Clive Andrew Williams
Clive Andrew Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 February 1915 (most likely) |
| Died | 1 December 1980 |
Resting place | buried in Goonellabah cemetery |
| Organization | Tranby Co-operative College for Aborigines. Sydney Aborigines Progressive Association. Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI). |
| Known for | Activism for aboriginal Australian matters |
| Spouse | Ida Drew |
| Children | 3 sons, 6 daughters |
Clive Andrew Williams (1915–1980) was an Aboriginal Australian political activist.
Early life
As a child he was one of the very few aboriginal people to be accepted into Casino Intermediate High School.[1]
Political activism
During the 1960s Williams became involved with the Tranby Co-operative College for Aborigines at Glebe, Sydney, where he worked with religious leader William Alfred Clint.[1] During this time Williams was elected as the vice-preside of the Sydney Aborigines Progressive Association.[2]
According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Williams joined the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship, and was an attendee of the annual conferences of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI).[1]
In 1967 Williams was given a prominent role in the movie One Man's Road in which he and his wife shared stories of their lives.[3][4][5] The movie was produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit.[6] Upon the film's release, Williams discovered that the Australian Department of Territories had been using the movie as propaganda to promote the cultural assimilation of Aboriginal people.[1]
Later in life Williams was a member of a council of elders which worked with the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education on matters of Aboriginal recognition, especially the Bundjalung people.[1]
Williams died of myocardial infarction in 1980.[1] After his death, one of his daughters followed in his footsteps and became an aboriginal cultural activist like her father.[7]