Douglas Nicholls
Encyclopedia
Sir Douglas Ralph "Doug" Nicholls KCVO, OBE, (9 December 19064 June 1988) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people
. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ
pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation.
Nicholls was the first Aboriginal person to be knighted
and the first Aboriginal person appointed to vice-regal office, serving as Governor of South Australia from 1 December 1976 until his resignation on 30 April 1977 due to poor health.
in New South Wales. Schooling at the mission was provided to Grade 3 standard and strict religious principles were emphasised. When he was eight, he saw his 16-year-old sister Hilda forcibly taken from his family by the police and taken to the Cootamundra Training Home for Girls.
s, and he lived with the shearers. He worked hard and had a cheerful disposition. This annoyed one of the shearers so much that he challenged Doug to a fight, with the loser to hand over one week's pay (30 shillings
– $
3). After six rounds the shearer who challenged him conceded defeat.
He played Australian rules football
. He was recruited by the Carlton Football Club
in the VFL
but did not play because of the racist attitude
of the other players. From there he played for the struggling Northcote Football Club
(now Richmond Central Amateur Football Club) for five years and was a member of their 1929 premiership team.
In 1932 Nicholls joined the Fitzroy Football Club
. Anticipating a reprise of the racism he had experienced at Carlton, he sat by himself in the change rooms at Brunswick Street but was welcomed and befriended by Haydn Bunton
, snr. In 1935, he was the first Aboriginal player to be selected to play for the Victorian Interstate Team. Knee injuries forced him to retire in 1939 and he was back at Northcote as a non-playing coach in 1940.
Playing football provided employment during the winter. To earn a living during the rest of the year, he boxed
with Jimmy Sharman
's Boxing Troupe, a travelling sideshow in which Sharman offered his fighters for challenge against all comers.
He also made money in running races and in 1928 won the Warracknabeal Gift
. Following this, the race organisers paid him an appearance fee, board and expenses to enter races. He was the inaugural chairman of the National Aboriginal Sports Foundation.
During World War II, Nicholls was an adept boomerang thrower, teaching some in the United States military that skill. There is a photograph depicting this available online, at the Australian War Memorial archives.
er 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 1935. He officiated at church and hymn services as a lay preacher at the Gore St. Mission Centre in Fitzroy
.
In 1941 he received his call-up notice and he joined the 29th Battalion but, in 1942, 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. He helped 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 of the Gospel.
In 1957 he became a field officer for the Aborigines Advancement League
. He edited their magazine, Smoke Signals, and helped draw Aboriginal issues to the attention of Government officials and the general public. He pleaded for dignity for Aboriginal people as human beings. Support for the AAL grew rapidly.
He helped set up hostels for Aboriginal children, holiday homes for Aboriginal people at Queenscliff
and was a founding member and Victorian Secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI).
Nicholls was an active Freemason
was held for him and he was buried in the cemetery at Cummeragunja.
Yorta Yorta people
The Yorta Yorta people are the Indigenous Australians who traditionally lived around the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day northeast Victoria....
. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation.
Nicholls was the first Aboriginal person to be knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
and the first Aboriginal person appointed to vice-regal office, serving as Governor of South Australia from 1 December 1976 until his resignation on 30 April 1977 due to poor health.
Education
Douglas Nicholls was born in 1906 on the Cummeragunja MissionCummeragunja Mission
Cummeragunja Mission, or Cummeragunja Station, was an Australian Aboriginal mission established in 1881 on the New South Wales side of the Murray River, on the Victorian border near Barmah. The people were mostly Yorta Yorta....
in New South Wales. Schooling at the mission was provided to Grade 3 standard and strict religious principles were emphasised. When he was eight, he saw his 16-year-old sister Hilda forcibly taken from his family by the police and taken to the Cootamundra Training Home for Girls.
Employment
At 13 he worked with his uncle as a tar boy and general hand on sheep stationSheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
s, and he lived with the shearers. He worked hard and had a cheerful disposition. This annoyed one of the shearers so much that he challenged Doug to a fight, with the loser to hand over one week's pay (30 shillings
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
– $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
3). After six rounds the shearer who challenged him conceded defeat.
Sportsman
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. He was recruited by the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
but did not play because of the racist attitude
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
of the other players. From there he played for the struggling Northcote Football Club
Northcote Football Club
Northcote Football Club, nicknamed The Dragons, was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1908 until 1987. The club's colours were green and yellow and it was based in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote...
(now Richmond Central Amateur Football Club) for five years and was a member of their 1929 premiership team.
