Martyrs in The Struggle for Justice
Dr Roberta Sykes
1943 - born in Australia
1957 - left school and worked as shop assistant and then nurse's assistant in Townsville
1960 - had a son Russel
mid-1960s - took stage name Opal Stone
performed as a striptease dancer at the Pink Pussycat nightclub in Kings Cross
met Howard Sykes and married.
1971 - ended her marriage
1970s - began writing articles, Bardas's late wife, Sandra befriended Sykes
1975 -1980 - was an adviser on Aboriginal health and education to the NSW Health Commission
1979 - published first book, Love Poems and Other Revolutionary Acts
1981- ghosted the award-winning autobiography of well-known NSW indigenous social worker, Mum (Shirl) Smith.
went off to Harvard with her young daughter in tow
completed her master's degree in a year,
1983 - finished a PhD in Aboriginal education in a further
returned to Australia to create more educational opportunities for others and devoted herself to being a proactive voice for indigenous Australians.
2002 - suffered a stroke at her unit in Redfern in November
2010 - died