Bob Maza
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Robert Lewis Maza (25 November 1939 – 14 May 2000), known as Bob Maza, was an
Aboriginal Australian 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 Isl ...
actor, playwright and activist.


Early life and education

Robert Lewis Maza was born on Palm Island in North Queensland on 25 November 1939, to a Murray Islander (
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 groupe ...
) father and to a Yidinjdji (
Australian Aboriginal 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 I ...
) mother.Bob Maza
on the website of the Australia Council for the Arts
He was one of the first Aboriginal children in northern Queensland to complete secondary schooling, and described feelings of alienation and being caught between two cultures as a teenager. After finishing school in Cairns, he worked as a
labourer A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries e ...
and then did
office work A white-collar worker is a person who performs professional, desk, managerial, or administrative work. White-collar work may be performed in an office or other administrative setting. White-collar workers include job paths related to government, ...
in Darwin, Northern Territory.


Activism

After moving to
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
in the late 1960s, he joined the Aboriginal Advancement League (AAL) and started becoming involved in Indigenous rights activism. He was inspired by '' Malcolm X Speaks'', and subsequently made president of the AAL. In 1970 Maza attended the third Pan-African Conference in the United States, where he witnessed the effectiveness of Indigenous theatre. Also in 1970, he addressed the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
on the subject of "the third-world status of
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 ...
". In 1972, he took part in the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a permanent protest occupation site as a focus for representing the political rights of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. Established on 26 January (Australia Day) 1972, and celebrating i ...
protest.


Acting career


Television

After moving to Melbourne in the 1960s, Maza became a musician and actor, featuring in various television dramas, becoming particularly known for his role as the articled clerk Gerry Walters in the ABC series '' Bellbird''. He also appeared in many other
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
, including '' Hunter'', '' Homicide'', '' Harry's War'', '' Wildside'', '' A Difficult Woman'', '' A Country Practice'', ''
Women of the Sun ''Women of the Sun'' is an Australian historical drama television miniseries that was broadcast on SBS Television and later the Australian Broadcasting Company in 1981. The series, co-written by Sonia Borg and Hyllus Maris, was composed of four ...
'' and ''
Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...
''.


Theatre

In 1971 Maza started working in theatre with Jack Charles, and together they formed
Nindethana Nindethana Theatre was Australia's first Aboriginal theatre company, founded in Melbourne in 1971, with its last performance in Adelaide in 1974. Establishment and aims The theatre company was formed after the Australia Council for the Arts a ...
, putting on a humorous piece called ''Jack Charles Is Up and Fighting'', subtitled "It‟s tough for us Boongs in Australia today". In mid-1972 helped to establish 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 ...
in Sydney (with
Brian Syron Brian Gregory Syron (19 November 1934 – 14 October 1993) was an actor, teacher, Aboriginal rights activist, stage director and Australia's first Indigenous feature film director, who has also been recognised as the first First Nations featur ...
and Justine Saunders), and played a role in their first production, ''
Basically Black ''Basically Black'' is a 1973 Australian television comedy program, notable as the first television program written and created by Indigenous Australians. It was produced as one of a series of pilot programs called ''The Comedy Game''. A single ...
''. After the National Black Theatre lost its funding, Maza helped to found the Black Theatre Arts and Culture Centre in Redfern, and was its first artistic director when it opened in July 1974. In January 1975, he directed his first play, Robert J. Merritt's ''
The Cake Man ''The Cake Man'' is a 1975 play by Aboriginal Australian writer Bob Merritt, notable for being the first play written by an Indigenous Australian person to be published, televised and to tour out of Australia. A telemovie was made of a 1977 per ...
'', which was the first play by an Indigenous playwright to be published, televised, and tour internationally. He later directed Roger Bennett's ''Up the Ladder'' (1989), Jack Davis' ''No Sugar'' (1994) and Owen Love's ''No Shame'' (1995). Appearing on stage for
Nimrod Theatre The Nimrod Theatre Company, commonly known as The Nimrod, was an Australian theatre company based in Sydney. It was founded by in 1970 by Australian actor John Bell, Richard Wherrett and Ken Horler, and gained a reputation for producing more "g ...
, he acted in
Eric Bentley Eric Russell Bentley (September 14, 1916 – August 5, 2020) was a British-born American theater critic, playwright, singer, editor, and translator. In 1998, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the New ...
's ''Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been?'' (1976),
Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, wh ...
's ''Bullie's House'' (1980) and
Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce '' Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as '' Towards the End of the M ...
's ''Clouds'' (1980).


