THIS famous photograph, captured by Gregor Macqueen, features three giants of the Indigenous community.

The photo featured on the front page of The Age newspaper on the morning of June 10, 1972, beneath the headline “Sir Doug shows that old style: a night to honor a first knight”.

To the left is the late Neville Bonner, the first Indigenous person to become a member of the Parliament of Australia.

The next is Syd Jackson, Carlton’s Premiership player of 1970 and 1972, and to the right is Nicholls – footballer, pastoralist, activist and governor.

The three men are pictured at a function following Nicholls’ investiture as Knight Bachelor – the first Indigenous Australian to be so honoured.

The photograph’s caption read as follows:

“You couldn’t get anything more Australian than this - three original Australians discussing Australia’s own game at which two of them starred. They met at Thornbury last night during a reception for Australia’s first Aboriginal knight (Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls), on the right.

Sir Douglas, who played with Fitzroy in the 1930s, demonstrated his passing style with a solid right fist. With Queensland’s senator Neville Bonner (left) watching impressed, it looks like the fist has caught that little bloke behind flush on the nose.

But that’s Carlton’s great flanker Syd Jackson - and he’s flashing a broad grin, so it must be an optical illusion.”


Neville Bonner, Syd Jackson and Sir Doug Nicholls. (Photo: Supplied)

The incredible lives of these three leviathans of the Indigenous community - Bonner, Jackson and Nicholls - are too substantial to be properly documented in this forum.

However, the following quotations, one attributed to each, in part tell the whole of what drove them as individuals.

“We as Aboriginal people still have to fight to prove that we are straight out plain human beings, the same as everyone else. You know, I grew up, born on a government blanket under a palm tree. I lived under lantana bushes, I’ve seen more dinner times than I’ve seen dinners, I’ve known discrimination, I’ve known prejudice, I’ve known all of those things... but some of that is still with us... and it’s got to be changed.” - Neville Bonner

“ . . . if it wasn’t for my football, I know my life as part of Australia’s Stolen Generation could have been starkly different . . . I worked for what I got and there was a lot that I lost in terms of my family, culture, my language and important things like that. I had a lot of help from people who supported me and I worked hard to reward them by not failing.” – Syd Jackson

“You can play a tune on black keys, you can play a tune on white keys, but both are needed for perfect harmony.” – Sir Doug Nicholls