Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Gilbert, Kevin, 1933-1993
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- Gilbert, Kevin John, 1933-1993
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1933-1993
History
Kevin John Gilbert was born on 10 July 1933 to the Wiradjuri Nation near Condoblin, New South Wales. He was the youngest of eight children of New South Wales-born parent John Joseph Gilbert (of English and Irish ancestry) and Rachel Elizabeth, nee Naden (of Aboriginal and Irish ancestry). He was raised by relatives and in welfare homes after the death of his parents. In 1957 he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife. In gaol he learned to read and developed an interest in art and literature. He also wrote 'The Cherry Pickers', a play about aboriginal seasonal workers, first performed in 1971, giving him the distinction of being the first Aboriginal playwright to have a play performed in Australia. Gilbert was paroled in 1971 and became active in a number of Australian Aboriginal movements. He played an important part in the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. He edited a number of periodicals and continued to write, publishing poetry and several prose works. He died in 1993.
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Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
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Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Revised
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised, Linda Justo, 28-Aug-2023.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Holland, A and Williams-Gilbert, E (2021) 'Gilbert, Kevin John (1933–1993)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 28 August 2023.