Harold James Phillip 'Tiga' Bayles (1953–2016), a Birri Gubba Gungalu man, was a broadcaster and Aboriginal rights activist. Bayles' passion for hearing Aboriginal voices and stories in the Australian media landscape led to him becoming involved in the establishment of Radio Redfern in the 1980s and later the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association and the National Indigenous Radio Service in Queensland. A passionate land rights activist, Bayles was involved in the Tent Embassy movement in Canberra. He was vocal in his opposition to the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the Bicentennial celebrations in 1988, leading protests around these events. Active in the pursuit of First Nations Land rights, in 1987 Bayles became the Chair of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. He was said to have been as confident and effective in the boardrooms as he was on the ground taking to the community. Bayles was awarded for his contribution to journalism, winning a Deadly Award for Indigenous Broadcaster of the Year in 1997. His work was recognised by Amnesty International’s Inaugural Media Award in 2014.
