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Quiz about Famous Aborigines
Quiz about Famous Aborigines

Famous Aborigines Trivia Quiz


The Australian Aboriginals are a small but significant part of the population, and they have their fair share of high achievers. Here are some of them.

A multiple-choice quiz by ozzz2002. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
ozzz2002
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
277,965
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
1264
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: nikkitem (10/10), Bourman (8/10), alan56 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Cathy Freeman, Yvonne Goolagong-Cawley, Nova Peris, Ilsa Konrads. Which one of these is NOT an Aboriginal sportswoman? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Australian Aboriginal flag was first flown in 1971, but do you know what it looks like? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which Aboriginal actor started their career in 'Walkabout', in 1971, and appeared in such well-known movies like 'Crocodile Dundee', 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' and 'Ten Canoes'? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Albert Namatjira was one of Australia's best known artists, but did not paint in the traditional dot-painting of his Aboriginal peers. What word best describes the style of the majority of his work?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. On the Australian $50 note is a short piece of prose, and I quote "As a full blooded member of my race, I think I may claim to be the first, but I hope, not the last, to produce an enduring record of our customs, beliefs and imag(in)ing".

Who was this author, minister and inventor, who died in 1967?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This man featured on an Australian stamp in 1950, and his image is also on the $2 coin. His name is Gwoya Jungarai, but what was his nickname? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Eddie Gilbert's main claim to fame only lasted for a few minutes, but he is etched into Aboriginal sporting fame. What did Eddie do, in 1931? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Yothu Yindi formed in 1985 and quickly made their mark as the first successful Aboriginal band. Which of these is not one of their songs? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This man was the State Governor of South Australia in 1976, played football for Fitzroy and Victoria, and has a suburb named after him in the national capital, Canberra. He was also an ordained minister. His name? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Like a few before him, and many after him, this man protested against the extreme discriminations dealt out to the indigenous population. He was the first Aboriginal to head a federal government department, when he was appointed to the position of Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, in 1981. He also was a soccer player of some ability, trialling with Everton and Manchester United in the UK First Division in the mid 1950s. Who was he? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 19 2024 : nikkitem: 10/10
Mar 16 2024 : Bourman: 8/10
Mar 14 2024 : alan56: 10/10
Feb 28 2024 : bigwoo: 5/10
Feb 26 2024 : Guest 175: 6/10
Feb 21 2024 : buncha1956: 6/10
Feb 05 2024 : bernie73: 3/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Cathy Freeman, Yvonne Goolagong-Cawley, Nova Peris, Ilsa Konrads. Which one of these is NOT an Aboriginal sportswoman?

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.
2. The Australian Aboriginal flag was first flown in 1971, but do you know what it looks like?

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.
3. Which Aboriginal actor started their career in 'Walkabout', in 1971, and appeared in such well-known movies like 'Crocodile Dundee', 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' and 'Ten Canoes'?

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.
4. Albert Namatjira was one of Australia's best known artists, but did not paint in the traditional dot-painting of his Aboriginal peers. What word best describes the style of the majority of his work?

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.
5. On the Australian $50 note is a short piece of prose, and I quote "As a full blooded member of my race, I think I may claim to be the first, but I hope, not the last, to produce an enduring record of our customs, beliefs and imag(in)ing". Who was this author, minister and inventor, who died in 1967?

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.
6. This man featured on an Australian stamp in 1950, and his image is also on the $2 coin. His name is Gwoya Jungarai, but what was his nickname?

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.
7. Eddie Gilbert's main claim to fame only lasted for a few minutes, but he is etched into Aboriginal sporting fame. What did Eddie do, in 1931?

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."
8. Yothu Yindi formed in 1985 and quickly made their mark as the first successful Aboriginal band. Which of these is not one of their songs?

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.
9. This man was the State Governor of South Australia in 1976, played football for Fitzroy and Victoria, and has a suburb named after him in the national capital, Canberra. He was also an ordained minister. His name?

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.
10. Like a few before him, and many after him, this man protested against the extreme discriminations dealt out to the indigenous population. He was the first Aboriginal to head a federal government department, when he was appointed to the position of Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, in 1981. He also was a soccer player of some ability, trialling with Everton and Manchester United in the UK First Division in the mid 1950s. Who was he?

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.
Source: Author ozzz2002

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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