Faith Thomas (; 22 February 1933 – 15 April 2023), born Tinnipha, was an Australian cricketer and

hockey player Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. She was also a nurse in regional

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. Thomas is known for being the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia in any sport as well as her distinguished service to the Australian Indigenous community.

Early life

Thomas was born at the Nepabunna Aboriginal Mission in

. Her mother, Ivy, was an Adnyamathanha woman and her father was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. Her mother would take her to the Colebrook Home for Aboriginal Children in Quorn when she was a baby. She would play cricket with other children at Colebrook using stones as balls, and making bats from wood they found.

Nursing career

Thomas completed her nursing training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, graduating in 1954. She was South Australia's first Indigenous nurse to be employed as a public servant. Thomas undertook midwifery training in Adelaide at Queen Victoria Hospital in Adelaide and in 1958 was employed to work at

Raukkan Raukkan is an Australian Aboriginal community situated on the south-eastern shore of Lake Alexandrina in the locality of Narrung, southeast of the centre of South Australia's capital, Adelaide. Raukkan is "regarded as the home and heartland o ...

(known then as Point McLeay Aboriginal Reserve). Thomas later went on to become a patrol nurse, spending much time living out of her car while on call.

Cricket career

After being introduced to cricket by a colleague at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Thomas made an immediate impact for her club side, taking a hat-trick in her second game. She was selected to play for the South Australia Women's cricket team after only three club games. She played for her state side between 1956 and 1958. In 1958 she was selected for the Australian national team. She played her only international match against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She was the first Aboriginal woman to be selected to represent Australia in sport, and until 2019 (following the selection of

Ashleigh Gardner Ashleigh Katherine Gardner (born 15 April 1997) is an Australian cricketer who currently plays for the national women's team as an all-rounder. A right-handed batter and right-arm off spinner, Gardner also plays for New South Wales in the Wome ...

) was the only Indigenous woman to play test cricket for Australia. Thomas was selected in the squad to tour England and New Zealand after her test debut, but turned down the opportunity to focus on her nursing career. Thomas was known for her fast bowling off a run-up of just a few steps. She was renowned for her pace and skill of bowling the

yorker In cricket, a yorker is a ball bowled (a delivery) which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance, this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's ...

. Thomas's skill as a fast bowler came from her time in Colebrook where she would throw rocks at

galahs The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus ''Eolophus'' of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the c ...

. Thomas played her final club cricket game in the early 1960s. She was eight months pregnant at the time. The WBBL plays an annual Faith Thomas match between the Adelaide Strikers and the Perth Scorchers to honour her achievements in both cricket and nursing. The winner of the match is presented with the Faith Thomas Trophy.

Death

Thomas died on 15 April 2023, at the age of 90.

Early life

Nursing career

Cricket career

Death

References

Further reading