The flag was donated by Mrs A. M. Mitchell Craigwood Convalescent Hospital Como WA "This flag was made by my Grandmother, Elizabeth Nicholls nee Tallack. It was used as a decoration to welcome Lord Hopeton (Hopetown) to Sandford sometime previous to 1883, when he was still a Viscount. I can't remember his name. No doubt Mr H.K. Kahan is no doubt quite correct in these dates and could find no record of the earlier visit. My mother Phillippa was a young girl at the time and sang at the concert in his honor "Will ye no come back again". It must have been before 1883 because in that year at the age of 18 she married. After the concert he asked that the young lady and her mother be presented. Next day he came to afternoon tea. A great honor in those days". Phillippa Tallack Nicholls was born 1865, Sandford, and married in 1883 to Patrick Maguire. (Digger Pioneer Index 1836 to 1888). There was a Royal Visit in 1881 by the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of York and their party to the district and this appears to be the visit that Mrs Mitchell is referring to. In 2005, Casterton and District Historical Society Inc. donated the flag to the Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection for the citizens of Casterton.Five 5-pointed stars forming the constellation of the Southern Cross on a field of royal blue. Four strips of red cloth edged in white form a Union Jack design in the upper left corner. Mounted on white cotton backing, under perspex in timber frame.flag, ensign, pre-federation

Book titled Footprints on the Sands of Time: Bendigo's Citizens, the 1909 Bendigonian Annual and Community History with a grey tone cover with images of Sir John Quick, Amy Castles, Amy and Eileen Castles and Anthony Palamountain on the front and back covers. La Trobe University, Bendigo The Ninth Sir John Quick Bendigo Lecture 2 October 2002. Lecture by Professor Jeff Brownrigg, Head of Research and Outreach ScreenSound Australia, Canberra. Mentioned in the book is Sir John Quick, Some women of the early 20th Century, Bendigo's singers and opera singers and why communities all over Australia must face up to the challenges of global media by first recognizing the value of their own stories. Mentioned at the back of the book is a brief mention of Professor Jeff Brownrigg's career, John Quick's career and a list of The Sir John Quick Bendigo Lecture Series from 1994 to 2001.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - footprints on the sands of time, professor jeff brownrigg, research and outreach screensound australia, la trobe university bendigo, sir john quick, bendigonian annual, bendigo school of mines, british empire, alfred deakin, sir william lyne, king o'malley's commonwealth bank, telstra, sir frederick holder, robert garran, john mckay, the mirror, henry gyles turner, fischer, state library of victoria, bishop reville, bendigo evening news, bendigo independent, bendigo advertiser, melbourne university, melbourne age, richard twopenny, mr donald clarke esq, bendigo's butter factory, madame carandini, amy sherwin, nellie melba, oscar commetant, shamrock hotel, constitutional convention adelaide, frederick holder, edmund barton, catherine helen spence, elizabeth nicholls, women's christian temperance union, mary lee, rose scott, susan margery, maybanke anderson, vida goldstein, bendigonian annual, amy castles, alice crawford, edward allan bindley, joseph castles, mercy conent, freeman's journal, catholic press, therese radic melba, state library of victoria, cardinal moran, de quiros, bulletin, john norton, d headon, j brownrigg, lili sharp, eileen castles, mike sutcliffe, melbourne argus, frank cusack, david horsfall, alvin tracey, melbourne's advocate press, amy sherwin, frances saville, lalla miranda, hugo gorlitz, samuels family, louis august samuels, kate (catherina) samuels, madame benda, mathilde marchesi, emily dyason, erna (lovie) mueller, the german chapter, german heritage society bendigo, bertha rossow, hamilton hill, beatrice english, anthony palamountain, alfred bottoms, a c bartlemann, dorothy penfold, dr penfold, penfold gallery, pauline bindley, e a bindley, willie murdoch, sister mary tarcisia, sisters of mercy, peter dawson, bendigo's chinese populatin, masonic hall, ashman's dry-cleaners, walter murdoch, lily baxter, walter savage landor, robert garran, ada colley, australian journal of communication, michelle matthews

