Gloria Brennan
Gloria Faye Brennan was an Aboriginal community leader and public servant from Western Australia, of Pindiini descent.
Brennan advocated on a number of issues, including: Aboriginal land rights, welfare for women and children, Aboriginal education and health, the need for interpreter services, and nuclear energy. She worked for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, at both a state and federal level.
Early years
Gloria Brennan was born in Leonora, Western Australia, on 12 September 1948. She was the second child of Western Australian parents, James Brennan, a woodcutter, and Myrtle Brennan. As a child she learned to speak the Wudjari language fluently. She attended primary schools in Gwalia, Laverton, and Menzies. Along with her siblings, she spent holidays with her maternal grandmothers, learning about her Aboriginal culture and heritage. She attended high school in Kalgoorlie and Perth.Education
In 1971, Brennan enrolled at the University of Western Australia, in the Faculty of Arts, as a mature age student. She majored in anthropology, and also studied linguistics, English, history and music. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. Brennan was one of the first Aboriginal women to graduate from the University of Western Australia.Community work
Brennan was a member of the Aboriginal Advancement Council of Western Australia, the New Era Aboriginal Fellowship, the Aboriginal Women's Council, and the Black Australian Women's Movement.In the 1970s, she was instrumental in the founding of the Aboriginal Medical Service in Western Australia.