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The Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognise Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) that have achieved at the highest level of their chosen sport.
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Background
The Hall of Fame was an outcome of Chris 'Honky' Clark, a director of Aboriginal owned and operated sports complex in Condobolin, New South Wales. Clark saw the need to inspire indigenous youth through sports photographs. The costs of establishing a permanent photographic exhibition was too expensive. Musician and historian Ted Egan recommended a low cost book. The outcome was the book Black diamonds : the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame published in 1996.
The Hall of Fame was a joint project of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and Macquarie University under the management of Colin Tatz with photography by Paul Tatz.
The inaugural list of 129 members was determined by well known indigenous athletes: Mark Ella, Sydney Jackson, Faith Thomas and Charlie Perkins. They were assisted by three non-indigenous historians: Ted Egan, Colin Tatz and Alick Jackomos. In 1999, the list of members was increased by 43. The 1999 selection committee comprised: Arthur Beetson, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Lloyd McDermott, Mark Ella, Gary Ella, Charlie Perkins, Ted Egan, Ken Edwards, and Colin Tatz. The committee was assisted by three statisticians/historians: Colin Hutchinson (Australian rules), David Middleton (rugby league) and George Bracken (boxing). After the 1999 selection, the full list of 172 members with brief biographies was published in the book Black Gold : the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.
As of 2015, the list of 172 members has not been updated. There is no permanent home for the Hall of Fame but there have been several photographic exhibitions in Australia. Colin and Paul Tatz donated to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies 110 photographs from the Sports Hall of Fame.
Selection Criteria
Members were selected if they met the following selection criteria: