Mum Shirl

Mum Shirl
Portrait
Born
Coleen Shirley Perry Smith

22 November 1924
Died28 April 1998(1998-04-28) (aged 73)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Resting placeBotany Cemetery
NationalityAustralian
OccupationSocial worker
Known forAboriginal rights
SpouseCecil "Darcy Smith" Hazil
Children2 (1 died during childbirth)

Coleen Shirley Perry Smith AM MBE (22 November 1924 – 28 April 1998), better known as Mum Shirl, was a prominent Wiradjuri woman, social worker and humanitarian activist committed to justice and welfare of Aboriginal Australians. She was a founding member of the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Medical Service, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the Aboriginal Children's Services, and the Aboriginal Housing Company in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney. During her lifetime she was recognised as an Australian National Living Treasure.