Thomas Shadrac James is one of Australia’s most successful teachers. He turned a wooden building on the Murray River into a bush university for the Yorta Yorta people – one that grew leaders who changed Australia!

The son of indentured labourers in Mauritius, Thomas Shadrac James believed that education could empower Australia’s Aboriginal people to campaign for equality and justice. Many of his students, like William Cooper and Sir Doug Nicholls, went on to become the leaders of the civil rights movement in Australia. Together with his son, he founded the first Aboriginal political party in Australia – the Aborigines Progressives Association.

Further information:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-10/thomas-shadrach-james-teacher-of-aboriginal-activists/12846650

https://www.monash.edu/education/future-students/why-study-with-us/scholarships/thomas-shadrach-james

https://christiantoday.com.au/news/thomas-shadrach-james-australian-educator.html

You can find Dr Paul Roe online at theoutbackhistorian.com.au

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