Faith Bandler aggregated collection of papers, 1875, [ca. 1938]-2008

fonds

1875, [ca. 1938]-2008

Textual Records, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Graphic Materials, Moving Images, Paintings, Ephemera, Photographs

1184389

Faith Bandler, activist and author, was born in 1918 at Tumbulgum, Murwillimbah, N.S.W., the daughter of Peter Mussing a Hebridean Islander brought to Australia by slave traders in 1882.
In 1956 Faith Bandler and Pearl Gibbs founded the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship. Bandler was elected N.S.W. State Secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres strait Islanders (F.C.A.A.T.S.I.) in 1959, was National General Secretary from 1970 to 1973, and later Vice President. Bandler directed the campaign for a Federal referendum on the issue of Aboriginal rights and citizenship. The 1967 referendum resulted in alteration to the Australian Constitution giving equal citizenship to Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
From the early 1970s Bandler has made representations and submissions on behalf of Australians of South Sea Island descent not eligible for benefits available to Australian Aborigines.
Faith Bandler has written her father's story in the novels 'Wacvie' (1977) and 'Marani in Australia' with Len Fox (1980), and her brother's story in 'Welou, My Brother' (1984). She has written a history of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship with Len Fox in 'The time was ripe' (1983), and a history of F.C.A.A.T.S.I. in 'Turning the tide' (1989).
Faith Bandler was awarded an AM in 1984, an honorary doctorate of letters from Macquarie University in 1994, and the Human Rights Medal in 1977.

Collection 1
Faith Bandler papers, 1968-1992
Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Faith Bandler in 1996

Collection 2
Faith Bandler further papers, 1875, 1945-1997
Purchased from Faith Bandler, 1998
Two portraits donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Faith Bandler, January 1998

Collection 3
Faith Bandler further papers and photographs, [ca. 1938-ca. 2001]
Presented by Faith Bandler, 15 June 1998, 2001

Collection 4: Faith Bandler further papers, ca 1960-2008
Presented by Faith Bandler, February 2014

Guide to the papers of Faith Bandler available online: https://web.archive.org/web/20060821073441/findaid.library.uwa.edu.au/cgi-bin/nph-dweb/dynaweb/findaid/bandler/@Generic__BookView;cs=default;ts=default

In February 2014 Faith Bandler presented to the State Library of New South Wales a selection of 358 books published between 1960 and 2000 from her personal library. This group of titles are searchable under the term 'Faith Bandler Collection' in the Library's catalogue.