May O'Brien reflects on becoming an activist, 2008

Transcript of interview

When I first came to Perth with a number of other Aboriginal girls from around Western Australia, we made people realise that we had brains in our heads, that we could learn and we're teachable.

And there was a hostel set up for girls, and then later on for boys, in Perth. And I went to Perth Girls' High School, a government school, and from there they asked me what I wanted to be and I said I wanted to be a teacher. They said, 'Oh, you might be better off as a nurse'. And I didn't want to become a nurse because my friend Sadie wanted to be a nurse and they wouldn't have her in Western Australia because she was Aboriginal. She had to go over to Melbourne to become a nurse, and came back as a sister. And I didn't like the sight - I faint at the sight of blood - so I didn't want to be a nurse, but I wanted to be a teacher. So I went to high school. I was 17 turning 18 with all these young kids [laughs], first year high at Perth Girls' in 1949.

I love learning and, yeah, I became a teacher and then - and I became an activist because I got quite angry when I started to read, you know, old Hansard and books and then find out what people were writing about us. In schools we had these history books and they talked about the 'awful blacks' and all of this. And we used to say, 'They're writing about us here in these history books'.

And so, yes, I wanted changes and I wanted changes fast, so I used to thump the table, point the finger, for making sure that, well, I got my point across. And education's been my number one thing. Through education ... well, you can get anywhere, long as you have a good education. And that's been important, and getting our people to understand and realise that when they're not doing the right thing for our kids, you know, things need to change for the better.

And, yes, I've had a lot of [laughs] run-ins with the people in high places and who are in positions to do something for our people and I tell them so. So, yes, I suppose in those days they used to be just, 'Oh, not that woman again'. But, anyhow, got my point across and made sure there were lots of changes in education.