with Adelaide team Port Thistle. In 1951 he was selected for a South Australia under 18 representative team. He went on to play for a number of teams in Adelaide including International United (1954-55), Budapest (1956-57) and Fiorentina (1957). In 1957 he was invited to trial with English first division team Liverpool FC. Perkins ended up trialling and training with Liverpool's city rival Everton FC. Perkins played two seasons for leading English amateur team Bishop Auckland F.C. between 1957 and 1959. Perkins in mid-1959 decided to return to Australia and declined a trial offer from Manchester United. On returning to Australia Perkins was appointed captain-coach of Adelaide Croatia.

In 1961 Perkins moved to Sydney to study at university. He played with Pan-Hellenic (later known as Sydney Olympic FC) in the New South Wales State League. He later played for Bankstown and retired in 1965. He later served as president of former National Soccer League team Canberra City. He was appointed Australian Soccer Federation (now Football Federation Australia) vice-president in 1987 and was the chairman of the Australian Futsal Federation for ten years until his death in Sydney in 2001.[2]

[edit] Awards and honours

Perkins was awarded Jaycees Young Man of the Year in 1966, Aborigine of the Year in 1993 and the Order of Australia in 1987. Perkins to inducted into the Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Papers of Charles Perkins (1936 - 2000). National Library of Australia (April 2002). Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Cockerill, Michael (2001-04-20). Australian football loses a trail-blazer. FIFA. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.

[edit] References


Persondata
NAME Perkins, Charles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kumantjayi Perkins
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian Aboriginal activist and football (soccer) player, coach and administrator
DATE OF BIRTH June 16, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
DATE OF DEATH October 19, 2000
PLACE OF DEATH Sydney, Australia
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