Wi3W Ep 9 – Poem ~ Aussie Fifty Dollar Note (in honour of David Unaipon, a true Australian legend)
Around late 2018 I was looking at a new Australian Fifty Dollar ($50) note, as I was curious about who the First Nation person was that I had been seeing since 1995 on the old $50 note. Not that I had many in my possession, by the way.
The Reserve Bank of Australia had released a new design of the new $50 banknote, after earlier releasing updated versions of the $5 and $10 polymer banknotes. The note featured updated security features, and was released into circulation on 18 October 2018. The artwork on the note, incorporating the work of Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri artist Muriel van der Byl AM, includes portraits of Edith Cowan, first female member of an Australian parliament, and inventor and Australia’s first published Aboriginal Australian author, inventor, activist, musician, preacher and the Australian Leonardo da Vinci (an Australian First Nations polymath), David Unaipon (1872-1967) .
There is so much to read and unpack about this amazing Australian, that I thought a good way to bring his history to life through this poem. I am proud to to dedicate this poem to David and his family so as to highlight a small overview of his life and what he invented and what he wrote.
I hope you enjoy this poem, be truly educated about his natural born wisdom, about the true Aussie Aboriginal legend, David Unaipon.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:19 — 3.0MB)
Read the poem HERE (with footnotes)
