Final report of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation

The first term of the Council ran from December 1991 to December 1994, the inaugural members being appointed on 15 December 1991.

The term of the second Council ran from January 1995 to December 1997 and the third term from December 1997 until 31 December 2000.

Mr Patrick Dodson was born in Broome, Western Australia, a member of the Yawuru people of the Kimberley. He has wide experience in community affairs, having worked with the Central Land Council, the Aboriginal Development Commission and the Kimberley Land Council. He was a Royal Commissioner inquiring into the underlying issues that gave rise to Aboriginal deaths in custody in Western Australia, before becoming Chairperson of the Council.

Dr Evelyn Scott has been involved in Indigenous affairs for more than 30 years and has played an instrumental role in the establishment of Aboriginal legal services and housing societies. She received the Queen's Jubilee Medal for her contribution to advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and is committed to self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her honorary doctorate was awarded by the Australian Catholic University in April 2000 for Dr Scott's lifelong work for social justice, women's rights and reconciliation.

Sir Ronald Wilson, AC KBE CMG was born in Geraldton. Sir Ronald has held posts in the Church and Law, including President of the Uniting Church in Australia, former Solicitor-General for Western Australia and Justice of the High Court of Australia. At the time of being Council Deputy Chairperson, he was Chancellor of Murdoch University and President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Sir Ronald is now President of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid.

Th e Hon. Ian Viner AO QC was Deputy Chairperson of the Council from 1995 to 1997. He was the first Aboriginal Affairs Minister in the Fraser Government introducing the landmark Northern Territory Land Rights Act 1976. He is Co-chair of the Western Australian Reconciliation Advisory Group and Co-chair of the State Reconciliation Committee.

Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE, the former Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, is highly regarded for his research in fundamental immunology and is committed to public health and preventive medicine. He has been Australian of the Year for the year 2000.

Aboriginal Members


Dr Archie Barton	Mr Sol Bellear	Mr Kerry Blackman	Ms Linda Burney	Mrs Sadie Canning

Dr Archie Barton AM is a descendant of the people of the Great Victoria Desert. He is administrator of Maralinga Tjarutja and Chairman of the Maralinga Piling Trust. Dr Barton was South Australian Aboriginal of the Year in 1988 and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 and in May 1996 was presented with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Adelaide. He is still involved in the clean-up of the Maralinga lands.

Mr Sol Bellear , from Redfern, New South Wales, was a Council member while he was Deputy Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). Mr Bellear is Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Health and Director of the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service.

Mr Kerry Blackman is Principal Director/Consultant of Indigenous Marketing Pty Ltd. A former ATSIC commissioner, he is committed to holistic community development and increasing individual, collective and community self-worth, dignity and security.

Ms Linda Burney is a member of the Wiradjuri nation of New South Wales and is Director General of the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs. She graduated with a Diploma of Teaching from Mitchell College of Advanced Education, the first Aboriginal graduate from that institution. Ms Burney is an ATSIC Regional Councillor and interim chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Training Council.

Mrs Sadie Canning MBE was brought up at Mount Margaret Mission in Western Australia and was the first Aboriginal nurse and Aboriginal matron appointed in that State. She received her honour, as well as the Queen's Jubilee Medal, for her contribution to the health needs of the community of Leonora and surrounding areas.


Mr Geoff Clark	Mrs Essieina Coffey	Mr Gatjil Djerrkura	Ms Karmi Dunn	Dr Djiniyini Gondarra

Mr Geoff Clark , ATSIC's first elected national Chairman, is from the Tjapwuurong tribe of western Victoria. Also serving a second term as the ATSIC Commissioner for Victoria, Mr Clark lives in the Framlingham Aboriginal community near Warrnambool. He was Administrator of the Framlingham trust for 17 years prior to election to the ATSIC Board in 1996.

The late Mrs Essieina Coffey OAM was a member of the Muruwari tribe, but lived most of her life in Brewarrina. She served on the original Council before resigning due to ill health in March 1994, and passed away in 1998. Mrs Coffey worked tirelessly throughout her life for Aboriginal community affairs and was known for her association with the film 'My Survival as an Aboriginal.' She was a founding member of the Aboriginal Movement in Brewarrina and the Western Aboriginal Legal Service and was a co-founder of the Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Museum at Brewarrina.

Mr Gatjil Djerrkura OAM served on Council while Chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Born in Yirrkala (East Arnhem Land), he is a senior traditional elder of the Wangurri clan. He was General Manager of Yirrkala Business Enterprises (YBE) 1986-1996 and Chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation until 1996 and serves on a number of national and Northern Territory boards and committees.