Descendants of James King and Henrietta Nicholls are shown on this family tree.Printed family tree, one page.james king, henrietta elizabeth nicholls, val wilson

Murray Comrie Collection. Monochrome photograph of graves in Tarnagulla Cemetery. Graves are of William Nicholls and Elizabeth Anne Nicholls and of Henry W. Treloar and Nancy Treloar.tarnagulla, nicholls, treloar

Illustrated book with green cover.Title, author and publisher stamped on spine [gilt ink] Front cover has an embossed logo in centre, and embossed single line border.non-fictionA comprehensive guide that covers all aspects of nursing from basic principles to specialized care for specific diseases and conditions, in the 1930'snursing history, nursing study and teaching

Ernest Robson received a Senior Technical Scholarship for his evening study in Stained Glass.Grey hard covered book with hand written names of scholarship recipients, their role and who they work for. The scholarships are: Senior Tech Day Course (50 pounds) Senior Tech Evening COurse (10 pounds) City Council Scholarships State School Departmental Scholarships Student Teacher Scholarships Junior Technical School Day Course Scholarships Junior Technical School Evening Course Scholarships Girls Preparatory Scholarships Exhibition Scholarships McRobertson Scholarship Ladies Art Scholarship ballarat school of mines, ballarat technical art school, gladstone proctor, edwin cannon, ted cannon, allan bernaldo, percy trompf, elsie mckissock, claudia mcilvena, ernest robson, stained glass, leslie gower, constance weeks, enrico campi, mary j. hopwood, victor greenhalgh, violet hambly, graham hopwood, jack colbourn, john colbourn, honor mccubbin, annie coates, ernest gower, john skilbeck, gladys tong way, gladys tongway, jean ronaldson, jack strange, jack kopke, kenneth campi, coral wakeling, sylvia copperwaite, edna grigg, b. pembathy, r.l. cutter, l. morshead, elmer somerville, amalie feild, hazwl gower, eric ainsworth, ethel kift, douglas cotton, annie hall, jean colburn, mary fogart, clare cummins, gladys dunstan, elizabeth van beek, melva gribble, nellie campi, rita tainsh, nellie nicholls, olga dulfer, edith curnow, elvie thege, jean roff, thelma coulter, thomas shattock, edwin robertson, elvie w. ford, robert graham, elvie ford, nancy bowe, jack colburn, nancy rowe, amy robson, margery woolcott

Black and white photograph of the Golden Square Primary School Girls Marching Team, dated Nov. 2nd 1970. Photograph taken under a tree. The girls names are: Ruth Magee, Yvonne Wardell, Andrea Kinsman, Leanne Delmonico, Christine Mangan, Kaye Hopgood, Janet Alcock, Debbie Stewart, Kerry Chapman, Leanne Murray, Pam Smith, Heather Henderson, Julie Schache, Jillian Varker, Lucy-Ann Hill, Janet Symons, Elizabeth Hangar, Linley Richards, Karen Nicholls, Ann-Marie Kelly, Vicki Bell, Jenny Pocock,education, primary, golden square laurel st p.s., golden square laurel street p.s. collection - photograph girls marching team, ruth magee, yvonne wardell, amdrea kinsman, leanne delmonico, christine mangan, kaye hopgood, janet alcock, debbie stewart, kerry chapman, leanne murray, pam smith, heather henderson, julie schache, jillian varker, lucy-ann hill, janet symons, elizabeth hangar, linley richards, karen nicholls, ann-marie kelly, vicki bell, jenny pocock

A light blue document titled "Bendigo Teachers' College 1954". Also on the front cover is a list of the staff working at the college at that time. On the inside cover is the "Significance of the Graduation Ceremony" and "Order of the Ceremony". Mr. F. M. Courtis gave a welcome to visitors whilst the Principal gave the college charge to the graduands. The 'Graduation Book' was presented to Mr. E. C. Krieger Inspector of Schools by Miss J. C. Burnett. The final call for 1954 of the graduands was called by Mr. F. G. East. Finally the Occasional Address was given by Mr. O. C. Phillips Chief Inspector of Primary Schools. The following page contains a list of the graduands and on the back cover is the "Principal's Charge to the Graduands". There is also a white typewritten insertion within the booklet which contains words to the hymns and a plan of the physical arrangement of the school hall for the graduation. Bolton Print Bendigo. The names of the Bendigo Teachers' College staff are- Miss J. C. Burnett, Miss D. I. Hollyock, Mrs. F. M. Petri, Miss J. Coad, Mrs C. I. Skehan, Miss B. H. Cowling, Mr. C. C. Archibald, Mr. F. M. Courtis, Mr. L. J. Pryor (Principal), Mr. C. L. Barker, Mr. F. G. East, Mr. M. Brown, Mr. A. H. Fry, Mr. H. T. Pattenden, Mr. R. Macdonald, Mr. M. Pratt and Mr. R. L. Strauch. The 1954 Graduands - Graham Robert Allinson, Marie Therese Andison, Mary Ruth Baker, Norma Jean Baker, Beryl Joan Barbour, Marie Therese Barry, Edith Gwenda Black, Robert Graham Boyce, Keith John Brereton, William Harry Brittain, Mary Ruth Burrows, Noreen Ellen Byrne, Kevin Frederick Carr, Doreen Beverly Cole? Rita Beverley Cook, Barrie McKenzie Cruickshank, Eril Davey, Veronica Anne Donohue, Laurence Raymond Douglass, Roberta Ann Ewing, Kenneth Leslie Fowler, William Ernest Gartside, Avis Greenway, James Lindsay Hahnel, Mervyn Denis Hall, John William Hammer, Monica Patricia Harrop, Patricia May Humphries, Peter Laurence Hynes, Norma Marian Ireland, Colin Charles Jackson, Judith Elaine Keating, Joyce Isabel Kellett, Ronald Alan Kneebone, Francis Veronica Laughlin, Frederick David Le Deux, Ann Nicholson Leslie, Maureen Catherine McGrath, Shirley June Mason, John O'Hara Medwell, Helen Elizabeth Menzies, Kathleen Valerie Mullan, Lindsay Ray Nicholls, Alan Brose Norman, Ian O'Halloran, Vincent Stanley Pannell, Joan Mary Pilcher, Wendy Anne Purches, Elizabeth Anne Pywell, Valerie Mary Reid, Claude Rogers, John William Rogerson, Adele Winifred Scheffer, Robin Ann Seage, Judith Patricia Smith, Maureen Caroline Spencer, Edwin Alfred Stevenson, Elizabeth Mary Stewart, Jeanette Mary Stewart, Alison Mary Stone, Una May Swanton, John Joseph Toll, Janet Emily Voss, Ellen Julia Waldron, Bernard Vincent Walsh, Valma Lesley, Raymond Charles Reginald Wearne, Valerie Joyce Williams and Lenore Estelle Woodward.bendigo, education, bendigo teachers' college, latrobe university bendigo collection, collection, bendigo teachers' college, bendigo, education, teaching, teachers, students, bendigo teachers' college students, bendigo teachers' college staff, tertiary education, teacher training, graduation, graduands, graduation ceremony, history

Black and white photograph - Grade 3B,1961"Attached to photograph" Back Row- L to R: ?, ?, Robin (?), Michael Craddock, Bruce Barber, Norm Pearson, Bruce Donald, David Kenly, Steven Cross, Peter Maher, Barry McDonald. 2nd Row- L to R: ?, ?, ?, Leanne Thorpe, Laurie Simpson, Deborah Lawrence, Lorraine Petts, Elizabeth Clarke, Linda Chegwidden, Christine Smith, Grant Nicholl, David Pumpa. 3rd Row- L to R: Malcolm Kerr, Greg Peters, Gary McCubbin, Gary Chapel, Roger Harris, Gavin Phillips, Gary Morgan, Craig Rawson, Gary Fowler, Paul Wilson, Ronald Dowling. Front Row- L to R: Ann Dowling, Rosalie (?), Jenny Buchanan, ?, Jan Quinn, Clare Hargreaves, Cheryl McClaughlin, ?, Ann Logan, Elvina Crawford, Glenda Cooper, ?. Teacher: Miss Enticken

