Douglas Nicholls

Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls KCVO OBE (9 December 1906 – 4 June 1988) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation.

Pastor
The Honourable Sir
Douglas Nicholls
KCVO OBE
28th Governor of South Australia
In office
1 December 1976  30 April 1977
MonarchElizabeth II
PremierDon Dunstan
Preceded bySir Mark Oliphant
Succeeded bySir Keith Seaman
Personal details
Born(1906-12-09)9 December 1906
Cummeragunja Reserve, New South Wales
Died4 June 1988(1988-06-04) (aged 81)
Mooroopna, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
SpouseGladys Nicholls
ProfessionPastor, Footballer, Activist

Nicholls was the first Aboriginal Australian to be knighted when he was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1972 (he was subsequently appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1977). He was also the first – and as of 2016 the only – Indigenous Australian to be appointed to vice-regal office, serving as Governor of South Australia from 1 December 1976 until his resignation on 30 April 1977 due to poor health.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.