Famous Aborigines Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ilsa Konrads

Ilsa Konrad was actually born in Latvia and migrated to Australia in 1949 as a child. She represented her adopted country at the 1960 Olympics, picking up a silver in the 100m swimming relay.

Yvonne Goolagong was a world class tennis player, and was the first mother to win Wimbledon since before WWI. She hails from a tiny town in south-western New South Wales, named Barellan.

Nova Peris represented her country in athletics and field hockey, and Cathy Freeman swept all before her at the Sydney Olympic Games.

Answer: Black and red horizontal halves, with a yellow circle in the middle

The was designed by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas and flown for the first time in Adelaide, in 1971. The Federal Government recognised its validity, and it was granted legal status in 1995.

Answer: David Gulpilil

Gulpilil was raised in the Mandipingu tribe, who lived in Arnhem Land, at the top of the Northern Territory. He was only 15 when he starred in 'Walkabout'. He has also written books about the Aboriginal culture, and is an accomplished dancer.

Like so many other Aussie actors, Deborah Mailman started her career on the kids show 'Playschool' in 1998. She starred in the TV series 'The Secret Life of Us' for five years. She won an AFI Best Actress award for her work in the 1998 film 'Radiance'.

Ernie Dingo is the long-time host of the popular travel show 'The Great Outdoors', and has had guest spots in many Australian movies and television series.

Rhoda Roberts fronted a couple of current affairs programs, including 'First in Line' and 'Vox Populi', but is better known as the host of Aboriginal awareness radio programme 'Awaye!'. She was also the creative director for the Aboriginal dance segment of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Answer: Landscapes

One of my favourites is 'Light on Ljalkaindirma (Mount Hermannsburg)', which is located close to where he was born, in 1902. In 2002, Australia Post commemorated the centenary of his birth with the issue of four stamps depicting some of his works.

Answer: David Unaipon

Unaipon was of an inquisitive mind, and tried to create a helicopter-like device from the aerodynamic design of the boomerang. He also designed a shearing machine, sketched details of which can also be seen on the banknote. Mal Maninga was a brilliant rugby league player, Charlie Perkins was a politician, and Tailem Bend is the small South Australian town where Unaipon died.

Answer: One Pound Jimmy

He gained his nickname from his standard answer when he was asked how much he charged for a boomerang. "One pound, Boss".

Jimmy was a member of the Warlpiri tribe of central Australia, and died in 1965.

Black Caesar was an escaped African convict who turned to bushranging, and Black Bess was the name of Dick Turpin's horse. The other option is an attempt at humour and paraphrases the title of a song by Rolf Harris.

Answer: Dismissed Don Bradman for a duck

Eddie Gilbert, who preferred to play in bare feet, had the mighty Don caught behind with only his fifth ball in a Sheffield Shield (interstate) cricket match. His dismissal prompted Bradman to say that it was "the luckiest duck I ever made."

Answer: Beds are Burning

The band combines traditional and non-traditional instruments, eg, didgeridoo and guitar. 'Treaty' was off their second album, 'Tribal Voice', and was a huge hit in 1991. Neil Finn did guest vocals on 'Dots on the Shell', which was released in 2003.

'Beds are Burning' was a 1997 hit for Midnight Oil.

Answer: Doug Nichols

Pastor Doug Nichols had a rather unusual life, rising from shearer's offsider, to professional boxer, footballer, priest, activist, magazine editor, and in 1972 became the first Aboriginal to be knighted.

Fijian-born, but Australian-raised, Don Dunstan was a very flamboyant Premier of South Australia in the 1970s; Warren Mundine, uncle of boxer Anthony, became the National President of the Australian Labor Party, taking over the reins from Barry Jones in 2006, and Neville Bonner was the first Aboriginal to be elected to Parliament, becoming a Queensland senator in 1971.

Answer: Charles Perkins

Among his other 'firsts' are-

He was the first Indigenous Australian to graduate from university, when he was awarded a BA (Bachelor of Arts) by the University of Sydney, in 1965.

He was one of the longest survivors of a kidney transplant, having had his operation in 1971, and living till 2000.

In 1987, Perkins was awarded the Order of Australia, for his services to the Aboriginal cause.

Bennelong was a young aboriginal lad 'adopted' by Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, way back in 1788. Bennelong Point, the site of the Sydney Opera House, was named after him.

Marn Grook is the name of a type of football played by the Aboriginals, and possibly a predecessor to the modern Australian Rules code of footy. Mandawuy Yunupingu is the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, an Aboriginal band.