Thomas Dunolly facts for kids

Thomas Dunolly (1856–1923) was an important early leader for Aboriginal people in Australia. He worked hard to make sure Aboriginal people were treated fairly. Thomas was a member of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, an Aboriginal group from Victoria. His last name, Dunolly, comes from the town where he was born.

Early Life and Moving to Coranderrk

Thomas Dunolly went to an Aboriginal school in a place called Franklinford. But in 1864, when he was still young, he was made to move to the Coranderrk Reserve. This was a place set up by the government for Aboriginal people to live. Many Aboriginal people were forced to leave their traditional lands and move to these reserves.

Fighting for Coranderrk

In the 1880s, Thomas Dunolly became a key part of the first organized protests by Aboriginal people. They were fighting to save Coranderrk Reserve from being closed down. Thomas was younger than other leaders, like William Barak, and he had good writing skills. This made him very important. He wrote many letters for the protests. These letters went to newspapers, government officials, and politicians. He also wrote petitions, which are formal requests signed by many people.

The Half-Caste Act

Despite all the protests, a new law was passed in 1886. It was called the Aborigines Protection Act, but many people called it the Half-caste Act. This law caused a lot of problems. It said that children who had both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal parents could not live on reserves like Coranderrk once they turned 13. It also gave the government more control over the people who were allowed to stay.

This law broke up many families. It also made it very hard for Coranderrk to have enough people to work and keep the reserve going. Because of this, the government group in charge, called the Board for the Protection of Aborigines, pushed even harder to close Coranderrk. They finally succeeded, and Coranderrk Reserve was closed on January 31, 1924.