Cursing anything or anyone who dared to stand in her way, Balbuk Yoreel was a force to be reckoned with. 

Born in 1860 on Whadjuk Noongar (south-west region of Western Australia) Boodjar (Country), Balbuk is one of the first land rights activists and resistance fighters of her Boorloo (Perth area) homelands. 

A fierce warrior for her people, Balbuk protested the theft of her Boodjar by the invaders her entire life. 

Last month, on the grounds of Western Australia’s Government House, a memorial statue was unveiled in her honour. 

But what makes this statue of Balbuk even more significant is that not only is it the first to be commissioned of an Aboriginal woman in Boorloo city, it’s also the first statue of any woman to stand proud in the CBD…