Lloyd McDermott was the first Aboriginal person to play Rugby union for Australia. He played two tests in the early sixties and also sat on the bench a few times. It's a game he loved from an early age and one in which he excelled at in his youth at club level and for Queensland.
Lloyd was sent to 'Church of England' Grammar school in Brisbane by his parents, so he could get every opportunity in life. These were some of his great years on the sporting field. He represented his school in football, athletics and cricket. Lloyd competed at a state level and had a reputation back then as one of the finest all round athletes in schoolboy competition in Queensland.
He went to University in Brisbane and then set more records by becoming one of the first Aboriginal Law graduates in Australia. He became very successful and moved to Sydney some years later, where he became a Barrister.
Not only has Lloyd accomplised on the sporting field, he's also become a real freedom fighter for Aboriginal people. marching down the streets protesting against Aboriginal Deaths in custody and working tirelessly representing his people in the courts.
The Lloyd McDermott Rugby foundation has been operating for a few years now and Lloyd sees it as a way to give something back to his people and to the game he also loves so much. Lloyd McDermott is semi retired, but is also now the proud patron of Indigenous Sport Queensland.
|
|  | |
|
ABOUT ISQ