David Unaipon – inventor, author, orator, activist

We might recognise him from the $50 note but how much do most of us really know about David Unaipon?

Born in 1872, this brilliant First Nations man was born on a church mission near Adelaide. During his remarkably long life (he died aged 94) Unaipon patented many inventions, wrote several books about Aboriginal culture and myth, preached Christianity and advocated for an effective way to reconcile European and First Nations cultures.

In this ep, we look at Unaipon's extraordinary life as well as some of the dire policies that various colonial and state governments implemented during that time, such as Protectionism, Assimilation and the creation of the Stolen Generations.

There's also a quiz on famous and not so famous inventors.