Vale Lionel Fogarty: Trailblazing warrior poet (1958-2026)
Uncle Lionel Fogarty, trailblazing Aboriginal warrior and poet, died in February, aged 68. He worked tirelessly throughout his life on political campaigns for Aboriginal peoples’ rights, while earnestly and consistently crafting provocative, complex poetry.
Creative Australia described Lionel as one of Australia’s most respected, long-standing and profoundly honest Indigenous poets and political activists.
Lionel was a proud Mununjali man of the Yugambeh nation. He was born and raised in Cherbourg, Queensland, and active in many political struggles including the movement for land rights, setting up Aboriginal health and legal services and stopping Black deaths in custody.
“His poetry was formed from his participation at protest rallies and community meetings across the country and inspired by the letters that parents in the community of Cherbourg would write to the Aboriginal........
