Justine Saunders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Justine Saunders
Saunders in a scene from TV series Number 96.
Born	Justine Florence Saunders 20 February 1953 Quilpie, Queensland, Australia
Died	15 April 2007(2007-04-15) (aged 54) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Years active	1974–2002
Awards	Order of Australia Red Ochre Award

Justine Florence Saunders (born February 20, 1953 – died April 15, 2007) was a famous Australian actress. She acted in plays, TV shows, and movies. She was a proud member of the Woppaburra people, an Aboriginal group from Great Keppel Island in Queensland.

Justine Saunders: Her Acting Career

Justine Saunders started her acting career in plays. She first appeared on TV in 1974 in a show called Rush. She became well-known in 1976 for her role as Rhonda Jackson in the TV show Number 96. Her character, Rhonda, stood up for the rights of Indigenous Australians. Later, in 1986, she became even more famous as Pamela Madigan, a social worker in the TV series Prisoner.

She also appeared in other TV shows like Skyways, Women of the Sun (1981), Farscape, Blue Heelers, and MDA. Her movie roles included The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Fringe Dwellers.

Awards and Recognition

In 1991, Justine Saunders received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award honored her great work in acting. It also recognized her help in setting up important Aboriginal theater groups. These groups included the Black Theatre and the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust.

In 2000, she returned her medal. She did this to show her strong feelings about how the government was talking about the "Stolen Generation". This was a difficult time for her family, especially her mother.

Justine Saunders also received other awards for her talent. In 1985, she won the first-ever Aboriginal Artist of the Year award. In 1999, she was given the Red Ochre Award from the Australia Council for the Arts. This award celebrates the lifetime achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Her Early Life

Justine Saunders was born near a railway track. When she was 11 years old, she was taken from her mother, Heather. This happened as part of what is known as the Stolen Generation. She was moved to Brisbane and placed in a convent. Her mother, Heather, did not know where Justine was for over ten years. Heather spent a long time trying to find her daughter.

Justine Saunders passed away from cancer in April 2007. She was 54 years old.

Film and TV Appearances

Justine Saunders acted in many different TV shows and movies. Here is a list of some of her roles: