Summary

Evonne Goolagong, Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris, Lionel Rose, Artie Beetson, Polly Farmer, are just a few of our Australian sporting heroes who, since the mid-1880s, have helped shape Australia's identity as a great sporting nation.

They, along with 269 other sporting greats, are showcased here in this 3rd edition of the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.

Spanning 36 sports across a period of 150 years, Black Pearls presents some of our Olympic heroes, superb sportswomen, football giants, boxing legends, lightning sprinters, and more – from darts champions to world class weightlifters and woodchoppers.

Black Pearls is, however, more than a sports book. It reveals a history of inclusion and exclusion, about Aboriginal determination in the face of enormous obstacles, and resilience in overcoming remoteness, discriminatory laws, incarceration on isolated reserves, and opponents in a variety of sports arenas.