Maureen Watson was born on 9 November 1931, in Rockhampton, Queensland,[1] her mother's Kungulu country[2] and attended school in the Dawson Valley,[1] where she involved herself heavily in sport.
[1] During adolescence, she worked alongside her father and developed skills in shooting kangaroos, trapping dingos, mustering, droving and branding cattle, picking cotton, planting seed crops, driving tractors and bulldozing.
[1] Throughout her childhood, her family and visitors talked of political and social issues, which with her natural storytelling ability, assisted her in the rest of her life.
[1] The protesters gathered and marched in Musgrave Park in South Brisbane, because they wanted the Aborigines Act 1971 removed, as Queensland was the last state to retain it.
[9] In 1972, Watson participated in the Six Weeks Performing Arts Training Programme held in Redfern, that later led to the establishment of NAISDA Dance College, among other things.
[19] An experienced and qualified neuro-linguistic programming counsellor, Watson worked with Sisters Inside, an independent support group for women in prison.
[1] Watson was the recipient of numerous honours, including the United Nations Association Global Leadership Prize in 1996, for her labour in contributing to creating a cross-cultural understanding and harmony amongst the community.