Malcolm Cooper (footballer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malcolm Cooper |
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Malcolm Cooper was an Aboriginal Australian who played Australian rules football for the Port Adelaide team in the 1950s. He was also an important social activist who worked to help Aboriginal people.
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Early Life and Childhood
Malcolm Cooper spent his younger years living at St Francis House in Adelaide, South Australia.
Football Career Highlights
Malcolm Cooper was a very promising football player. He was noticed early on in junior games. In 1953, he won the "most improved" award for the Port Adelaide Colts team.
First Indigenous Player for Port Adelaide
Malcolm Cooper is known as the first Indigenous Australian to play senior football for the Port Adelaide team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). The SANFL is a major football league in South Australia.
- A player named Harry Hewitt did play for the club in an earlier game in 1891. However, that game was not part of the SANFL competition.
Grand Final Appearance
Cooper was also the first Aboriginal footballer to play for the Port Adelaide Football Club in a Grand Final. A Grand Final is the championship game of a football season. He played in the 1953 Grand Final, where his team lost by seven points to West Torrens.
- He played 5 SANFL games between 1954 and 1955.
Working for Social Justice
Beyond football, Malcolm Cooper was a dedicated social activist. He worked hard to bring about fairness for Aboriginal people.
Meeting the Prime Minister
In 1963, Cooper was part of a group that met with Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies in Canberra. They talked about the need for justice and equal rights for Aboriginal people.
Starting the Aborigines' Progress Association
In 1964, Malcolm Cooper started a group called the Aborigines' Progress Association in Adelaide. He became its first president.
- This group was formed because some people felt that other organizations, like the Aborigines' Advancement League of South Australia, had too many non-Aboriginal members.
- The new association wanted to make sure that Indigenous Australians had a stronger voice in politics and decisions that affected their lives.
Malcolm Cooper's Death
Malcolm Cooper passed away at a young age, either in his twenties or thirties. He died from a brain haemorrhage. He had been flown to Darwin from Tennant Creek before his death.