Carter Real Estate Agents sold some of the subdivision in 1946-47. This information was tied in with the early orcharding families.Collection of notes, titles and maps of "Jewel in the Crown" subdivision - Mount Dandenong Road (formerly Oxford Road), Velma Grove, Valda Avenue, Mirabel Avenue. Genealogical charts of Meyland and Wigley families. 4 page history of the area compiled in 2004 by Richard Carter, Real Estate Agent. Registered Proprietors, Vendors, Property Title Holders and Transferees include: Herbert Edward WATSON, John Richard SHARP, Myrtle Evelyn BIRRELL, Marie Mathieson MUNRO, William Alex McCLELLAN, George Andrew GOODMAN, Joseph Tasman PEDRAZZI, Alexander ANDERSON, John Charles PATERSON, Eric William PHILLIPS, T.E.A. Co. Ltd., Florence Lavinia WYNARD, William John HARRIS, Lindsay and Hazel ALLNUTT, Douglas John RITCHIE, Eliza A.M. BOURBAND, Henrietta Irene COOK, Eric Edward COOK, Harold Thomas NICHOLLS, Stewart and Mary HIRD, Grace ROBINSON, Helen Rutherford GOOD, Henry Wyatt FARRELL, Irene Ann SMITH, Leslie Neil DOW, Helen Anne DOW, Frederick Ronald HOLDING, John Frederick McINTYRE, Horton Wilcox EDGE, Herbert James HARDINGHAM, Donald James ALLEN, Cyril Frederick WILLIAMS, Florence Sarah MAGGS, Maud Margaret PEARSON, Warwick Scott Holroyd MATTHEWS, Alice Eliza McCLEAVE, Leslie Archibald Charles HARRIS, Enid Beth HARRIS, Roy Victor DRAEGER, Elizabeth Ann STANDLEY, Charles Walter WATSON, Mabel Dorothy CARTER, Alan Garnett KELLY, Michael Vincent HARRIS, William Thomas Sylvester PROUD, Florence Blanche IVES, Douglas George PEARSON, Harry Clifford CLEGG, Dorothy Ellen Mary WHITE, Frederick Nathaniel EVANS, Madge EVANS, Leonard DUNSTAN, Violet Florence CONNELL, Valerie Jean Schimmelbusch, John Sydney COOK, William Donald THOMPSON, Ralph E RAUNSLEY, Murray McRae OSBORN, Francis William CLARKE, Alfred Daniel WILLIAMS, Harry Clifford CLEGG, Bernard Francis GARRY, Richard McKENZIE, Mignor Leonie WESTON, Idonea Moncrieffe DAVIS, Helen Marsden Rutherford GOOD, George SMART, Clement Henry DAVIS, Peter FINLAYSON, Elenor Leah HARVIE, Charles MEYLAND.

