Magabala Books is deeply saddened at the passing of one of our creators, Noel Tovey AM; an Elder, artist and activist who spent over six decades championing First Nations voices in the arts. 

Noel Tovey was born in Melbourne in 1934. The son of an Aboriginal and New Zealand mother and a father of Canadian and African descent, Noel’s early years were marked by poverty, abuse and neglect. It is a testament to his indomitable strength that despite his many hardships, he forged a successful career in the arts in Australia and the UK. 

In his early career, Noel was Australia’s first Aboriginal male ballet dancer and performed in many productions in Australia and London and went on to direct and choreograph shows across the UK, Europe and Australia. He taught at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and co-founded the London Theatre for Children. He was the artistic director of the First Nations Welcoming Ceremony at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. In 2014 he was awarded the Uncle Bob Maza Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to Victorian Indigenous theatre. In 2015 he received an Order of Australia.

He first published his life story in Little Black Bastard (Hachette Australia 2004), which he later turned into a one-man stage production, which toured nationally and internationally. He published his second memoir And Then I Found Me with Magabala Books in 2017. 

Noel’s life as an openly gay man was punctuated by joy and heartbreak, and he was a strong advocate for LGBTIQA+ rights. It was a true test of character that he lived proudly during a time that wanted him to remain in the shadows. At the age of 17 he was arrested and charged for homosexual acts and spent several weeks in Pentridge prison awaiting trial. Due to his early experiences, he became a tireless advocate in the campaign for historical convictions for gay sex to be expunged. His criminal record was only removed in 2014. In the mid 1980s he courageously cared for his long-term partner Dave, who died tragically of AIDS in 1986. Noel’s importance as a Queer Blak Elder cannot be overstated. He was, and will always be, an inspiration for many.

Our thoughts are with Noel’s family and friends who feel his loss the most. Noel was a true storyteller, who lived proudly in his truth and championed others to do the same. In Noel’s own words: “It had been a long journey but finally I had made it back home.”