Vince Copley

(1936 to 2022)

Source: Courtesy Vince Copley

Like the other 'St Francis House boys', such as Charles Perkins and John Moriarty, success as a footballer helped Vince Copley to find a place in society. As a young man he played at state level. He was politically active from the late 1960s, was a member of the Aborigines' Progress Association, and attended annual Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) conferences in Canberra. His sister, Winnie Branson, was also an activist.

Vince worked for the community in the Port Adelaide area where his family lived. Vince was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2014. In his later years he helped establish the Ngadjuri Walpa Juri Lands and Heritage Association to identify and protect archaeological sites.

Further reading

Vince Copley with Lea McInerney, The Wonder of Little Things, ABC Books, Sydney, 2022