Ms Karmi Dunn is the Chairperson of the Northern Territory Area Consultative Committee and is employed by the Northern Territory Department of Education Indigenous Education Branch. She is the former Chairperson of the ATSIC Yilli Rreung Regional Council (Darwin) and former Deputy Chair of the Indigenous Housing Authority of the Northern Territory. She has been a prominent sportswoman, representing the Northern Territory in various sports.

Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM is the Chairman of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and has served a long career in the Methodist and Uniting Churches. Ordained in 1976, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1985.

Mrs Sally Goold OAM , a registered nurse, is the Chairperson of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN) and is on the advisory committee boards of three university schools of nursing. Mrs Goold is also a Member of the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation, Aboriginal Initiative Committee, and a Commissioner of the Queensland Criminal Justice Commission. She has had a long involvement in nursing, nurse education and Indigenous health.

Ms Mary Graham has worked for many years in the Aboriginal community in Brisbane. She has been a board member of various organisations and has researched, advised and written on aspects of Aboriginal culture, history, human rights and current affairs. She also lectures in the Social Work Department, teaching the subjects Aboriginal perspectives, approaches to knowledge, and politics.

Pastor Bill Hollingsworth, born at Mossman, Queensland, is a foundation member of the Council. He is also a foundation member of the UAICC Shalom Christian College and Yalga Binbi Community Development Institute. He is currently National Chairperson of UAICC Council of Elders, a committee member of Frontier Services Reference Group, and Pastor of Eternal Life Fellowship at Gordonvale. He is a former member of the NAC and ATSIC Regional Council.

Ms Jackie Huggins is Deputy Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland. She is a nationally recognised author, historian and speaker. She is a Council Member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and was the Queensland co-commissioner for the Enquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families.

Ms Julie Jones is a descendent of the Watjarri people of the Murchison area of Western Australia. She is policy officer in the Land Section of the WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs. She has had considerable involvement with land, medical, planning, prison and sporting community bodies in Western Australia.

Professor Marcia Langton AM is Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies in the Department of Geography and Environment Studies at the University of Melbourne. She founded the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management at the Northern Territory University. She was also Chairperson of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies 1996-1998 and has been appointed General Member of the Order of Australia for her services to anthropology and advocacy of Aboriginal rights.

Ms Rose Murray is currently working with Pilbara Arts Crafts and Designs Aboriginal Corporation and Ngalikuru Ngukumarnta Aboriginal Corporation assisting Indigenous artists to create art and develop markets. She has been a community education worker on domestic violence and a lecturer with the Aboriginal Health Unit Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University.

Mrs May L O'Brien BEM is a children's author, Chair of the Aboriginal Education and Training Council and Co-Chair of the Western Australian State Reconciliation Committee. She received the British Empire Medal for her service to Aboriginal education. She is a Churchill Fellow, a Fellow of Edith Cowan University and was awarded one of Curtin University's inaugural John Curtin Medals. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for World Vision Australia.


Lowitja O'Donoghue	Kumantjayi (Dr Charles Nelson) Perkins	Mr Ray Robinson	Mr Wenten Rubuntja

Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue AC, CBE was Foundation Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). A member of the Yankuntjatjara people of South Australia, Professor O'Donoghue is Joint Patron for the National Sorry Day Committee. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was honoured as Australian of the Year in 1984. She holds an honorary doctorate from Murdoch University and is currently a Visiting Professorial Fellow at Flinders University.

The late Kumantjayi (Dr Charles Nelson) Perkins AO was on the Council during his term as Deputy Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and was ATSIC Commissioner for the Sydney zone and previously the Northern Territory Central zone. He also served as Chairperson of the Arrernte Council of Central Australia. Kumantjayi Perkins was a well-known Aboriginal leader. He led the famous Freedom Ride in 1965 that highlighted the discrimination and segregation in NSW country towns. Kumantjayi Perkins was Chairperson of the Aboriginal Development Commission 1981-84 and Head of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs 1984-1988. A notable soccer player, he had a great love for sport. He died on 18 October 2000 and was honoured with a State Funeral on 25 October.

Mr Ray Robinson is the Deputy Chairman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and President of the National Aboriginal and Islander Legal Service Secretariat. He has served as a member of the National Aboriginal Conference and the Aboriginal Housing Land Co. Ltd, Chairman of the Goolburri Land Council Representative Body, and Chairman of the Bidjara and South West Corporation for Legal Services.