In 1932 Nicholls joined the Fitzroy Football Club
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
. Anticipating a reprise of the racism he had experienced at Carlton, he sat by himself in the change rooms at Brunswick Street but was welcomed and befriended by Haydn Bunton
Haydn Bunton
Haydn Bunton may refer to:* Haydn Bunton, Sr. , Australian rules footballer* Haydn Bunton, Jr. , Australian rules footballer, son of the above...
, snr. In 1935, he was the first Aboriginal player to be selected to play for the Victorian Interstate Team. Knee injuries forced him to retire in 1939 and he was back at Northcote as a non-playing coach in 1940.
Playing football provided employment during the winter. To earn a living during the rest of the year, he boxed
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
with Jimmy Sharman
Jimmy Sharman
James Sharman senior and junior were father and son Australian boxing troupe impresarios....
's Boxing Troupe, a travelling sideshow in which Sharman offered his fighters for challenge against all comers.
He also made money in running races and in 1928 won the Warracknabeal Gift
Warracknabeal, Victoria
Warracknabeal is a wheatbelt town in the Australian state of Victoria. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km north-west of Melbourne, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee districts, and hosts local government offices of the Shire...
. Following this, the race organisers paid him an appearance fee, board and expenses to enter races. He was the inaugural chairman of the National Aboriginal Sports Foundation.
During World War II, Nicholls was an adept boomerang thrower, teaching some in the United States military that skill. There is a photograph depicting this available online, at the Australian War Memorial archives.
Community work and Christian ministry
He was a minister and social workSocial work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er with Aboriginal people. Following his mother's death he took a renewed interest in Christianity and was baptised at Northcote Church of Christ
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
(now Northern Community Church of Christ) in 1935. He officiated at church and hymn services as a lay preacher at the Gore St. Mission Centre in Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
.
In 1941 he received his call-up notice and he joined the 29th Battalion but, in 1942, 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
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
, gambling and other social problems. He helped 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
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
in Australia. In recognition of the ministry he was already expressing he was ordained as a minister of the Gospel.
In 1957 he became a field officer for the Aborigines Advancement League
Aborigines Advancement League
The Aborigines Advancement League claims to be the oldest Aboriginal organisation in Australia...
. He edited their magazine, Smoke Signals, and helped draw Aboriginal issues to the attention of Government officials and the general public. He pleaded for dignity for Aboriginal people as human beings. Support for the AAL grew rapidly.
He helped set up hostels for Aboriginal children, holiday homes for Aboriginal people at Queenscliff
Queenscliff, Victoria
Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe...
and was a founding member and Victorian Secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI).
Nicholls was an active Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
Family
Nicholls married Glady Nicholls, the widow of his brother Howard Nicholls (1905–1942) in December 1942, after Howard (who had married Gladys in 1927) had died in April 1942 as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Gladys already had three children. Douglas Nicholls and Gladys were married for 39 years and raised their combined six children; two sons, Bevan and Ralph, and four daughters, Beryl, Nora, Lilian and Pamela.Recognition
- 1957 – he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE). - 1962 – he was chosen by the Father's Day Council of Australia as Victoria's Father of the Year for "outstanding leadership in youth and welfare work and for the inspired example he set the community in his unfailing efforts to further the cause of the Australian Aborigine".
- 1968 – he was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 1968 – he met Pope Paul VIPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
at the Ecumenical Conference held in Melbourne - 1970 – he was among Victoria's invited guests to greet Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Australia.
- 1972 – he became the first Aboriginal person to be knighted (Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
) and he and his wife Gladys travelled to London to receive that honour. - 1973 – appointed King of MoombaMoombaMoomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
. - 1 December 1976, Sir Doug Nicholls was appointed as the 28th Governor of South Australia, the first Aboriginal person appointed to vice-regal office
- 1977 – he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)
- 1991 – the Canberra suburb of NichollsNicholls, Australian Capital TerritoryNicholls is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Gungahlin is named after Sir Douglas Nicholls , a former Governor of South Australia. It was gazetted on 18 October 1991. Streets are named after sportsmen and sportswomen....
was named after him. - 2003 – the new chapel of Northern Community Church of Christ in Preston is named after him.
- 2006 – proposal accepted for a statue to honour Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys Nicholls, sited in the Parliament Gardens, corner of Nicholson Street and Albert Street, Fitzroy, beside the Parliament of Victoria; 1.5 times life size statues by Louis Laumen and etching artwork into bluestone by Ngarra Murray, officially opened in December 2007.
Death
He died in 1988 after a stroke. A State FuneralState funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
was held for him and he was buried in the cemetery at Cummeragunja.