Dr Charles Nelson Perkins (Charlie Perkins)
16 June 1936 – 19th October 2000 64 years old.
Background
Dr Charles Perkins was an Australian Aboriginal activist, Soccer player and administrator. Born in Alice springs near Aritunga to a Kalkadoon mother and an Irish father, he was the first ever Aboriginal Australian to graduate from the University of Sydney (Wikipedia, 2017.)
Career Milestones
The proclaimed Australian Living national treasure began playing Soccer for Port Thistle in Adelaide in 1950 before his talents lead him overseas to trial for Liverpool F.C (Indigenous Australia, 2017). However, Perkins ended up training with Liverpool’s rivals Everton F.C before leaving and playing for an amateur team (Indigenous Australia, 2017). …show more content…
By 1967 he was actively involved in the referendum which allowed for the inclusion of the Aboriginal people in the census (Indigenous Australia, 2017). This lead to him accepting a position of secretary of Aboriginal affairs becoming the first Aboriginal to be head of a federal government department (Indigenous Australia, 2017). 8 years later he was appointed the chairman of Arrernte council of central Australia (Indigenous Australia, 2017). By 1993 he was elected commissioner of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders commissioners for an area of the Northern Territory and one year later he became the deputy chairman for the same commission (Indigenous Australia, …show more content…
This adds to the already astonishing poor health of Aboriginal children (2011.) The death of Charles, the families bread winner would have left his family with great financial burdens. His children may feel the need to internalise their feelings and burdens as a way of protecting the mother, this in turn will only heighten probability of developing depression and anxiety. As an indigenous Australian, mental health conditions make up 16% of the disease burden experienced (Australian bureau of statistics, 2011). Charles’ wife must support her family as the shift in responsibilities lays solely with her, this amount of pressure can cause stress which is a predisposition for obesity heart attacks and depression and
16 June 1936 – 19th October 2000 64 years old.
Background
Dr Charles Perkins was an Australian Aboriginal activist, Soccer player and administrator. Born in Alice springs near Aritunga to a Kalkadoon mother and an Irish father, he was the first ever Aboriginal Australian to graduate from the University of Sydney (Wikipedia, 2017.)
Career Milestones
The proclaimed Australian Living national treasure began playing Soccer for Port Thistle in Adelaide in 1950 before his talents lead him overseas to trial for Liverpool F.C (Indigenous Australia, 2017). However, Perkins ended up training with Liverpool’s rivals Everton F.C before leaving and playing for an amateur team (Indigenous Australia, 2017). …show more content…
By 1967 he was actively involved in the referendum which allowed for the inclusion of the Aboriginal people in the census (Indigenous Australia, 2017). This lead to him accepting a position of secretary of Aboriginal affairs becoming the first Aboriginal to be head of a federal government department (Indigenous Australia, 2017). 8 years later he was appointed the chairman of Arrernte council of central Australia (Indigenous Australia, 2017). By 1993 he was elected commissioner of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders commissioners for an area of the Northern Territory and one year later he became the deputy chairman for the same commission (Indigenous Australia, …show more content…
This adds to the already astonishing poor health of Aboriginal children (2011.) The death of Charles, the families bread winner would have left his family with great financial burdens. His children may feel the need to internalise their feelings and burdens as a way of protecting the mother, this in turn will only heighten probability of developing depression and anxiety. As an indigenous Australian, mental health conditions make up 16% of the disease burden experienced (Australian bureau of statistics, 2011). Charles’ wife must support her family as the shift in responsibilities lays solely with her, this amount of pressure can cause stress which is a predisposition for obesity heart attacks and depression and