Frank Roberts

Francis Roy "Frank" Roberts (5 March 1945 – 7 February 2011) was an Aboriginal Australian boxer who competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the welterweight division. "Honest Frank", as he was known, was the first Aboriginal Australian athlete to gain selection, and one of the first Indigenous Australians (along with boxer Adrian Blair and basketballer Michael Ah Matt) to participate in the Olympic Games. He was also the youngest boxer on the Australian boxing team.

Early life and education Francis Roy Roberts, known as Frank was born on 5 March 1945

Roberts went to Lismore High School. He was also related to Alby, Aub, Cyril, Steve, Harold, and Tommy Roberts – all of whom excelled in professional boxing.

Career In 1962 He had to travel on a British passport, as Aboriginal Australians were not granted full Australian citizenship rights until after the 1967 referendum. Perhonen went on to win a bronze medal in third place, while Roberts was ranked equal 17th with 13 others. While in Japan, Roberts was one of the Australian team members invited to dine with Emperor Hirohito.

On 26 January 2011 (Australia Day), Roberts received the Mayor's Special Contribution to the Community Award in Armidale. Mayor Peter Ducat said that he had been a leader and mentor for over 40 years, "a great leader in youth, and the examples I've seen is the work that he's been doing teaching kids boxing, teaching them fitness, teaching them to share and respect; all of those values we need".

Personal life Roberts had a daughter, Dorothy.

Play In late August 2024, Frank's cousin, theatre and arts director Rhoda Roberts, presented a new play with Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) in Lismore and Byron Bay, about Frank Roberts, entitled My Cousin Frank. Directed by Kirk Page, Roberts narrates the story of "a family's journey from the tumultuous era of dispersal and silence to navigating a world controlled by government policy". The show includes the story of Cubawee. On 3 March 2025, the NORPA production of the play debuted as part of the Adelaide Festival,