Robert Anderson (Australian Aboriginal elder)
Australian Aboriginal elder and unionist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Vincent Anderson OAM (born 31 July 1929) is an Australian Aboriginal elder and former union official.[1]
Anderson, often referred to as Uncle Bob, is known for his long association with the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia where he was state organiser from 1951 to 1978.[2] He is also an honorary member of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.[2]
As a Ngugi elder from Mulgumpin in Quandamooka, Anderson has also served in various roles with an array of Indigenous organisations, working in the fields of reconciliation, native title, social justice, youth welfare and cultural identity.[3]
In the 1960s, Anderson was a member of the Queensland Council for Advancement for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.[4] In 1999, he was appointed chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board, a role he retired from in 2003.[5]