Pearl Mary (Gambanyi) Gibbs (née Brown) (18 July 1901 – 28 April 1983) was an Indigenous Australian activist, and the most prominent female activist within the Aboriginal movement in the early 20th century. She was a member of the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA), and was involved with various protest events such as the 1938 Day of Mourning. She has strong associations with activists Jessie Street and Faith Bandler.
Gibbs was born Pearl Mary Brown on 18 July 1901 in La Perouse or possibly Botany Bay,[3] Sydney, to Mary Margaret Brown, whose mother was an Aboriginal woman of the Ngemba people called Maria, and a white man, David Barry.[1][4] Gibbs grew up in and around the town of Yass, where she attended Mount Carmel School along with her sister Olga.[1] In 1917, Gibbs and her sister moved to Sydney to work as domestics, and Gibbs found a position in Potts Point.[5] Gibbs met other Aboriginal women and girls who were apprenticed as domestics by the Aborigines Protection Board and helped them make representations to the Board about their working conditions.[5]
She married Robert James Gibbs, in April 1923, a British sailor, with whom she had a daughter and two sons; however, they later separated, and Gibbs cared for the children on her own.[6][7]
Activism
In the 1930s, Gibbs helped run a camp to support unemployed Aboriginal workers.[citation needed] She also spent time living at Salt Pan Creek camp in south-western Sydney. Refugee families from the north and south coast and Cummeragunja lived there, including Bill Onus, Jack Patten, and Jack Campbell.[8] In 1933 she organised a strike for Aboriginal pea-pickers. She was one of the first members of the APA, and attracted large crowds when she gave speeches in the Domain in Sydney. She began to work with APA president Jack Patten and secretary William Ferguson, and in 1938 she was involved with organising the Day of Mourning protests, which at the time was the most significant Aboriginal civil rights demonstration in Australia. She was a spokesperson for the Committee for Aboriginal Citizen Rights, the lobby group which was set up to carry on the work of the Day of Mourning Congress. Later in 1938 she succeeded Ferguson as secretary of the APA, and she held the position until 1940.
In 1941, Gibbs made the first radio broadcast by an Aboriginal woman, on the station 2WL in Wollongong. Her speech was on Aboriginal civil rights, and carefully scripted so that it would be allowed on the air.[9] Much of Gibbs' early work was done during a time when Aboriginal people were subject to controls on their movement, unless they had an exemption certificate from the relevant protection board.[1] Police would also monitor all public civil rights demonstrations. In 1993, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) released their file on Gibbs to the National Archives of Australia. The file included records of which political meetings Gibbs had attended, and clippings of newspaper articles in which she had been mentioned.[10]
Gibbs spent much of her adult life in Dubbo. In 1946, she and Ferguson established a branch of the Australian Aborigines' League in Dubbo, and she was the vice-president and later secretary of the branch throughout the 1940s and 1950s.[11] Later, in 1960, Gibbs set up a hostel to care for the families of Aboriginal hospital patients in Dubbo. From 1954 to 1957, Gibbs was the only Aboriginal member of the New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board,[12] and she was the only woman to ever serve on the board. In 1956 she was a co-founder, along with Faith Bandler, of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship (AAF), which was a mainly urban organisation designed to facilitate cooperation between Aboriginal political groups and white people sympathetic to the cause. Gibbs was able to use the AAF to develop connections with the trade union movement in New South Wales.[13]
Gibbs continued to be politically active throughout the 1970s, including supporting the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. She forged important links between the Aboriginal movement and other progressive political groups, notably the women's movement.[3]
^Thompson, George; Markham, Colin. "Tribute to Pearl Gibbs". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
^ abCole, Anna; Haskins, Victoria K. (Victoria Katharine); Paisley, Fiona; Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (2005), Uncommon ground : white women and Aboriginal history (New ed.), Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, ISBN978-0-85575-485-3
^Standfield, Rachel; Peckham, Ray; Nolan, John (2014), Damousi, Joy; Rubenstein, Kim; Tomsic, Mary (eds.), "Aunty Pearl Gibbs:: Leading for Aboriginal rights", Diversity in Leadership, Australian women, past and present, ANU Press, pp. 53–68, ISBN978-1-925021-70-7, JSTOR j.ctt13wwvj5.6, retrieved 1 March 2021
^Pearl Gibbs'Radio Broadcast' (transcript) in Nicholas Jose (general editor) The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature Allen & Unwin: Crows Nest NSW, 2009.
^. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
^"Aboriginal Rights". Western Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 20 March 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Aboriginal woman elected to board". The Land. No. 2237. New South Wales, Australia. 20 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
Goodall, Heather. "Pearl Gibbs: Some Memories", Aboriginal History, vol 7, no 1, 1983, p 20.
Goodall, Heather, "Pearl Gibbs", in Radi, Heather (ed.), 200 Australian Women: A Redress anthology, Women's Redress Press, Broadway, N.S.W., [1988], pp. 211–213.
Horner, Jack, "Pearl Gibbs: A Biographical Tribute", Aboriginal History, vol. 7, no. 1, 1983, pp. 10–12.
Standfield, Rachel; Peckham, Ray; Nolan, John (2014). "3. Aunty Pearl Gibbs: Leading for Aboriginal Rights". In Damousi Joy; Rubenstein Kim; Tomsic Mary (eds.). In Diversity in Leadership: Australian Women, past and Present. ANU Press. pp. 53–68. JSTOR j.ctt13wwvj5.6. – via JSTOR.
January 13, 2023
pearl, gibbs, pearl, mary, gambanyi, gibbs, née, brown, july, 1901, april, 1983, indigenous, australian, activist, most, prominent, female, activist, within, aboriginal, movement, early, 20th, century, member, aborigines, progressive, association, involved, wi. Pearl Mary Gambanyi Gibbs nee Brown 18 July 1901 28 April 1983 was an Indigenous Australian activist and the most prominent female activist within the Aboriginal movement in the early 20th century She was a member of the Aborigines Progressive Association APA and was involved with various protest events such as the 1938 Day of Mourning She has strong associations with activists Jessie Street and Faith Bandler Pearl GibbsGibbs from the collections of the State Library of New South WalesBornPearl Mary Brown18 July 1901La Perouse New South Wales Australia 1 Died28 April 1983 aged 81 Dubbo New South Wales AustraliaOther namesPearl Mary Barry married name OccupationsAboriginal leaderPolitical activistSocial activistOrganizationAborigines Welfare Board 1954 1957 2 SpouseRobert James Gibbs m 1923 sep ParentsDavid Barry father Mary Brown mother AwardsVictorian Honour Roll of Women Contents 1 Early life 2 Activism 3 Recognition 4 References 5 Further readingEarly life EditGibbs was born Pearl Mary Brown on 18 July 1901 in La Perouse or possibly Botany Bay 3 Sydney to Mary Margaret Brown whose mother was an Aboriginal woman of the Ngemba people called Maria and a white man David Barry 1 4 Gibbs grew up in and around the town of Yass where she attended Mount Carmel School along with her sister Olga 1 In 1917 Gibbs and her sister moved to Sydney to work as domestics and Gibbs found a position in Potts Point 5 Gibbs met other Aboriginal women and girls who were apprenticed as domestics by the Aborigines Protection Board and helped them make representations to the Board about their working conditions 5 She married Robert James Gibbs in April 1923 a British sailor with whom she had a daughter and two sons however they later separated and Gibbs cared for the children on her own 6 7 Activism EditIn the 1930s Gibbs helped run a camp to support unemployed Aboriginal workers citation needed She also spent time living at Salt Pan Creek camp in south western Sydney Refugee families from the north and south coast and Cummeragunja lived there including Bill Onus Jack Patten and Jack Campbell 8 In 1933 she organised a strike for Aboriginal pea pickers She was one of the first members of the APA and attracted large crowds when she gave speeches in the Domain in Sydney She began to work with APA president Jack Patten and secretary William Ferguson and in 1938 she was involved with organising the Day of Mourning protests which at the time was the most significant Aboriginal civil rights demonstration in Australia She was a spokesperson for the Committee for Aboriginal Citizen Rights the lobby group which was set up to carry on the work of the Day of Mourning Congress Later in 1938 she succeeded Ferguson as secretary of the APA and she held the position until 1940 In 1941 Gibbs made the first radio broadcast by an Aboriginal woman on the station 2WL in Wollongong Her speech was on Aboriginal civil rights and carefully scripted so that it would be allowed on the air 9 Much of Gibbs early work was done during a time when Aboriginal people were subject to controls on their movement unless they had an exemption certificate from the relevant protection board 1 