17 Facts About Burnum Burnum

Burnum Burnum was an Aboriginal Australian sportsman, activist, actor, and author.

Burnum Burnum was a Woiworrung and Yorta Yorta man, born at Wallaga Lake in southern New South Wales.

Burnum Burnum was originally christened Harry Penrith but in 1976, he changed his name to Burnum Burnum after his grandfather both to honour him and acknowledge his Aboriginal identity.

Burnum Burnum was one of the Stolen Generations, taken from his parents when he was barely three months old.

Burnum Burnum was raised as an orphan and as a white person, given the name Harry Penrith, and was taught that white was good and black bad.

Burnum Burnum spent many years in children's homes run by the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board, most notably the Kinchela Aboriginal Boys' Training Home at Kempsey where he was abused, for example, being beaten with a cattle whip for accidentally breaking a window with a cricket ball, and being forced to say "Look at me and you will see that I am an Aborigine" in front of his class.

Burnum Burnum played first grade Rugby Union for Parramatta, New South Wales, as well as rugby league and cricket.

Burnum Burnum became involved in Australian Indigenous rights activism while attending the University of Tasmania in the late 1960s.

Burnum Burnum continued his activism after becoming a Baha'i, and successfully campaigned for the skeleton of the last full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian woman, Truganini, to be removed from display in the Museum of Tasmania.

Burnum Burnum was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1975 to study hostel provisions for Indigenous people overseas.

Burnum Burnum may be best remembered for planting the Aboriginal flag in front of the white cliffs of Dover on the Australian Bicentenary Day of 26 January 1988, to satirically claim England on behalf of the Aboriginal people of Australia, mirroring what Arthur Phillip had done in Burnum Burnum's homeland in 1788, after arriving with the First Fleet.

However, Burnum stated that no harm would come to England's native people as a result of his invasion.

Burnum Burnum later cited the consistent love shown to him by Baha'is as the reason for his becoming a Baha'i and being active in teaching the Baha'i Faith.

In 1983, Burnum Burnum appeared in Golden Dolphin Productions' Gold Hugo-winning documentary Drought, narrating the indigenous legend of Tiddalik the giant frog.

Burnum Burnum was an Australian Democrats candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in the 1988 North Shore state by-election.

Burnum Burnum died from heart disease on 17 August 1997, aged 61.

Burnum Burnum's death received considerable media coverage, including an obituary in The New York Times.