Films

He also acted in films, including ''When the Stars Came Dreaming'' (1998), ''
Lilian's Story ''Lilian's Story'' is a 1996 Australian film based on a 1985 novel by Australian author Kate Grenville, which was inspired by the life of Bea Miles, a famous Sydney nonconformist. The film stars Ruth Cracknell as Lilian and Barry Otto. Cracknell ...
'' (1996), ''
The Back of Beyond ''The Back of Beyond'' (1954) is a feature-length award-winning Australian documentary film produced and directed by John Heyer for the Shell Film Unit. In terms of breadth of distribution, awards garnered, and critical response, it is Heyer's ...
'' (1995), ''
The Nostradamus Kid ''The Nostradamus Kid'' is a 1992 Australian feature film written and directed by Bob Ellis. The film is about the religious and sexual coming of age of a 1950s and 1960s Seventh-day Adventist boy. Ken Elkin (Noah Taylor) is a "randy young m ...
'' (1993), ''
Reckless Kelly ''Reckless Kelly'' is a 1993 Australian comedy film produced, written, directed and starring Yahoo Serious. It co-stars Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle and Hugo Weaving. The story is a satirical take on a modern-day Ned Kelly, a famous Australian ou ...
'' (1993), ''
Ground Zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the groun ...
'' (1987), ''
The Fringe Dwellers ''The Fringe Dwellers'' is a 1986 film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1961 novel '' The Fringe Dwellers'' by Western Australian author Nene Gare.Nene Gare, The Fringe Dwellers, Sun Books, Melbourne, 1966 (first published by Heinemann ...
'' (1986), '' BabaKiueria'' (1986), '' White Man's Legend'' (1984), and '' 27A'' (1974).


Literary career

Maza's most notable play was ''The Keepers'' (1989). ''Mereki'' (first performed 8 October 1984), ''Tiddalik the Frog'', and ''The Rainbow Serpent'' (1992) were based on traditional pre-colonial stories (see
Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religion ...
and Tiddalik), with the intention of helping to regenerate Aboriginal culture.PDF
/ref> ''The Keepers'', based on the true story of a Scottish settler family meeting the last few members of the Buandig (Boandik) people of
Rivoli Bay Rivoli Bay, (french: Baie de Rivoli) is a bay located on the south-east coast of the Australian state of South Australia about south-southeast of the state capital of Adelaide and about northwest by west of the regional centre of Mount Gambie ...
in
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 ...
during the frontier wars, was performed at the
Adelaide Fringe Festival The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...
, by the Troupe Theatre, directed by Geoff Crowhurst, and at
Belvoir Street Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...
in 1988, starring
Lillian Crombie Lillian Crombie (born 1958) is an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television. Early life and education Lillian Crombie was born in 1958. She is of the Pitjantjatjara/ Yankunytjatjara people of cen ...
and
Danny Adcock Danny Adcock (born 29 June 1948) is an Australian actor, known for his work in television and theatre. His television acting roles include 7 different roles in Crawford Production series '' Matlock Police'' as the killer of Michael Pate's char ...
, and directed by Maza. It was the first play produced by the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust, and Maza won the National Black Playwright Award for the production.


Other activities

Maza lectured in Indigenous Studies at Tranby Aboriginal College in the Sydney suburb of
Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
and was Assistant Director of Studies there. He was the first Indigenous commissioner of the Australian Film Commission from 1995 to 1998, during which time he helped to create its Indigenous Unit.


