Location Federation Square, Melbourne
Artist Gillie and Marc Schattner
Nova Peris is a proud Indigenous woman who has broken through many glass ceilings in both politics and sports. She rose to fame in 1996 when she represented Australia at the Olympics in hockey, becoming the first Aboriginal person to win an Olympic gold medal. The next year she switched to track becoming a double gold medalist at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. While she was competing at an Olympic level in two different sports, she was also juggling being a mother.
Nova then entered politics, becoming Australia’s first Aboriginal woman elected to Federal Parliament becoming a strong voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. She has inspired so many indigenous Australians, letting them know they have a voice and they can shoot for the stars.
Nova's statue was unveiled on 14th July in Federation Square, Melbourne at the end of NAIDOC Week in Australia.