Mr Wenten Rubuntja is a senior law man of the Arrernte people of Mparntwe in the Northern Territory. He is Vice President of the Tangentyere Council in Alice Springs and President of the Tangentyere Four Corners Council of Elders. Mr Rubuntja helped promote recognition of Aboriginal law and culture through the Central Land Council, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and the Conservation Commission. He is also a renowned artist.


Ms Esme Saunders	Mrs Alma Stackhouse	Ms Marjorie Thorpe	Senator Aden Ridgeway	Mr Gus William

Ms Esme Saunders is a Yorta Yorta woman from Victoria. She is actively involved in Koorie Education and is currently Research Manager at the Institute of Koorie Education, Deakin University, Geelong. Ms Saunders has been working in Victoria in areas of Aboriginal Affairs for more than twenty years, and in particular in the area of education and Koorie sporting teams. She is currently actively involved in ministry in Barak Outreach.

Mrs Alma Stackhouse OAM is a founding member of the Flinders Island Aboriginal Community Association. In 1989 Mrs Stackhouse was named Tasmanian Aboriginal of the Year and awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. She has worked for Aboriginal people at both State and national levels since 1974.

Ms Marjorie Thorpe is a member of the Gunnai and Maar nations of Southern Victoria. She lives in Lakes Entrance.

Senator Aden Ridgeway is a Gumbayyngirr person born in Macksville, NSW. Before being elected as an Australian Democrat Senator for NSW, he completed a five-year term as President of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. He has also been a member of the Sydney Regional ATSIC Council and Chairperson of the Aboriginal Catholic Council of the Sydney Diocese, and is currently Chairperson of the Bangarra Dance Company.

Mr Gus Williams OAM is a western Arrernte man from the Ntaria (Hermannsburg) community in the Northern Territory. He is President and administrator of the Ntaria Council and has served on several other major Aboriginal organisations. Mr Williams was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1983 for his services to country music and Aboriginal people.


Mr Galarrwuy Yunupingu	Mr John Abednego	Mr Bill Lowah	Pastor Alan Mosby	Councillor Pedro Stephen

Mr Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM is an elder of the Gumatj clan of Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula and is a prominent leader in the Northern Territory. He is Chairperson of the Northern Land Council and serves on many government and community committees and industry boards. In 1978 he was honoured as Australian of the Year and in 1985 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the Aboriginal community.

Mr John Abednego was the Chairperson of the Torres Strait Regional Authority and has worked with the Torres Strait Legal Service and many local community organisations. He is committed to advancing the Torres Strait region.

Mr Bill Lowah , originally from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait and now resident in Brisbane, has worked in health and education during a long involvement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He is currently Promotions Manager at the Centre for Indigenous Health, Education and Research in Brisbane.

Pastor Alan Mosby comes from Thursday Island, working as a carpenter and then moving into social work. He is now at Buai Torres Strait Islander Corporation where his duties involve counselling alcoholics and drug users and developing cultural, recreational and social programs. He is a pastor in the Assemblies of God.

Councillor Pedro Stephen is from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. He is the first Indigenous Mayor of the Torres Shire, Senior Inspector in the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service and is a pastor in the Full Gospel Church. As a maritime engineer, he spent 10 years with the Royal Australian Navy before returning to Thursday Island in 1982.

Representing the wider community


Mr Robert Champion de Crespigny	Mr Ted Egan	Mr Rick Farley	Mrs Dimity Fifer

Mr Robert Champion de Crespigny is Executive Chairman of Normandy Mining Ltd which he founded in 1985. He is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining, a board member of the Business Council of Australia and Chairman of the South Australian Museum.

Mr Ted Egan AM is known throughout Australia as a folklorist, lyricist, balladeer, poet and performer. Mr Egan worked in the former Department of Aboriginal Affairs' Darwin office for 25 years. In 1993 he was made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for his service to the Aboriginal community and to the interpretation of Australian cultural heritage through song and verse.

Mr Rick Farley is the former Executive Director of the National Farmers Federation and the Cattlemen's Union of Australia. He also has been a member of the National Native Title Tribunal and the Australian Landcare Council. Mr Farley now is Co-Chair of the NSW Reconciliation Committee and chairs a number of Government committees.

