Joseph Daniel McGinness (1914–2003), known as "Uncle Joe'", was an
Aboriginal Australian activist and the first Aboriginal president of the
(FCAATSI).
Early life and family
McGinness was born in 1914 in the
Northern Territory to
Alngindabu (also known as Lucy), a
Kungarakany
The Kungarakany people, also spelt Koongurrukuñ, Kungarrakany, Kungarakan and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. They were called the "Paperbark People" by European settlers.
Country
Norman Tindale e ...
woman, and Stephen McGinness, an Irish prospector and operator of a
tin mine. McGinness was baptised in his father's Catholic faith. The McGinnesses had five children; Joe's brother
Val McGinness would also be an activist as well as a musician and sportsman.
His sister,
Margaret Edwards
Margaret Edwards (born 28 March 1939) is an English former competitive swimmer. Early life
Edwards was born on 28 March 1939. Swimming career
She represented Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a br ...
, was active in the
Council for Aboriginal Rights
The Council for Aboriginal Rights (CAR) was founded in Melbourne in 1951 in order to improve rights for Indigenous Australians. Although based in the state of Victoria, it was a national organisation and its influence was felt throughout Australi ...
in
Melbourne in the 1960s.
Another brother,
Jack McGinness, was also an activist, and the Northern Territory's and Australia's first elected
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 ...
union leader in 1955 as president of
NAWU.
When their father died, McGinness, aged eight, and his siblings were taken into
Kahlin Compound
Kahlin Compound was an institution for part- Aboriginal people in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia between 1913 and 1939. After 1924, "half-caste" children were separated from their parents and other adults and moved to an institut ...
for "
half-caste
Half-caste (an offensive term for the offspring of parents of different racial groups or cultures) is a term used for individuals of multiracial descent. It is derived from the term ''caste'', which comes from the Latin ''castus'', meaning pu ...
" children in
Darwin.
Career
McGinness served in
Borneo in
World War II, and upon his return worked on the docks in
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
,
when he was active in the
Waterside Workers' Federation.
His experience in the union movement led him to political activism with the Cairns Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League and later the
Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement
The Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI), founded in Adelaide, South Australia, as the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (FCAA) on 16 February 1958, was a civil rights organisation whic ...
, later known as the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI),
of which he was president for around a decade.
He visited
Adelaide, in
South Australia, several times, to liaise with activists such as
John Moriarty.
[
He worked on the campaign for the 1967 referendum regarding Aboriginal affairs in Australia.][
He was also known as "Uncle Joe".]
Honours
McGinness was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Personal life
McGinness married Amy, a Torres Strait Islander woman.[
]
Publications
*''Son of Alyandabu: My Fight for Aboriginal Rights'' (1991) – autobiography
Works
*
References
Further reading
*
1914 births
2003 deaths
Australian indigenous rights activists
Australian people of Irish descent
Australian Roman Catholics
Members of the Order of Australia
{{Australia-bio-stub