Vince Copley

Vincent Gilbert Copley, He was primarily Ngadjuri, but also had Kaurna, Narungga, and Ngarrindjeri ancestry. Through his grandmother Maisie May Edwards (née Adams) Copley was descended from Kudnarto, a Kaurna woman who was the first Aboriginal woman to legally marry a white South Australian colonist on 27 January 1848, when she married Thomas Adams. Copley's father was Frederick Warrior, the surname an anglicised form of his father's name, Barney Waria Barney Waria was one of a few last initiated Ngadjuri men, and his stories were documented by anthropologist Ronald Berndt in Semaphore South, a beachside suburb of Adelaide near Port Adelaide. There he was treated with kindness, sent to the local school, In 1960, he played a season with South Adelaide. He also played for Fitzroy in Victoria, and coached the Curramulka team for more than ten years. ==Career==

In 1965 he joined Charlie Perkins and other Aboriginal activists, along with white students from New South Wales, on the Freedom Ride, to draw attention to segregationist policies and poor living conditions of Aboriginal people in the state. From 2000, he was inaugural co-chair of Cricket Australia's National Indigenous Cricket Advisory Committee (formally established in 2001). For some of his tenure in this role, he shared the role with former SA premier John Bannon. Copley stepped down from the role at the end of 2012, as of 2013. He was also inaugural chair of Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, among other positions. In later life, Copley focused on reclaiming and protection Aboriginal cultural heritage, and was involved in several native title claims for the Kaurna and Narungga people. He also worked with the World Archaeological Congress, promoting Indigenous rights across the world. He took on the role of Indigenous host of the WACs symposium on Indigenous Cultural Heritage held in Burra, South Australia in 2006. From 2002 until 2012, he was chair of the Ngadjuri Alspa Juri Lands and Heritage Association, and from 2012, chair of the Ngadjuri Elders Heritage and Landcare Council. After meeting in Burra, South Australia in 1998, Copley set up a research partnership with Claire Smith, and Gary Jackson of Flinders University continued for the rest of his life and beyond. In the early 2000s, working with his nephew Vincent Branson, he worked with Flinders to create Ngadjuri Heritage Project. This project identified more than 600 Ngadjuri sites, recorded oral histories, and did much research. From 2018 he held a teaching role at Flinders University on projects relating to Ngadjuri heritage. ==Other activities==

In 1977 Copley organised for a group of Aboriginal dancers, storytellers, and artists to attend the FESTAC 77 (aka Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture) in Lagos, Nigeria, Between 1993 and 1995, he worked in schools as a cultural awareness consultant. ==Recognition and honours==

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday honours list, Copley was awarded Member of the Order of Australia, "For significant service to the Indigenous community as an advocate for the improvement of social, legal and economic rights and cultural identity", by Hieu Van Le, governor of South Australia. ==Book and stories==

His memoir, The Wonder of Little Things, published posthumously in December 2022, was created from Copley's hundreds of recollections, told orally as stories by Lea McInerney. Copley was able to review the complete manuscript and answer the publisher's questions on the final revision before his death. The book includes photographs as well as suggested reading, and a timeline of important events in Australian and Indigenous history. He relates in his book that there were several influential women in his life too, including his sisters Josie and Winnie (Branson), and their "Aunty Glad" (actually their cousin, Gladys Elphick, who among other achievements, founded the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia and the Aboriginal Medical Service). ==Personal life==

Copley married Brenda Thomas, who died in 2020, and they had children, Kara and Vincent. Copley's sisters Winnie Branson and Josie Agius also became prominent - Branson as an activist and first South Australian state secretary of FCAATSI in 1967, and Agius as one of South Australia's first Aboriginal health workers. ==Death and legacy==

Copley died on 10 January 2022 at his home in Goolwa. John Moriarty paid tribute to his friend. Copley's death preceded the end of the 30-year embargo on the work of Ronald and Catherine Berndt, so he was never able to see the stories told by his grandfather Barney Waria to them. Over the course of his life, Copley helped to reform South Australian race and marriage laws; to create the South Australian Lands Trust laws; and to get the Aboriginal Welfare Board legislation repealed in the state. He helped to bring about the first Aboriginal education and training centre at the University of Adelaide, which later moved to UniSA. The Vince Copley Medal is an annual award recognising the "most outstanding cricketer" at the Lord's Taverners's Statewide Indigenous Carnival. ==See also==