‘Our Rocky’: telling tale of first Aboriginal Olympian
Keira Jenkins |
Francis “Frank” Roberts was a world record-holder and legendary boxer, but when he became the first Aboriginal athlete selected for an Olympics team he wasn’t even considered an Australian citizen.
He was one of three Aboriginal members of Australia’s team for the 1964 Tokyo Games, but the Widjibul Wia-bul and Githabul man’s story of resilience and culture, and his trailblazing feats inside and outside the ring, are not well-known.
His family is working to rectify that.
Frank’s cousin Rhoda Roberts, a writer, performer and artistic powerhouse, said competing in Tokyo was a far cry from the mission where Frank grew up, just outside Lismore in northern NSW.
“When he’s competing at the Olympic Games, at the same time we are still considered an eyesore in a rural town, land that I might add we’ve been on for generations,” the Widjabul Wia-bul woman told AAP.
“With occupation came all these rules and regulations and we were pushed to the fringes … I wonder how many Australians actually realise blackfullas were rounded up and put on stations and missions and reserves.”
Her one-woman show My Cousin Frank celebrates his story but is also about the advocacy of her family and people, and shedding light on history.
“Like most Aboriginal communities we face numerous things but this is our ‘Rocky’ … our boxing hero against all odds,” Roberts said.
“He goes from a shanty town to this global event, the Olympics.”
For years, Roberts worked with her family and community to put together a show about her cousin’s story. She is grateful to her cousins, Frank’s siblings, for trusting her to tell his story.
Following the devastating floods of 2022 in Lismore and the conversations about the future of the town in the months and years after, Roberts wanted his tale to bring hope to her community.
“Lismore is an extraordinary place that has the most incredible history,” she said.
“I wanted to tell some of that story, thinking people would want to come back and find this place.”
Initially produced for Lismore-based theatre company NORPA, her show is headed to the Sydney Opera House in December.
Returning to the iconic venue as a performer after spending almost a decade there as head of First Nations programming will be a special moment for Roberts.
“To have the visibility, reminding people as we get to the Olympics in Brisbane that Lismore is the home of the first Aboriginal Olympian, how amazing is that,” she said.
My Cousin Frank will be at the Sydney Opera House from December 3-6.
AAP