The School of Mines Ballaarat Annual Report 24 January 1882, Additional Examination Statute, Certificates Granted by Council, Copy of letter received from the Honble. Francis Ormond MLC, Extracts from Visitors' Book, Fees, Form of Bequest, Life Governors, Museum open to Visitors, Office Bearers, Paper of Particulars, Report of the Curator of the Museum and Library (with plans), Report of the Superintendent of Laboratories, Report of the Lecturer in Telegraphy, Report of the Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the year 1881, Subjects and Lecturers, Subjects and Examiners, Subscriptions and Donations from 1 January to 31 December 1881, The Lignite Deposit at Skipton (with Section and Plan)Ballarat School of Mines Annual Report. Pale brown booklet of 64 pages. A plan of the Ballarat School of Mines shows the position of the Botanical Gardens, and the Ballarat School of Mines Museum. Geological Sketch Map of Country in the Neighbourhood of Skipton and Plan showing site of Coal Discovery. Skipton Coal Discovery - Section of Windlass Shaft. .2) is a leatherbound copyballarat school of mines, coal, plan, ballarat school of mines botanical gardens, ballarat school of mines museum, museum, annual report, james oddie, w. p. bechervaise, s. e. friggis, f. j. martell, w. h. nicholls,, e. i. rosenblum, h. r. caselli, thomas mann, theos. williams, f. m. krause, alf. mica smith, walter d. campbell, w. h. shaw, charles kent, andw. berry, robert adam, wm. lant carpenter, henry parkinson, h. b. de la poer wall, w. h. brockenshire, arthur parker, c. davies, simon richards, c. r. blackett, david jones, wilberforce dyke, kr. r. krauel, duncan love, william ralph heaton, edward dowling, octavius vaughan morgan, william denton, e. h. grimwade, james hunter, the honble. francis ormond, ferdinand krause, a.a. buley, j. cosmo newberry, w.c. kernot, john lewis, j.m. bickett, james bickett, fees, annie barnett, annette budden, isabel clinton, john dimsey, agnes pobjoy, charlotte shaw, bernard o'dowd, bernard patrick o'dowd, josiah wasley, ferdinand von mueller, william kernot, john lynch, william henderson, henry richards caselli, w.p. berchervaise, e.i. rosenblum, w.h. nicholls, lignate, samuel figgis, mary drury, w. longley, botanical reserve, botanical gardens, francis ormond, george russell, william foster stawell, w.j. clarke, rivett henry bland, john warrington rogers, j. lonie, s.e. figgis, r.f. hudson, w. robertson, e.l. rosenblum, theophilus williams, andrew berry, henry sutton, h. rosales, state school classes, calcutta international exhibition, examinations, h.b.m ship bounty, certicates, walter charles kernot, william tunbridge, mary skelton, cartherine moran, mary rose usher, margaret ellen brophy, william burbridge, andrea tuxen, elizabeth curnow, francis campigi, james s. morrison, arthur hogue

non-fictionStories about the lives of fifteen families, including that of a policeman, a post mistress, a teacher, as well as farmers and farm labourers, and children who died in tragic circumstances, and a woman who was involved in many community activities.lang lang cemetery, edward bickerton, mary ann dainty, james denholm, clyde lawrence edey, elizabeth & robert gray, lucy may greaves, sydney head, maddron henry, elizabeth leggo, sarah & thomas mcaleese, raymond (darby) & yvonne munro, andrew trevor nicholls, alexander gladstone orgill, geoffrey frank ridgway, samuel alfred thompson, henry wildes

Shops on the left of the picture are: Patrick O'Sullivan saddler, G. G. Bennett butcher , Nicol's bakery, Wises drapery 'Ellington House' (shop with verandah just past bakery, Preston's shop (with verandah, on corner of Sussex & Gillespie Streets), and Wishart's blacksmiths (on the far side of Gillespie Street). On the right, the buildings are E H Nicholls ("cheap grocer and seedsman"), the Surface Hill Hotel, Richard Ching's store and dwelling (grocer & produce merchant), and another shop without verandah (probably shop and dwelling owned by Annie Brown, née Nicholls).Original black and white photograph affixed to white backing paper which has then been mounted on grey card. The photograph shows the view along Sussex Street to the south-west. Two men are standing outside a shop on the rhs, and there appears to be a woman with a perambulator outside a building further along the street on the rhs.On back of original photograph: "g (or e) Bennett" (in blue pencil or chalk) / "LINTON STREET "(in ink) / "Elizabeth long ago" (in ink, with arrow pointing to blue writing).sussex street linton, o'sullivan's saddlery, g g bennett's butcher shop, nicol's bakery, ellington house [t m wise draper], preston's shop, wishart's blacksmiths, e h nicholls' store, surface hill hotel, richard ching's store, annie brown's shop, annie brown (née nicholls)

Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls (1906-1988), footballer, pastor, activist and governor, was born on 9 December 1906 at Cummeragunja Aboriginal mission, New South Wales, fifth child of Herbert Nicholls, seasonal worker, and his wife Florence, née Atkinson. Doug grew up at Cummeragunja, on the Murray River near Barmah, in its golden years of Aboriginal autonomy. Thomas Shadrach James gave him and other Yorta Yorta children a sound primary education, reinforcing the pride and self-assurance gained from their parents. As Doug grew, so too did the powers of the State’s Aboriginal Protection Board. Doug’s elder sister Hilda was removed about 1915. When Doug reached 14, he was moved off under the Aborigines Protection Act (1909) to find work. He took a job with dredging teams constructing levees on the Murray. Like other youths in the region Nicholls played Australian rules football, emulating kinsmen who had won local premierships since the 1890s. Doug and his brother Herbert (‘Dowie’) played with Tongala in the mid-1920s. Melbourne football beckoned, Doug trying out unsuccessfully for Carlton in 1927. He signed with the Northcote Victorian Football Association team, despite his nervousness about his Aboriginality, and was given a job with Northcote City Council. ‘Dowie’ joined him for a season. Doug was short at 5 ft 2 ins (158 cm), but muscular and lightning fast. He competed regularly during a boom in professional running, winning many heat and place prizes. In 1929 he won the Nyah and Warracknabeal gifts, earning a sash and £100 in each, together with a case of cutlery in the latter. Using his speed on the wing for Northcote, he produced great spring and agility from his compact body. The Sporting Globe reported in 1929 that ‘he flashes through packs of big men, whisks around small men . . . and attempts marks at the back of any six-footer’. In front-on clashes he was flattened only to rise again. The sole Aborigine in the VFA, he was known affectionately as the ‘flying Abo’ but called worse by his opponents’ barrackers. He competed for five seasons, being named ‘best and fairest’ twice, appearing in three association grand finals and winning in 1929. Keen to earn more than a seasonal wage, in 1931 Nicholls accepted a three-year contract with Jimmy Sharman’s travelling boxing show. The bouts matched opposites, local against tent boxer, white against black, and sometimes men of different sizes. He faced stiff competition from those who wanted to best the noted Melbourne black footballer, the crowd adding racial abuse. A far better footballer than boxer, he copped some punishment. Fighting in the Melbourne Stadium in December 1931, he was described by Truth as ‘slow and awkward’, but packing a ‘good wallop’. In 1932 Sharman, who treated his boxers fairly, released Nicholls to join the Fitzroy Victorian Football League team, which agreed to employ him as its groundsman. He played fifty-four games for Fitzroy over six seasons until knee trouble forced him out in 1937. Winning cups in 1934 and 1935, he played alongside Haydn Bunton and Wilfred (‘Chicken’) Smallhorn. Grand finals eluded him but he represented Victoria twice. Following his mother’s death, Nicholls revisited the Church of Christ chapel in Northcote, where they had worshipped together. On 17 July 1932 he experienced a conversion. He was soon baptised and witnessed openly, leading his fellow footballers to occasional church parades. Nicholls exhibited leadership qualities. William Cooper, founder of the Australian Aborigines’ League and Nicholls’ Yorta Yorta kinsman and fellow Christian, encouraged the young footballer. In February 1935 Cooper, Nicholls and others lobbied Thomas Paterson, the Commonwealth minister for the interior, over the need for Federal control of Aboriginal affairs. Nicholls attended the Day of Mourning protest for Aborigines held in Sydney on 26 January 1938, declaring: ‘after 150 years our people are still influenced and bossed by white people. I know we can proudly hold our own with others if given the chance’. When Cooper retired in November 1940 Nicholls became secretary of the AAL. On 2 June 1941 Nicholls enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces. He trained at Seymour and Bonegilla before being posted to the 29th Battalion. As Major Frank Corr’s batman, he was popular with other soldiers who tolerated his preaching and Bible reading. His army service was brief, however, and he was discharged in Melbourne on compassionate grounds on 22 January 1942. His biographer claimed that the Fitzroy police requested his return to mediate in the racial tensions developing between servicemen and the mostly respectable Aboriginal families living in crowded and dilapidated Fitzroy housing; Aboriginal people maintain that they requested his release. Nicholls began welfare work and religious services from an Aboriginal home in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. In April 1942, ‘Dowie’ died of road accident trauma, leaving his wife, Gladys, née Bux, and three children. On 26 December 1942 at Moama Methodist Church, New South Wales, Nicholls