The Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognise

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

(

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

people) that have achieved at the highest level of their chosen sport. It was a joint project of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

, under the management of Colin Tatz. Inductees are sometimes referred to as "Black Diamonds", being the name of the first book of the project, published in 1996.

History

The Hall of Fame was an outcome of Chris "Honky" Clark, a director of Aboriginal-owned and -operated sports complex in

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,486. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Clark saw the need to inspire indigenous youth through sports photographs. The costs of establishing a permanent photographic exhibition was too expensive. Musician and historian Ted Egan recommended a low-cost book. The outcome was the book ''Black Diamonds: The Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame'', published in 1996. The Hall of Fame was a joint project of ATSIC and Macquarie University, under the management of Colin Tatz with photography by Paul Tatz. The inaugural list of 129 members was determined by well-known Indigenous athletes: Mark Ella;

Sydney Jackson Sidney William Jackson (12 June 1873 – 30 September 1946) was an Australian naturalist and field ornithologist with a special interest in oology, who was also a skilled photographer and taxidermist. History Jackson was born in Brisbane, Queen ...

;

Faith Thomas Faith Thomas (; 22 February 1933 – 15 April 2023), born Tinnipha, was an Australian cricketer and hockey player. She was also a nurse in regional South Australia. Thomas is known for being the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia i ...

; and Charlie Perkins. They were assisted by three non-Indigenous historians: Ted Egan; Colin Tatz; and Alick Jackomos. In 1999, the list of members was increased by 43. The 1999 selection committee comprised:

Arthur Beetson Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011

; Evonne Goolagong Cawley; Lloyd McDermott; Mark Ella;

Gary Ella Gary Albert Ella (born 23 July 1960) is an Australian former rugby union player. Ella represented Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Aus ...

; Charlie Perkins, Ted Egan, Ken Edwards, and Tatz. The committee was assisted by three statisticians/historians:

Colin Hutchinson Colin Hutchinson (20 October 1936 – 20 January 2017) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke City. Career Hutchinson was born in Consett and played for Crook Hall before signing for Football League side Stoke Cit ...

(

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er),

David Middleton David Middleton may refer to: *David Middleton (mariner) (died 1617), early English merchant of the East India Company * David Middleton (cricketer) (born 1965), English cricketer * Dave Middleton (1933–2007), American football wide receiver *Davi ...

(rugby league player) and George Bracken (boxing). After the 1999 selection, the full list of 172 members with brief biographies was published in the book ''Black Gold : the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame''. As of 2000 there was no permanent home for the Hall of Fame, but there had been several photographic exhibitions in Australia. Colin and Paul Tatz donated 110 photographs from the Sports Hall of Fame to the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

(AIATSIS). The 2008 selection panel included seven Aboriginal selectors: Arthur Beetson; Carl Currey; Gary Ella;

; Lloyd McDermott; John Maynard; and

Nova Peris Nova Maree Peris (born 25 February 1971) is an Aboriginal Australian athlete and former politician. As part of the Australian women's field hockey (Hockeyroos) team at the 1996 Olympic Games, she was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an ...

. The 2018 selection panel comprised

, Katrina Fanning,

Gilbert McAdam Gilbert McAdam (born 30 March 1967 in Alice Springs) is an Indigenous Australian former Australian rules football player and one of three McAdam brothers to play in the Australian Football League (AFL). Playing career Early career McAdam grew ...

, John Maynard, Nova Peris, David Middleton, George Bracken, ColHutchinson and Colin and Paul Tatz. In 2018, there were 276 members of the Hall of Fame.

Selection criteria

Barellan Evonne Goolagong Giant Tennis Racquet 001

Members were selected if they met the following selection criteria: *represented Australia or their state/territory *held a national or international record or title *achieved a notable ''

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

'' or distinguished performance *in the case of Australian football, were acclaimed senior players and/or medal winners *had notable success as referees or umpires *those who through their coaching, administration or organisation have helped create Indigenous teams and a space for them in competitions *person's contribution to Aboriginal or Islander identity

Members

Inductees are sometimes referred to as "Black Diamonds".

History

Selection criteria

Members

See also

References

Further reading