Aussie sport in mourning as history-making Indigenous cricket pioneer Faith Thomas dies aged 90
Australia in mourning as cricket pioneer who became first Indigenous woman to represent her country in any sport, dies aged 90 after becoming part of the stolen generation
- Fast bowler Faith Thomas made history
- Played Ashes Test for Australia in 1958
- Named WBBL trophy after her
Faith Thomas, a formidable bowler who became the first Indigenous woman to play Test cricket for Australia, has died aged 90.
She passed away on Saturday.
Thomas (nee Coulthard) played her seminal test for Australia against England at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in February 1958 when she became the first Aboriginal woman to play for an Australian sports team.
She returned figures of 0-11 from six overs in what turned out to be her first and final Test.
Thomas was selected for tours of England and New Zealand, but was put off by the prospect of a long sea journey and instead devoted herself to her nursing career.
Thomas played for Australia in a 1958 Ashes Test after turning down multiple opportunities to tour with the women’s national team while dedicating herself to nursing.
The pioneering South Australian (pictured left with current Australian cricketer Ashleigh Gardner) was a feared fast bowler
Her potential was summed up when she won 6-0 against Adelaide Teachers College early in her career.
Thomas, whose family had given permission for her name to be used in coverage of her death, was a survivor of the stolen generations and grew up at Colebrook Home in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges.
One of Thomas’s earliest cricket memories was a bad one: getting hit by the ball and crying her eyes out.
It was then that she decided the best way to protect herself was to pick up a bat.
But it was with the ball where she really flourished.
As a child, Thomas played impromptu cricket games on dirt roads with homemade bats and a rock when there was no ball.
She often joked that her speed was a result of throwing rocks at Galahs.
Cricket wasn’t the only way Thomas impressed Australia – she also made a huge contribution as a nurse and midwife
Thomas (pictured center with Aussie Test cricketer and former national coach Justin Langer, right) survived the Stolen Generations and left an indelible mark on her country
It was only after training as a nurse that Thomas learned that women played organized cricket, and her career took off when she was invited by a colleague to take part in a club match in Adelaide.
After just three matches, Thomas was selected to represent South Australia and played Test cricket for Australia the following year.
“Faith Thomas has made an amazing and pioneering contribution to cricket and the community, and this is a very sad day for all those who are lucky enough to have known her or who have been touched by her many achievements,” said Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley in a statement. .
‘As the first Aboriginal woman to represent Australia in Test cricket, Faith was an inspiration to those who followed her and leaves an indelible mark on the game.
“Faith’s work in the community in many roles, including as a nurse and midwife, was also tremendous, and the care and compassion she showed for the many people she helped was truly remarkable.”
As one of South Australia’s first Aboriginal nurses, and the first to be employed as a civil servant, Thomas had a profound influence on thousands of patients, including while working as a patrol nurse in Aboriginal communities.
In 2019, Thomas was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to cricket and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
She has also been an inspiration to up and coming Aboriginal cricketers, with the Adelaide Strikers honoring Thomas by playing for the Faith Thomas Trophy at the First Nations Round in the WBBL each year.