Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Torres Strait Islanders are Indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are at the northernmost tip of Queensland near Papua New Guinea. The term "Aboriginal" has traditionally been applied to Indigenous inhabitants of mainland Australia, Tasmania, and some of the other adjacent islands. Since the colonisation of Australia in 1788, Indigenous Australians have been segregated from European Australians both in their rights and socially within society. The 'firsts' listed in this article contain historical steps that have changed this initial racist segregation both legally and culturally.

18th century 19th century: 1820s • 1830s • 1840s • 1850s • 1860s • 1870s • 1880s • 1890s 20th century: 1900s • 1910s • 1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s 21st century: 2000s • 2010s See also References __NOTOC__

17th century

1600s 1606 First known meeting between Indigenous Australians and Europeans (Mapoon, Queensland).

18th century

1780s 1788 First Indigenous Australian to live amongst Europeans: Arabanoo.

1790s 1793 First Indigenous Australian song performed in Europe: Bennelong, Yemmerrawanne. 1796 First Indigenous Australian to appear in print: Bennelong (see also 1949).

19th century

1800s 1802 First Indigenous Australian to circumnavigate Australia: Bungaree.

1810s 1815 First Indigenous Australian to be granted land by the colonial authorities: Bungaree.

1830s 1835 First Indigenous Australian to be recorded playing western sport: Shiney (cricket in Hobart). 1836 First publication solely written and published by Indigenous Australians: Flinders Island Chronicle (twenty-nine editions published).Gale, p. 41.

1850s 1856 Indigenous Australian males first given the right to vote in elections (South Australia).

1860s 1860 First Indigenous people to request a land grant: Collin Hood and Nora Hood. 1864 First time portions of the Bible published in an Indigenous Australian language (Ngarrindjeri).Gale, p. 71. 1868 First Australian cricket team to tour overseas and the first sporting team to represent Australia abroad, is composed of Australian Aboriginal people.Tatz & Tatz, p. 9.

1870s 1870 First Indigenous Australian to play first-class cricket: Twopenny. 1871 First Indigenous Australian to become a deacon: James Unaipon.Whitehorn, Zane, "The church on the $50 note", Indigenous Newslines, March–May 2010, p. 17.

1880s 1883 First Indigenous Australian to win the Stawell Gift: Bobby Kinnear.Tatz & Tatz, p. 104. 1889 First Indigenous Australian to play in a major Australian rules football league, South Australian Football Association (now SANFL): Harry Hewitt.1889 'FOOTBALL', The Advertiser (Adelaide), 24 June, p. 5., viewed 12 Nov 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24479169

1890s 1893 First Indigenous Australian to play representative rugby union: Frank Ivory (Queensland).Tatz & Tatz, p. 18. 1895 Indigenous Australian women first gain the right to vote in elections (South Australia). 1897 First translation of the New Testament into an Indigenous Australian language (Dieri).Gale, p. 62. 1899 First Indigenous Australian to be recorded: Fanny Cochrane Smith.

20th century

1900s 1900 First Indigenous Australian to regularly play in a major Australian rules football league, West Australian Football Association (now WAFL): Jimmy Melbourne. 1904 First Indigenous Australian to play in the Victorian Football League (VFL): Joe Johnson. 1909 First Indigenous Australian to play first-grade level rugby league: George Green.Tatz & Tatz, p. 20.

1910s 1910 First time First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families as a result of government policies. Now known as the "Stolen Generation". 1912 First Indigenous Australian to win a national boxing title: Jerry Jerome (middleweight).Tatz & Tatz (2000), p. 161. First Indigenous Australian to be awarded a medal for gallantry: Neighbour (Albert Medal). 1916 First Indigenous Australian to be awarded the Military Medal in World War I: Maitland Madge. 1919 First Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained deacons in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia): Joseph Lui and Poey Passi.Loos, Noel, White Christ, Black Cross: The Emergence of a Black Church, (2007: Aboriginal Studies Press), p 151.

1920s 1925 First Indigenous Australian to tour abroad as part of open sporting team: Glen Crouch (Queensland rugby league team to New Zealand).Tatz & Tatz, p. 199. First Aboriginal Australian to be ordained deacon in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia): James Noble. First Torres Strait Islanders to be ordained priests in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia): Joseph Lui and Poey Passi. 1927 First Indigenous Australian to have a book published: David Unaipon (Aboriginal Legends). 1929 First Indigenous Australian to win the World Professional Sprint Championship: Lynch Cooper.Tatz & Tatz, p. 101.

1930s 1932 First literary writing in Indigenous Australian vernacular: Sam Dintibana, in Dieri.Gale, p. 64-65. 1935 First Indigenous Australian to be selected in the Victorian interstate Australian rules team: Doug Nicholls. 1938 First major national Indigenous day of protest: Australia Day protest by the Aborigines Progressive Association. 1939 First mass strike of Indigenous Australians: Cummeragunja walk-off.

1940s 1944 First Indigenous Australian to be commissioned as an officer in the Australian armed forces: Reg Saunders. First Indigenous military aviator: Len Waters.Hall, Robert A. (1989), The Black Diggers: Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the Second World War, Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press. . 1949 First federal electorate named after an Indigenous Australian: Division of Bennelong, named in honour of Bennelong.

