I Faith Bandler Research Paper

I, Faith Bandler, am a proud Australian. And I stand here today, amongst a young group of women who. Together, we walk the steps to achieve justice, for Indigenous, Torres Strait and South sea islander’s. This is my story.

When I was born in 1918, in the small community of tumbulgum NSW, I was born a burden. I was born into a society where the color of my skin, defined who I was. I was born into a society, where Indigenous Australian’s were a low type, who could not be bettered. I was born into a society, where as a dark-skinned Australian, I was taught that black may be beautiful, but light skin is the right skin.

In 1833, my father was kidnapped from Ambryn, an island in the archipelago of vanuatu at the age of 13 and brought to Australia,

I dropped out of school in 1934 as the depression was peakin. My first Job was a dressmaker at David Jones.

But, when Japanese submarines attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942, she joined the Women 's Land Army (24) despite earning less that whites. In 1945 I was discharged, and began taking a professional interest in politics.

My fight for Aboriginal rights started in 1956 when I co-founded the Aboriginal Australian Fellowship, a campaigning group founded to draw attention to and to achieve equal pay and citizenship for Aboriginal people. I was greatly influenced by Jessie street, whom I have continuously shared many spectacular memories with. and by 1950 was endorsed as a delegate to the peace council. In 1953 I was married to Hans Bandler, where we raise the beautiful Ida

In 1957, I and fellow activist Jessie Street launched a petition in support of the referendum culminating in the 1967 victory.

In 1974, I decided to direct my energies to the plight of my own people, the 16,000 descendants of South Sea Islanders. I founded the National Commission for Australian South Sea Islanders and, in 1975, made my first emotional journey to my father’s birthplace on