Robert Vincent Anderson OAM (born 31 July 1929) is an Australian Aboriginal elder and former union official.
[1] Anderson, often referred to as Uncle Bob, is known for his long association with the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia where he was state organiser from 1951 to 1978.
[2] As a Ngugi elder from Mulgumpin in Quandamooka, Anderson has also served in various roles with an array of Indigenous organisations, working in the fields of reconciliation, native title, social justice, youth welfare and cultural identity.
[1] In 2001, Anderson was awarded the Centenary Medal for his distinguished service in promoting reconciliation, the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his service to Queensland's indigenous community, was one of the first five people to be named as Queensland Greats, and received Brisbane's Citizen of the Year Award.
[6][3][7][5] A biography about Anderson, written by Christine Peacock, was published in 2001 entitled History, Life and Times of Robert Anderson Gheebelum, Ngugi, Mulgumpin: Community and Personal History of a Ngugi Elder of Mulgumpin in Quandamooka, South East Queensland, Australia.