Gerry Bostock (15 July 1942 – 16 May 2014) was a Bundjalung activist, playwright, poet and filmmaker.

Early life

Bostock was born on 15 July 1942 in

Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung-Yugambeh: Gumbin Gir) is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. The closest m ...

, of the Bundjalung people. After spending nine years in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

, Bostock moved to Redfern, a suburb of Sydney, where he became involved in political activism.

Activism and career

Bostock was involved in the struggles of

Indigenous Australian people 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 ...

and took part in setting up the

National Black Theatre The National Black Theatre is a non-profit cultural and educational corporation, and community-based theatre company located on 5th Avenue in Harlem, New York. History The National Black Theatre (NBT) is a non-profit cultural and educational co ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. He was also known as a healer. He made a substantial contribution to

Australian literature Australian literature is the written or literary work produced in the area or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding colonies. During its early Western history, Australia was a collection of British colonies; as such, ...

as a playwright, poet and writer. His 1976 play ''Here Comes the Nigger'' was performed at the

Black Theatre Arts and Culture Centre The National Black Theatre (NBT) was a theatre company run by a small group of Aboriginal people based in the Sydney suburb of Redfern which operated from 1972 to 1977. The original concept for the theatre grew out of political struggles, espec ...

in Redfern, starring

Athol Compton Athol Compton (born 1951) was an Aboriginal Australian actor. He became internationally famous when cast in ''The Games'' (1970). Select credits *''Skippy'' episode "The Rainmakers" *'' The Games'' (1970) *''Delta'' episode "Blackout"(1970) *''H ...

and

Julie McGregor Julie Anne McGregor (born 26 November 1948) is an Australian television actress and comedian, noted for her roles in comedy. Career In the 1970s, McGregor appeared in the Australian sketch comedy ''The Naked Vicar Show''. In the 1980s McGre ...

, with

Marcia Langton Marcia Lynne Langton (born 1951) is an Australian academic. she is the Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. Regarded as one of Australia's top intellectuals, L ...

in a supporting role. Many of the cast were involved in the

Black Women's Action Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Patt ...

group and its monthly publication ''Koori Bina''. With Alec Morgan, he produced the 1983 documentary, ''

Lousy Little Sixpence ''Lousy Little Sixpence'' is a 1983 Australian documentary film about Australian history that details the early years of the Stolen Generations and the struggle of Aboriginal Australians against the Aboriginal Protection Board in the 1930s. The f ...

,'' which covers the treatment of

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

from 1900 to 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bostock, Gerry 1942 births 2014 deaths Bundjalung people Indigenous Australian writers Australian documentary filmmakers