Evonne Goolagong-Cawley

Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, (1951 - ) a member of the Wiradjuri people, was the first Indigenous Australian to win a Wimbledon Tennis Championship in 1971.

She had a successful professional tennis career, lived in the United States of America for a period, then returned to live in Queensland after the death of her mother in 1991.

Evonne was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1972 for services to tennis and an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982. She was on the Board of the Australian Sports Commission from 1995-1997. Since 1997, she has held the position of Sports Ambassador to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Communities. In 2002 she received an honorary doctorate from Charles Sturt University for services to Australian and international tennis and to the Australian community.

Since returning with her family to live in Australia in 1991, Evonne has learned about her Aboriginal heritage and spends considerable time visiting Indigenous communities and promoting the issues they face to the wider community.

Sources: www.womenaustralia.info