death_date death_place children birth_place name parents birth_date spouse article_title birth_name
19 may 2002 -lrb- aged 93 -rrb- moruya australia , south coast , new south wales , 12 children jembaicumbene wales , australia , braidwood , south coast , new south guboo ted thomas william ? -rrb- & mary gwendoline `` lino '' ahoy -lrb- `` 1886 -- 1959 -rrb- bill '' iberia thomas -lrb- 1888 - 29 jan 1909 2 wives 1 partner guboo ted thomas
 edwin thomas
guboo ted thomas

guboo ted thomas -lrb- 29 january 1909 -- 19 may 2002 -rrb- of the `` yuin people '' was a prominent aboriginal -lrb- koori -rrb- elder -lrb- leader -rrb- , he lived a full life , including touring australia with a gumleaf orchestra during the great depression of the 1930s , playing rugby league and getting banned for fighting a referee , yet growing to become an elder campaigning for protection of sacred sites on the south coast , who went to the united nations in new york , who urged the world council of churches to accept indigenous religions , and who met the dalai lama .
guboo loved a `` cuppa '' -lrb- cup of tea -rrb- , had a sense of mischief , enjoyed being doted on by women , and his favourite saying was : '' `` always remember , the best is yet to come ! '' '' .
guboo 's work in developing mutual respect and understanding , and in the renewal of the spirit and the dreaming , was prolific and ongoing .
in his own words : `` the earth is our mother . ''
`` when i die i 'm going down there . ''
`` when you die you 're going there too . ''
`` but what are you doing for the earth ? ''
guboo wanted aboriginal spirituality , the dreaming , to enrich the lives of all australians , and devoted the rest of his life to being a catalyst for a worldwide return to selfless ancient values .
he became a member of the baha'i faith , emphasising the spiritual unity of humankind of all religions .
in 1984 the then 75-year-old began travelling the world teaching the dreamtime , the heart of aboriginal spirituality .
for the remainder of his life guboo held `` renewing the dreaming '' camps around australia and overseas , for which he was well respected .
however among his own people he was not without his critics , some of whom felt that he had discovered the perks of being a new-age guru to the white community .
unfortunately he also sometimes upset the actual traditional owners of the land where his ceremonies were held , by not always respecting their sacred sites , and by violating local aboriginal laws .
guboo 's accomplishments speak volumes about his commitment to australia , and his aboriginal community : through his work with the institute of aboriginal studies an invaluable record of sacred sites along the new south wales coast was established .
in 1979 the then seventy-year-old elder first came to public attention when , largely through his efforts , the new south wales premier neville wran ordered a cease to logging on the mumbulla mountain south of bermagui .
this led to a significant land rights settlement in new south wales .
the seventy-nine-year-old 's 1988 re-enactment for the australian bicentenary of his own childhood 350-kilometre dreamtime walk of seven decades earlier , with a group of koori kids from broken homes , demonstrated a personal vision guided by hard work , spirituality , respect and love for the land .
ever the gentle activist , the ninety-three-year-old will be last remembered for sitting in a wheelchair and clapping two sticks together .
he was participated in a protest at sandon point near wollongong demonstrating against a development threatening aboriginal sites and the area 's natural beauty .
