May 27 will mark 50 years since the 1967 referendum, in which over 90 per cent of Australians voted to an amendment for the constitution.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The amendment saw Indigenous people counted as part of the Australian population, and allowed the Federal Parliament to legislate specifically for them.
One of the key activists for changes to the constitution was Jessie Street, whose daughter Belinda Mackay lived at Nithdale in Ballalaba with husband Don.
Mrs Street was a prominent figure in Australian life, who represented the country at the United Nations, as well as championing causes such as women’s rights.
Born in India in 1889, she moved with her family to Yulgilbar station in north eastern NSW in 1896. She attended school in England, then studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1910.
Throughout her life, Mrs Street was concerned with the issues women faced. A member of the Women’s Club, the Feminist Club, and secretary of the National Council for Women, she championed ideological and practical gains for women of all classes.
In the 1930s she worked with the United Nations to promote peace, disarmament and conflict resolution.
After WWII she was Australia’s first representative on the UN Economic and Social Council Commission on the Status of Women.
She worked to ensure that the charter of the United Nations which guaranteed rights regardless of race, language, religion or sex.
When she returned to Australia she took up the cause of Indigenous people. Mrs Street encouraged the formation of an organisation to support Aboriginal advancement, as well as seeking to amend the constitution to remove the discriminatory references to Indigenous people.
Mrs Street died three years later in 1970.
- Sourced from the Jessie Street Trust