Mrs Dimity Fifer is CEO of the Victorian Council of Social Services. Previous to this she ran her own business for ten years in conflict resolution, strategic planning and mediation. She has influenced positive change serving on the Box Hill Community Health Centre; Victorian Health Services Review Council; Victorian SRC; and when Commissioner, the initiator of Whitehorse Friends for Reconciliation and the Whitehorse Council's Commitment Statement to Indigenous peoples.

Ms Jennie George was a foundation member of the Council and served until December 1997. In 1983 she became the first woman to be elected to the Executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and was President from 1996 until March 2000. She has had a long interest in Indigenous affairs.

Mr Ian Gray grew up in Melbourne. He was a solicitor with the Aboriginal Legal Service from 1980 to 1986. In Darwin he was Principal Legal Adviser with the Northern Land Council 1987-1990 and Chief Magistrate of the Northern Territory from 1992-1997. He has been an outspoken critic of mandatory sentencing. He is currently Head of the Land and Property Commission of UNTAET in Dili.

Ms Cheryl Kernot began her political career as an Australian Democrat, becoming Leader in 1993. She was the Democrats' nominee on the Council from 1991 to 1997. Ms Kernot resigned from the Senate in 1997 and, after winning the seat of Dickson for the ALP, she has been Shadow Minister for Transport and Regional Development and currently is Shadow Minister for Employment and Training. Ms Kernot has maintained her interest and involvement in reconciliation since leaving the Council.

Mr Ray Martin has been a member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation since its inception. He began his multi-award-winning media career as a journalist with the ABC in 1965. In 1979, Mr Martin joined the Nine Network as a founding reporter for 60 Minutes and then went on to host Midday and A Current Affair.

Mr Martin is the Chairman of The Fred Hollows Foundation, established in 1992 to prevent and treat avoidable blindness in developing countries and to improve the health of Indigenous Australians.


Mr Daryl Melham	Mrs Jenny Mitchell	Mr Peter Nugent	Professor Margaret Reynolds

Mr Daryl Melham MP was the Federal Opposition spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and the Labor Party's nominee on the Council. Before entering Parliament, he was a legal aid solicitor and barrister in Sydney.

Mrs Jenny Mitchell OAM, is a farmer at 'Leyland' in North Star, NSW. She is the President of the South Pacific Area of the Associated Country Women of the World and has taught skills such as leadership and income-generation to women in the South Pacific. In 1994, Mrs Mitchell was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her services to the rural community.

Mr Peter Nugent, MP was the Government's nominee on the Council from December 1991 to December 1997. A former Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Mr Nugent is currently Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

Professor Margaret Reynolds was on the Council until March 1996 in her capacity as ALP Senator for Queensland (1983-1999). She is currently Visiting Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Queensland, and is the Chair of the Commonwealth Human Rights International Advisory Commission. Professor Reynolds campaigned for the referendum to recognise Indigenous Australians and has continued her involvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice issues.


The Hon. Helen Sham-Ho	Mr Ian Spicer	The Hon Dr Sharman Stone	Senator John Woodley

The Hon. Helen Sham-Ho MLC is a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and the first parliamentarian in Australia of Chinese descent. Mrs Sham-Ho currently is the Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Privileges and Ethics and General Purpose Standing Committee No 3. Since her election to Parliament in 1988, Mrs Sham-Ho has undertaken a wide range of parliamentary duties and served on the boards of several universities. Mrs Sham-Ho is very active in the community, being either member, adviser or patron to over 100 community groups.

Mr Ian Spicer AM, of Melbourne , is Chairman of VATMI Industries Ltd and Chair of both the National Disability Advisory Council and the Australian Student Traineeship Foundation Inc. He is a member of the Boards of both the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (Victoria) and the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand. Mr Spicer was formerly Chief Executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 1983.

The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP is the Member for Murray and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Environment and Heritage. She is the Government's nominee on the Council. She is an anthropologist specialising in Australian race relations and Indigenous culture and has worked with Victorian Aboriginal Education Services and with Indigenous people in custody. Her books include a documentary history of Australian race relations and government policy.

Senator John Woodley represented the Australian Democrats on Council between October 1997 and February 1999. Through the Uniting Church, he has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for more than three decades. Senator Woodley was elected to the Senate in March 1993 and is the Democrats' spokesperson on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Family Services, Regional Development and Agriculture.

Contents

Reconciliation Main Menu


Mrs Sally Goold	Ms Mary Graham	Pastor Bill Hollingsworth	Ms Jackie Huggins


Ms Julie Jones	Professor Marcia Langton	Ms Rose Murray	Mrs May L O'Brien


Mr Patrick Dodson	Dr Evelyn Scott