1950s 1950 The first named Indigenous Australian to appear on an Australian stamp: Gwoya Jungarai. 1954 First Indigenous nurse in South Australia: Lois (Lowitja) O’Donoghue First Indigenous Railway Station Master: Leonard Harris 1957 First Indigenous Australian to become an Australian citizen: Albert Namatjira. First Indigenous Australian to enroll in university: Margaret Williams-Weir. 1958 First Indigenous Australian woman to be selected for a national sporting side: Faith Coulthard (cricket).Tatz & Tatz (2000), p. 92. First song written and recorded by Indigenous Australians: "Give the Coloured Boy a Chance" (written by Jimmy Little, Snr and recorded by Jimmy Little).Ramsland, J. & Mooney, C. (2006), Brolga Publishing, p. 206. . 1959 First Indigenous Australian entertainer to appear on television: Jimmy Little. First Indigenous Australian to gain a university qualification: Margaret Williams-Weir.

1960s 1960 First Indigenous Australian to compete at the Paralympics: Kevin Coombs.Tatz & Tatz (2000), p. 43. First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby league: Lionel Morgan.Tatz & Tatz, p. 201. 1961 First Indigenous Australian to win the Bay Sheffield: Ken Hampton.Tatz & Tatz, p. 103. First Indigenous Australians to represent Australia in basketball: Bennie Lew Fatt and John Bonson.Tatz & Tatz, p. 250. 1962 First Indigenous Australian to win a Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games: Jeff Dynevor (Bantamweight boxing).Tatz, C. & Tatz, P., p. 53. First Indigenous Australian to release an album: Georgia Lee (Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under). First Indigenous Australian to represent Australia in rugby union: Lloyd McDermott.Tatz & Tatz, p. 189. Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Australian federal elections. Indigenous Australians first given right to enrol to vote in Northern Territory elections. 1963 First time Indigenous Australians legally allowed to drink alcohol in New South Wales (30 March).Tracker, August 2012, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council: Sydney. p. 46. First Indigenous Australian to have a number one hit on the Australian music charts: Jimmy Little ("Royal Telephone"). First documentary recognition of Indigenous Australians in Australian law: Yirrkala bark petitions. 1964 First Indigenous Australian to publish a book of verse: Oodgeroo Noonuccal (We Are Going). First Indigenous Australians to compete in an Olympic Games: Michael Ah Matt, Adrian Blair and Frank Roberts.Koori Mail, "Our competitors at the London 2012 Olympics", 8 August 2012, p. 91. 1965 First Indigenous Australian police officer: Colin Dillon.Indigenous Newslines, "Reconciliation in the ranks", October–December 2010, p. 17. Indigenous Australians first given right to vote in Queensland elections. First all-Indigenous Australian contemporary music concert held in Sydney. First novel by an Indigenous Australian author to be published in Australia: Wild Cat Falling by Mudrooroo 1966 First Indigenous Australian university degree graduates: Charles Perkins (see also 1984) and Margaret Valadian. First Indigenous Australian to be ordained as a Minister of the Methodist Church: Lazarus Lamilami. 1967 Indigenous Australians allowed to be counted in the Australian census (the first census to include Indigenous Australians was 1971). 1968 First Indigenous Australian to become world champion (bantamweight boxing): Lionel Rose. First Indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year: Lionel RoseWhitehorn, Zane. "Show no fear: Lionel Rose", Indigenous Newslines, January–March 2011, Australian Government: Canberra, p. 21. First Indigenous Australian to compete internationally in wrestling: John Kinsella.Tatz & Tatz, p. 47. First Indigenous Australian to become a state champion cyclist: Brian Mansell (Tasmania).Tatz & Tatz, p. 261. 1969 First Indigenous Australian to play List A cricket: Ian King. First legal challenge for Aboriginal title to land: Milirrpum v Nabalco.McMillan, p. 247.

1970s 1970 First Indigenous Australian to play soccer for Australia: Harry Williams. First Aboriginal Australian to be ordained priest in the Anglican Church of Australia (then called the Church of England in Australia): Patrick Brisbane. 1971 First Indigenous Australian to sit in the Parliament of Australia: Neville Bonner. First play written by an Indigenous Australian performed in mainstream theatre: The Cherry Pickers by Kevin Gilbert.Mundine, P. "As it happened", Tracker, August 2012, p. 48. First Indigenous Australian to win a Grand Slam tennis event (French Open): Evonne Goolagong. First Australian rules footballer to be honoured with an MBE: Graham Farmer. Australian Aboriginal flag first flown in public (designed by Harold Thomas, the flag was flown in Victoria Square, Adelaide on National Aborigines Day, 12 July). First Indigenous Australian theatre company formed: Nindethana Theatre in Melbourne. It was founded by Jack Charles and Bob Maza). 1972 First Indigenous Australian-produced community radio programs went to air (5UV in Adelaide and at the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Media Association (TAIMA) at Mount Stuart, south of Townsville, on 4KIG FM2). First Indigenous Australian representative Australian rules team to play overseas (Papua New Guinea).Tatz & Tatz (1996) First film made by an Indigenous Australian (Blackfire, by Bruce McGuinness and Martin Bartfeld).Screen Australia, p. 5. First Indigenous Australian to receive a knighthood (Douglas Nicholls). 1973 First Indigenous Australian jockey to win the Melbourne Cup: Frank Reys.Rolfe, C. p. 266. First Indigenous Australian to captain Australia: Arthur Beetson (Rugby League). First television show with an all-Aboriginal cast (Basically Black). 1974 First Indigenous Australian elected to a state or territory parliament: Hyacinth Tungutalum. 1975