Tiki-You must be so proud of your Dad! That's GREAT!!!

A bit of a twist on Black History month, being Australian I am sure you won't mind if I join in.

Mum Shirl was an aboriginal Australian who made a huge difference to the lives of many thousands of people, she co-founded Australia's first Aboriginal medical centre. She was the only woman in Australia to be given unrestricted access to New South Wales prisoners.

Mum Shirl was never a politician, a doctor or a lawyer, but by living her life with integrity and caring for all she became a very powerful force to be reckoned with.

Mum Shirl

kykaree, that is beautiful! Thank you for sharing Mum Shirl with us.

She sounds like an extraordinary person :D Thanks for sharing.

Ellis - this was a great idea - I'm learning about people I never knew existed and what amazing people they were! :)

Ellis - this really was a wonderful idea. There are so many incredible people out there and now we know a little about them.

Tiki - thanks for sharing your dad with us!!!

Thanks to everyone for their contributions. It's courageous and motivated people like these who inspire others to do bigger and better things and shoot for the stars.

I'm learning so much, too! I'm glad you're enjoying the thread. :)

Austin Clarke
Biography: Born in Barbados, Clarke came to Toronto in 1955 where he attended Trinity College and the University of Toronto. He is the first Black writer to achieve prominence in Canada, and has been highly influential, particularly for the generation of Caribbean-born writers who began working in the 1970s. He has been visiting professor or writer in residence at many universities, among them Yale, Duke and the University of Western Ontario. Primarily a writer of fiction, he has also worked as a journalist and radio broadcaster. Clarke is co-winner of the 2003 Trillium Book Award and winner of the 2003 Giller Prize and the 2003 Commonwealth Prize for Best Book.
I have several of his books, and my favourite is The Polished Hoe