Police would also monitor all public civil rights demonstrations In 1993 the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASIO released their file on Gibbs to the National Archives of Australia The file included records of which political meetings Gibbs had attended and clippings of newspaper articles in which she had been mentioned 10 Gibbs spent much of her adult life in Dubbo In 1946 she and Ferguson established a branch of the Australian Aborigines League in Dubbo and she was the vice president and later secretary of the branch throughout the 1940s and 1950s 11 Later in 1960 Gibbs set up a hostel to care for the families of Aboriginal hospital patients in Dubbo From 1954 to 1957 Gibbs was the only Aboriginal member of the New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board 12 and she was the only woman to ever serve on the board In 1956 she was a co founder along with Faith Bandler of the Aboriginal Australian Fellowship AAF which was a mainly urban organisation designed to facilitate cooperation between Aboriginal political groups and white people sympathetic to the cause Gibbs was able to use the AAF to develop connections with the trade union movement in New South Wales 13 Gibbs continued to be politically active throughout the 1970s including supporting the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy She forged important links between the Aboriginal movement and other progressive political groups notably the women s movement 3 Gibbs died in Dubbo in 1983 1 Recognition EditGibbs was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001 14 On 18 July 2021 Google honoured her 120th birthday with a Google Doodle 15 References Edit a b c d e Goodall Heather Gibbs Pearl Mary Gambanyi 1901 1983 Australian Dictionary of Biography Retrieved 31 October 2014 Betty is not a criminal Sun Sydney NSW 1910 1954 22 October 1954 p 2 Retrieved 8 March 2019 a b Kovacic Leonarda 12 September 2017 Gibbs Pearl Mary 1901 1983 Australian Women s Register Thompson George Markham Colin Tribute to Pearl Gibbs Parliament of New South Wales Retrieved 31 October 2014 a b Cole Anna Haskins Victoria K Victoria Katharine Paisley Fiona Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies 2005 Uncommon ground white women and Aboriginal history New ed Aboriginal Studies Press for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies ISBN 978 0 85575 485 3 Horner 1983 pp 10 12 Standfield Rachel Peckham Ray Nolan John 2014 Damousi Joy Rubenstein Kim Tomsic Mary eds Aunty Pearl Gibbs Leading for Aboriginal rights Diversity in Leadership Australian women past and present ANU Press pp 53 68 ISBN 978 1 925021 70 7 JSTOR j ctt13wwvj5 6 retrieved 1 March 2021 Kleinert Sylvia 2011 Bill Onus Design amp Art Australia Online Retrieved 18 November 2022 Pearl Gibbs Radio Broadcast transcript in Nicholas Jose general editor The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature Allen amp Unwin Crows Nest NSW 2009 ASIO file on Pearl Gibbs at the National Archives of Australia Archived from the original on 24 March 2019 Retrieved 17 November 2009 Aboriginal Rights Western Herald New South Wales Australia 20 March 1953 p 8 Retrieved 20 April 2017 via National Library of Australia Aboriginal woman elected to board The Land No 2237 New South Wales Australia 20 August 1954 p 2 Retrieved 20 April 2017 via National Library of Australia Horner 1983 pp 16 18 Victorian Honour Roll of Women List of Inductees 2001 2011 PDF Pearl Gibbs Gambanyi s 120th Birthday Google Retrieved 18 July 2021 Further reading Edit Gibbs Pearl Mary The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth Century Australia Gilbert Kevin Pearl Gibbs Aboriginal Patriot Aboriginal History vol 7 no 1 1983 pp 4 9 Goodall Heather Pearl Gibbs Some Memories Aboriginal History vol 7 no 1 1983 p 20 Goodall Heather Pearl Gibbs in Radi Heather ed 200 Australian Women A Redress anthology Women s Redress Press Broadway N S W 1988 pp 211 213 Horner Jack Pearl Gibbs A Biographical Tribute Aboriginal History vol 7 no 1 1983 pp 10 12 Standfield Rachel Peckham Ray Nolan John 2014 3 Aunty Pearl Gibbs Leading for Aboriginal Rights In Damousi Joy Rubenstein Kim Tomsic Mary eds In Diversity in Leadership Australian Women past and Present ANU Press pp 53 68 JSTOR j ctt13wwvj5 6 via JSTOR Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pearl Gibbs amp oldid 1124009115, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
