The community is asked to put forward the names of Aboriginal Victorians who have made a significant contribution to their community and the state for induction into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The nine 2018 inductees were this week officially added to the honour roll at Parliament House, and are among 107 people so far recognised for their achievements in a wide range of fields, including justice, education, health, sport, the arts, community leadership and military service.
To nominate for the 2018 honour roll, visit the nomination website before June 1.
A number of people in central Victoria or who formerly lived and worked in the region have already made the roll. They include:
Aunty Barb Gibson-Thorpe
Wiradjuri woman Aunty Barb was inducted into the honour roll last year for her decades of work advocating for the Aboriginal community in the health sphere.
She became one of the first Aboriginal hospital liaison officers when she began working with the then-Bendigo Health Service in the 1980s, and continued making hospital and health spaces safer for Aboriginal people through her work with the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation, Viney Morgan Aboriginal Medical Service Cummeragunja and Echuca Regional Health, and in Robinvale.
Aunty Barb has also played key roles in health and research projects.
Uncle Brien Nelson
Uncle Brien has played a huge role in promoting Dja Dja Wurrung culture in central Victoria.
He established the Bunjil Park Aboriginal Education and Cultural Centre at Neilborough, housing a collection of artefacts to give visitors a greater understanding and appreciation of the history and cultural heritage of the area's first people, and with daughter Justice formed a cultural tour company.
He has helped develop cultural training for government departments and partnership strategies with traditional owners, contributed to education, and provided expert cultural advice on major infrastructure projects.
Uncle Graham Atkinson
At the time of his induction in 2014, Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta elder Uncle Graham had played a key role in the Victorian Traditional Owners Act 2010.
In the 1980s he established an Indigenous-run consultancy company after becoming disillusioned with the lack of Aboriginal representation in policy making.
He also helped to steer the land rights claim of the Yorta Yorta people in the Federal Court.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.
