Lisa Bellear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Bellear
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Publicity photo from The University of Queensland Press
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| Born | 2 May 1961 Melbourne, Victoria
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| Died | 5 July 2006 (aged 45) Melbourne, Victoria
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Poetry, Photography |
Lisa Bellear (born May 2, 1961, in Melbourne, Victoria) was an important Indigenous Australian woman. She was a poet, photographer, and activist. Lisa was also a comedian and a radio broadcaster.
She belonged to the Goenpul and Noonuccal people. These groups are from Minjerribah, also known as Stradbroke Island, in Queensland. Lisa had famous uncles. Bob Bellear was Australia's first Indigenous judge. Sol Bellear helped create the Aboriginal Housing Corporation in 1972.
Lisa was adopted into a white family when she was a baby. She was told her family came from Polynesia. As an adult, she learned about her true Aboriginal heritage. Lisa Bellear passed away suddenly at her home in Melbourne. She was 45 years old. She was buried in Mullumbimby cemetery.
Lisa Bellear's Creative Work
Lisa Bellear wrote a book of poetry called Dreaming in Urban Areas. It was published in 1996. Her poems explored what it was like to be an Aboriginal person living in modern cities. She once said her poetry was about "self-discovery." It was not meant to criticize white society.
Other poems by Lisa were printed in journals and newspapers. In 2006, she won a Deadly Awards prize. This award was for her great contribution to literature. She won it for her play, The Dirty Mile: A History of Indigenous Fitzroy. Fitzroy is a suburb in Melbourne.
Lisa was also a very active photographer. Her photos were shown at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. They were also displayed at the Melbourne Museum. This was part of their celebrations for the new millennium.
Helping Her Community
Lisa Bellear was a radio broadcaster at 3CR in Melbourne. This is a community radio station. She hosted a show called 'Not Another Koori Show' for more than 20 years.
In 2003, she was part of the Victorian Stolen Generations Taskforce. This group worked to help people who, like Lisa, were taken from their families as children. This was a government policy in the past.
Lisa also helped start the Ilbijerri Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-op. This is Australia's longest-running Aboriginal theatre group. In March 2006, Ilbijerri produced The Dirty Mile. It was a play that took the audience on a walking tour through the streets of Fitzroy.
How Lisa Bellear is Remembered
In 2008, Lisa Bellear was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. This was done after her death. The City of Melbourne and the Victorian Women's Trust honored her life and work in 2018. They named a laneway in Carlton after her. It is called Warrior Woman Lane.
The University of Melbourne also honored Lisa. They named a student accommodation building after her. It is called Lisa Bellear House.
