Evonne Goolagong-Cawley AO MBE, Tennis Grand Slam Winner, Reconciliation Champion
Evonne Goolagong-Cawley a proud Wiradjuri woman, from Barellan, New South Wales is one of Australia’s most loved living legends.
Evonne won every age championship she entered, culminating in 1970 with her first Grand Slam win, the French Open. In 1971 she won her first Wimbledon title and nine years later would return to gain the title for a second time. She finished her career with 92 international titles, which included being a finalist in 18 Grand Slams including the Australian Open (4 times winner) the French Open (once) and the US Open (runner up 4 times).
On Australian soil she represented her country 7 times in the Fed Cup and was a member of winning teams in 1971, 1973 and 1974. She was Fed Cup Captain from 2002-2004. Impressively Evonne held the ranking of number one tennis player in the world in 1971 and 1980.
In 1991 Evonne returned to live in Australia with her family. Rather than quietly retire from public life she has continued to actively pursue opportunities of mutual interest. She has been a board member of the Australian Sports Commission, a Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia, she has serviced on the National Indigenous Advisory Committee to SOCOG, she is patron of the Noosa Soccer and Tennis Clubs and in 2008 she was appointed a board member of the Indigenous Land Corporation and she is Co-Patron of Reconciliation Australia together with Sir William Deane.
Keen to provide opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous champions, she formed the Evonne Goolagong Sports Trust to review Aboriginal sports facilities as well as to raise funds for new facilities and equipment. Since 2005 Evonne in partnership with the Indigenous Sports Foundation has run the Goolagong National Development Camp for Indigenous youngsters who have the potential to become pro players, coaches or administrators.
Evonne has received a number of national and international accolades including being named Australian Sportsman of the Year and Australian of the Year, receiving in 2003 the Margaret Pewtress Memorial Award for her services to sport, being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Indigenous Hall of Fame and receiving the IOC Women and Sport Trophy for her services.