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| Nova Peris | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nova Peris |
| Birth date | 25 September 1971 |
| Birth place | Darwin, Northern Territory |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Field hockey player, sprinter, Politician |
| Spouse | Daniel Peris |
Nova Peris
Nova Peris is an Australian former field hockey player, track and field sprinter and politician. She was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal and later served as a senator, representing the Northern Territory for the Australian Labor Party. Peris's sporting achievements spanned the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 1998 Commonwealth Games and multiple Australian Hockey League campaigns before her election to the Parliament of Australia.
Peris was born in Darwin, Northern Territory and raised in Katherine, Northern Territory and Alice Springs. She is of Garrwa and Murrinh-Patha ancestry and grew up with connections to communities across the Northern Territory and the Kimberley. Peris attended local schools in Katherine and trained at regional sporting centres linked to the Australian Institute of Sport, benefiting from pathways that have included alumni such as Cathy Freeman, Shane Gould, Ian Thorpe, Susie O'Neill and Kieren Perkins. Her early mentors included coaches associated with the Northern Territory Institute of Sport and contacts in the Australian Hockey Federation youth system.
Peris played domestic hockey for clubs competing in the Australian Hockey League and represented the Hockeyroos. She was selected in squads coached by Ric Charlesworth and played alongside teammates such as Rechelle Hawkes, Alyson Annan, Leah Wilkinson and Jennifer Botterill. Peris was part of the Hockeyroos team that won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, joining Australia’s prior Olympic champions including Kerri Pottharst and Mia Hamm in global recognition. Her international career included tours to events organized by the International Hockey Federation and matches against teams from Netherlands, Germany, Argentina and Great Britain.
After her hockey success Peris transitioned to sprinting, joining the Australian Institute of Sport athletics programme and competing in national and international meets. She won gold in the 200 metres at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and competed in events alongside athletes like Gina Rinehart-era contemporaries such as Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Cathy Freeman, Lauren Hewitt and Susanthika Jayasinghe. Peris raced in IAAF-sanctioned competitions, the World Athletics Championships selection trials and domestic meets organized by Athletics Australia, running against sprinters from United States, Jamaica, Great Britain and New Zealand athletes.
Peris entered politics as a member of the Australian Labor Party and was elected to the Parliament of Australia as a senator for the Northern Territory in the 2013 election, taking her seat in the Senate of Australia. In parliament she served on committees and participated in debates concerning Indigenous affairs alongside MPs such as Penny Wong, Shane Stone, Warren Snowden and Ken Wyatt. Her parliamentary term brought her into contact with the Abbott Government, the Turnbull Government and crossbench figures including Bob Katter and Jacqui Lambie. Peris's tenure included engagement with Indigenous organisations like the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (historical), Reconciliation Australia and regional groups across the Northern Territory and the Torres Strait Islands.
Peris married Daniel Peris and has children; her family life has intersected with public recognition from institutions including the Australian Sports Commission and state honours. She has received awards and acknowledgements from bodies such as the Australian Olympic Committee, the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Australian Institute of Sport and Indigenous organisations. Peris has been involved in community programs with links to the Northern Territory Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Indigenous initiatives, and charity work connected to groups like Oxfam Australia and Indigenous Marathon Project. Her legacy is associated with milestones celebrated alongside figures such as Cathy Freeman, Patricia O'Connor and other prominent Indigenous Australians including Eddie Mabo, Lowitja O'Donoghue and Galarrwuy Yunupingu.
Category:Australian Senators Category:Australian female field hockey players Category:Australian female sprinters Category:Indigenous Australian sportspeople