Dedicated to Aboriginal leaders this statue stands as a testament to two remarkable lives. The Pastor Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls Memorial is a tribute to Douglas and Gladys Nicholls. They were tireless activists for Aboriginal Australian rights.
The Pastor Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls Memorial is in Parliament Gardens. It is the first memorial in Melbourne to depict Aboriginal leaders. The sculptures are the work of Australian artist Louis Laume. They were unveiled on December 9 2007.
Douglas Nicholls was born in 1906. He became a celebrated Australian rules football player. He was the only Aboriginal Australian player in the league. Some sports crowds cruelly called him the “flying Abo.”
By the mid-1930s Douglas Nicholls became involved in Aboriginal rights organizations. He co-founded the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League in 1957. With the VAAL and other groups he led protests. He fought against assimilation policies. In 1972 Douglas Nicholls became the first Aboriginal Australian to be knighted.
Gladys Nicholls was also born in 1906. At 19 she married Douglas Nicholls’s brother Howard. Sadly Howard died in a car accident in 1942. Gladys was left with three children. Less than a year later she married Douglas.
Gladys dedicated her life to social reform projects. She focused on poverty and inequality. Her work primarily aided the Aboriginal Australian community in Melbourne. Later Gladys became secretary of the National Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Council. In 2008 she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.
The bluestone paving below the Pastor Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls Memorial features an etching by Ngarra Murray. The etching incorporates the totems Bigarrumdja the Emu and Waa the Crow. Diamond-shaped markings also appear. These traditional symbols signify the great-grandparents’ connection to country.
Sir Douglas Nicholls was pastor of Australia’s first Aboriginal Church of Christ in Fitzroy. In 1957 he became a field officer for the Aboriginal Advancement League. His dedication to Indigenous welfare made him a natural representative. He was awarded a MBE for his efforts in 1957.
From 1935 he worked as a lay preacher. His work with disadvantaged Aboriginal people began in the early 1940s. It was through the Aboriginal Advancement League. In 1968 he was awarded an OBE. He became a member of the new Victorian Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.
In 1972 he achieved a historic milestone. He became the first Aboriginal person to be knighted. Four years later he became the governor of South Australia.
Like her husband Gladys Nicholls was born at Cummeragunga Aboriginal station. This station was in New South Wales. Gladys was committed to working for the welfare of the underprivileged. She also championed women’s rights. Gladys was a charity worker and fundraiser. Among her achievements she became secretary. She became secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Council. She also became the Victorian state president in the 1970s.
Together Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls played a vital role. They were instrumental in the 1967 referendum movement. They provided comfort and assistance to many. These people were homeless in need or disenfranchised.
The Pastor Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls Memorial stands as a reminder. It reminds us of their tireless fight. They fought for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Their legacy is etched here. It is etched in stone and in the hearts of a nation.