Recognition

In 1981 Maza was an official delegate to the World Indigenous Festival in Canada He won the National Black Playwright Award for ''The Keepers'' (1989). In 1993, he was awarded the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...
for services to the arts and to Indigenous people. In 1998 Maza won the
Red Ochre Award The Red Ochre Award is an annual art award for Indigenous Australian artists. Background and description The Red Ochre Award was established in 1993 by the Australia Council for the Arts. It is awarded annually to an outstanding Indigenous Au ...
, which has been awarded by the Australia Council for the Arts since 1993 to an outstanding Aboriginal or
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 groupe ...
artist for lifetime achievement.


Death and legacy

Maza died on 14 May 2000 in Sydney.


Awards in his name

At the Tudawali Awards in 2002, the Indigenous Unit of the Australian Film Commission (AFC) awarded the Bob Maza Memorial Award, to recognise emerging acting talent and support professional development. This was awarded to
Ursula Yovich Ursula Yovich is an Aboriginal Australian actress and singer. Early life and education Yovich was born and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Her father, Slobodan Jović, was a Serbian immigrant who anglicised his name to Stan ...


Bob Maza Fellowship

The Bob Maza Fellowship was created by the AFC (and from mid-July 2008 awarded by its superseding body,
Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...
), "to an established Indigenous actor to further their professional development, provide longevity in their career and raise their profile internationally", and the (2008) awarded by the AFC had to be used on travel to attend further training at an international film training institution, meetings with agents, and/or establishing contacts in the international arena. Winners of the Bob Maza Fellowship include: * 2005: Ursula Lovich &
Tom E. Lewis Tom E. Lewis (traditional name: Balang Lewis; 25 August 1958 – 10 May 2018) was an Australian actor and musician. He was an Indigenous Australian from the Murrungun people. His first major role was the title role in the 1978 Fred Schepisi film ' ...
* 2006:
Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to role ...
* 2007:
Aaron Pedersen Aaron Pedersen is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actor. He is known for many film and television roles, in particular as Detective Jay Swan in the film '' Mystery Road'', its sequel '' Goldstone'', and spin-off television series. ...
* 2008:
Luke Carroll Luke Carroll is an Australian stage, television and film actor. Education Carroll attended Marcellin College Randwick and graduated in 1996. Television and film Carroll started out in guest roles in some Australian shows, including ''The Flyin ...
, presented at the
Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival Message Sticks Festival, also known for some time as Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, was an arts festival celebrating the culture of Aboriginal Australians, based at the Sydney Opera House, between 1999 and 2013. It focused on film fo ...
at the Sydney Opera House *2011: Wayne Blair *2013:
Tony Briggs Tony Briggs (born 3 July 1967) is an Australian actor, writer and producer. He is a former track and field athlete. He is best known for creating the stage play '' The Sapphires'' (later a 2012 film) telling the true story of an Aboriginal s ...


Uncle Bob Maza Memorial Award

The Uncle Bob Maza Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Indigenous Theatre has been awarded at the Victorian Indigenous Performing Arts (VIPA) Awards for some years. Recipients include: *2003:
Rachael Maza Rachael Zoa Maza is an Indigenous Australian television and film actress and stage director. Early life and education Maza is of Dutch, Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian heritage, the daughter of Bob Maza, also an actor. She is ...
*2005: Warren Owens *2014:
Noel Tovey Noel Christian Tovey (born 25 December 1934) is an Australian dancer, actor, mentor, director and choreographer. He was the artistic director for the indigenous welcoming ceremony at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Early life Born in Melbourne, the ...
*? (twice): Pauline Whyman


Personal life

He married Dutch immigrant to Australia, Vera Blankman, and the couple were parents to actor and director Rachael Maza Long and writer Lisa Maza.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maza, Bob 1939 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male dramatists and playwrights Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Indigenous Australian male actors Indigenous Australian writers Members of the Order of Australia