married her, a caring gesture which developed into a loving partnership. In January 1943 he initiated ‘Aboriginal Sunday’, featuring a gum leaf orchestra and choir. By 1955 this service had moved to July and later evolved into National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week. Ordained a Churches of Christ pastor in 1945, Nicholls conducted a vigorous ministry from a chapel in Gore Street, Fitzroy. His work survived on donations, a small honorarium, and his employment as team coach (1947) and curator at the Northcote Football Ground. In the 1950s Gladys established grocery and opportunity shops to earn income and provide services. Their house soon overflowed with people in need or visitors to Melbourne. Nicholls also hosted inspiring African American visitors such as the pianist Winifred Attwell and the singer Harry Belafonte. His ministry extended to Aboriginal country communities. Gladys taught Sunday school, undertook endless fund-raising and welfare work beside her husband, and became his greatest supporter and financial manager. They formed an Aboriginal Girls’ Hostel in 1956, for which they acted as house parents, and bought holiday units for Aborigines at Queenscliff. Persistently advocating Aboriginal rights, Nicholls protested about the impact of the Woomera rocket range on the people of the Warburton Ranges, co-ordinated the production of a concert, Out of the Dark, scripted by Jean Campbell, to rectify the omission of Aborigines from Victoria’s Commonwealth jubilee celebrations, and criticised the Victorian Aboriginal Protection Board. In 1957 when the board was transformed into the Aborigines’ Welfare Board, he and Harold Blair were appointed as Aboriginal representatives. Maintaining the stance of a political moderate, he did not bear grudges and sought to build bridges between black and white. He co-operated with any group that aided the cause, including the Council of Aboriginal Rights, whose executive were members of the Communist Party of Australia. This association attracted the attention of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, which in 1957 began to keep a file on Nicholls. In May 1957 Nicholls formed the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League with Doris Blackburn and Gordon Bryant, a Federal parliamentarian. As its paid field officer and spokesman, Nicholls contested assimilation policies and used film to raise awareness of issues. When the Welfare Board attempted to close Lake Tyers reserve, Gippsland, he resigned in disgust and led a protest march on parliament in May 1963. The AAL also petitioned the United Nations on land rights in June, perhaps the first indigenous body to do so. He argued for new premises at 58 Cunningham Street, Northcote, opened in 1966 as the ‘Doug Nicholls Centre’. In 1958 Nicholls was a foundation member of the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders after 1964), which he served as national field officer (1961) and Victorian secretary (1962-63). While an innovator in tactics, he was alarmed by the influence of confrontational ‘black power’ politics in the AAL and resigned as a director amid turmoil on this issue in 1969, claiming the concept was a ‘bitter word’, not needed in Australia. Similar tensions in FCAATSI led him to join with Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) in establishing the short-lived National Tribal Council as an alternative forum. As the AAL leadership moderated their stance, he returned as president (1969-74) of the new all-Aboriginal organisation. He was also a keen patron of the National Aboriginal Sports Foundation, founded in 1969. Many honours were conferred on Nicholls: he was appointed MBE (1957) and OBE (1968) and knighted (1972). In 1962 he was named Victorian ‘Father of the Year’ and the State’s second Aboriginal justice of the peace. Crowned Melbourne’s 1973 King of Moomba, he was declared Bapu Mamus (a Torres Strait term for ‘headman’) by the NTC. On 1 December 1976 Sir Douglas was appointed Governor of South Australia, but his health deteriorated within weeks, making it difficult for him to perform his official duties. In March 1977 he hosted Queen Elizabeth during her royal tour and was appointed KCVO. He relinquished his governorship on 30 April 1977 following a stroke. Ill health continued to dog him during retirement, but he played his Nelson Eddy records, enjoyed his expanding family, and when able, ministered to the Aboriginal Church at the League’s premises. Sir Douglas Nicholls died on 4 June 1988 at Mooroopna, predeceased (1981) by his wife and survived by his five children. He was given a state funeral and buried in tribal ground at Cummeragunja cemetery. Among the many tributes to him are an oval at Northcote, handed to the AAL in 1982, a Canberra suburb gazetted in 1991, and a fellowship for Indigenous leadership established in 2003, all in his name, and a statue of Sir Doug and Lady Nicholls by Louis Laumen, unveiled in 2007 in Parliament Gardens, Melbourne. Sir Douglas Nicholls is shown speaking at a microphone; head and shoulders; dressed in a suit.Pastor Douglas Nicholls