Bobbi Sykes
Encyclopedia
Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes was an Australia
n poet and author. She was a life-long campaigner for indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights.
, Sykes was raised by her mother and purportedly never knew her father. Sykes says in her autobiography that his identity is unknown, but her mother, Rachel Patterson, told a reporter in 1973 that Sykes's "father was a Negro soldier... His name was Master Sergeant Robert Barkley of the US Army".
, [pseudonym] of "Opal Stone". She became a freelance journalist and got involved in several national indigenous activist organisations. She was one of the many protestors arrested at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
in July 1972. She was involved in the creation and early development of the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service
, although other participants say that her autobiography exaggerates her role in this.
, an indigenous Australian social worker in New South Wales
. She won the Patricia Weickert Black Writers Award in 1982.
in 1983. She was the first black Australian to graduate from a United States university. She returned to Australia where she continued her life as an activist and was appointed to the Nation Review
, as Australia's first (presumed) indigenous columnist. In 1994 her role was recognised when awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal
.
Sykes's three-volume autobiography Snake Dreaming was published between 1997 and 2000. The first volume won The Age Book of the Year
1997 and the 1998 Nita Kibble Literary Award
for women writers.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n poet and author. She was a life-long campaigner for indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights.
Early life and education
Born Roberta Barkley Patterson in Townsville, QueenslandTownsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
, Sykes was raised by her mother and purportedly never knew her father. Sykes says in her autobiography that his identity is unknown, but her mother, Rachel Patterson, told a reporter in 1973 that Sykes's "father was a Negro soldier... His name was Master Sergeant Robert Barkley of the US Army".
Early activism
Sykes left school aged 14 and, after a succession of jobs, including a nurses assistant at the Townsville General Hospital from 1959 to 1960. She moved to Brisbane and then to Sydney in the early to mid-1960s where she worked as a strip-tease dancer at the notorious Pink Pussycat Club, 38a Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross under the stage nameStage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, [pseudonym] of "Opal Stone". She became a freelance journalist and got involved in several national indigenous activist organisations. She was one of the many protestors arrested at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
in July 1972. She was involved in the creation and early development of the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service
Aboriginal Medical Service
The Aboriginal Medical Service was established in Redfern from 1971. It was the first Aboriginal community controlled health service in Australia, and it is now a key Indigenous community organisation, from which most Aboriginal medical services around the State of New South Wales have stemmed...
, although other participants say that her autobiography exaggerates her role in this.
Poetry
Sykes's early poetry was published in 1979 in the book Love Poems and Other Revolutionary Acts. The first edition was limited to a thousand copies (with the first 300 numbered and signed). A mass market edition was published in 1988. Her second volume of poetry was published in 1996. In 1981 she ghosted the autobiography of Mum (Shirl) SmithMum (Shirl) Smith
Shirley Smith , better known as Mum Shirl, was a prominent Aboriginal Australian and activist committed to justice and welfare of Aboriginal Australians...
, an indigenous Australian social worker in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. She won the Patricia Weickert Black Writers Award in 1982.
Harvard and later activism
Sykes received a PhD in Education from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1983. She was the first black Australian to graduate from a United States university. She returned to Australia where she continued her life as an activist and was appointed to the Nation Review
Nation Review
Nation Reviewwas an Australian Sunday newspaper, which ceased publication in 1981. It was launched in 1970 after independent publisher Gordon Barton bought out Tom Fitzgerald's Nation publication and merged it with his own Sunday Review journal...
, as Australia's first (presumed) indigenous columnist. In 1994 her role was recognised when awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal
Human Rights Medal (Australia)
The Human Rights Medal is awarded by the Australian Human Rights Commission each year. It was established in 1987 by the then Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to recognise the "contribution to Australian society of a wide variety of men and women committed to issues of human rights,...
.
Sykes's three-volume autobiography Snake Dreaming was published between 1997 and 2000. The first volume won The Age Book of the Year
The Age Book of the Year
The Age Book of the Year Awards are annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. Since 1998 they have been presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival...
1997 and the 1998 Nita Kibble Literary Award
Nita Kibble Literary Award
The Kibble Literary Awards comprise two awards which are presented annually: the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, which recognises the work of an established Australian female writer, and the Dobbie Literary Award, which is for a first published work by a female writer. The Awards recognise the works...
for women writers.
Awards and nominations
- 1982: Patricia Weickert Black Writers Award
- 1994: Australian Human Rights MedalHuman Rights Medal (Australia)The Human Rights Medal is awarded by the Australian Human Rights Commission each year. It was established in 1987 by the then Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to recognise the "contribution to Australian society of a wide variety of men and women committed to issues of human rights,...
- 1997: Age Book of the Year for Snake Cradle
- 1998: National Biography AwardNational Biography AwardThe National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography and to promote public interest in those genres". It...
for Snake Cradle - 1998: Nita B. Kibble Literary Award for Snake Cradle