What did Mum Shirl do for aboriginals?
Mum Shirl increasingly became involved in the service provision and political activism in Redfern. Her work included helping to establish the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Medical Service, and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Did Mum Shirl have children?
| Mum Shirl | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Social worker |
| Known for | Aboriginal rights |
| Spouse(s) | Cecil “Darcy Smith” Hazil |
| Children | 2 (1 died during childbirth) |
Why is Mum Shirl a leader?
Immersed in the struggle for equal rights for Aborigines, Mum Shirl met regularly with young leaders and activists. She helped the police to settle disputes among families and groups and to calm down situations that could end in violence.
When was Shirl born?
November 22, 1921
Mum Shirl/Date of birth
Why was Mum Shirl admired?
Mr Syron said Mum Shirl was motivated by prisoners’ rights and everyone, including the prison officers, respected her.
What indigenous tribe was Mum Shirl in?
Shirley was born on the Erambie Reserve, Cowra, of Wiradjuri descent. She moved with her family to Sydney in the mid 1930s. Not long after the move, one of Shirley’s brothers went to jail. Visiting her brother in jail would start a lifelong and tireless involvement in welfare work.
What challenges did Mum Shirl face?
Raised in Cowra, NSW by her grandparents, Mum Shirl could neither read nor write and suffered from epilepsy—it was this that prevented her from receiving a Western education. Despite this, she learned 16 Aboriginal languages and became Redfern’s face of Indigenous activism.
In what ways was Mum Shirl living a good life?
Deeply affected by the pain all around her, Mom Shirl began to find “shelter, food and friendship for those recently arrived in the city,” working “tirelessly for the vulnerable, especially children, single mothers, the destitute, the homeless and the alcoholics” (Taffe).
What awards did Mum Shirl get?
In particular, she is well remembered for her role in helping to found the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern, where she was later employed and continued her valuable community work. MumShirl was awarded an MBE in 1977 for services to the Aboriginal community and an AM in 1985. She died in 1998, aged 73.
Who is Mum Shirl?
Shirley Smith (better known as ‘Mum Shirl’), an Aboriginal woman of Wiradjuri descent, was born Shirley Colleen Perry on Erambie Reserve in Cowra on 21 November 1924.
Who was Mum Shirl Perry Smith?
During her lifetime she was recognised as an Australian National Living Treasure. Mum Shirl was born as Coleen Shirley Perry Smith on the Erambie Mission, in Wiradjuri country near Cowra NSW in 1924 to Joseph and Isabell Perry Smith.
How much did Mum Shirl get paid for her work?
Her work included helping to establish the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Medical Service, and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. (p.70-79) Eventually the Aboriginal Medical Service offered to pay Mum Shirl 50 dollars a week, which was more than her pension. (p.79)
What towns did Mum Shirl have connections to?
Cowra: A small town in Central Western New South Wales, which was close to the Erambie mission. Mum Shirl had numerous connections to Cowra, however she felt discriminated against in the town itself. Grenfell: The town where Mum Shirl’s parents were working as drovers when she was very young.