Mum Shirl
Mum Shirl | |
|---|---|
Portrait | |
| Born | Colleen Shirley Perry Smith 22 November 1923 Erambie Mission, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 28 April 1998 (aged 74) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Resting place | Botany Cemetery |
| Occupation | Social worker |
| Known for | Aboriginal rights |
| Spouse | Cecil "Darcy" Hazel Smith |
| Children | 2 (1 died during childbirth) |
Colleen Shirley Perry Smith AM MBE (22 November 1923 – 28 April 1998), better known as Mum Shirl, was a prominent Wiradjuri woman, social worker and humanitarian activist committed to justice and welfare of Aboriginal Australians. She was a founding member of the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Medical Service, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the Aboriginal Children's Services, and the Aboriginal Housing Company in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney. During her lifetime she was recognised as an Australian National Living Treasure.