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Daisy May Bates

Origin: Tipperary, Ireland
(16 October 1859 – 18 April 1951)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Caring, Humility, Perseverance, Selflessness, Tolerance, Wisdom

Background

Diasy May Bates was born in Ireland as Margaret Dwyer. Her mother and step mother both died while she was a child and she spent much time with relatives. She changed her name at 23 and emigrated to Australia. After a number of failed marriages she traveled to England to encourage her current husband to establish a proper home for her.

While in England she secured a job reporting on the conditions of the Aborigines. Her marriage ended shortly after she returned to Australia and she committed her life to studying the Aboriginal life.

Often living with the native people, Bates saw the need for care. She used her own money to help provide clothing, food, and health care. She was also a strong defender of the rights of the Aborigines to live their own lives, free of assimilation and sexual harrassment.

Bates was given the title of Protector of Aborigines by the whites and Kabbarli (Grandmother) by the tribes she lived with. When she died she had produced thousands of pages of documentation on the Aboriginal cultures.

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

Australian Dictionary of Biography
Research and Education

Aboriginal Tales Retold
Some of the stories Bates collected