The Government has unveiled the first of an initial six statues to memorialise prominent Aboriginal South Australians, acknowledging their extraordinary contributions to our communities and our State.
The legacy of trailblazing Yankunytjatjara woman Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG is the first to be honoured, with the unveiling of a bronze statue at Tarntanya Wama (Elder Park) today.
The statue of Dr O’Donoghue was designed by renowned artist Robert Hannaford AM, and is the first of a series to be established by the State Government to recognise the achievements of outstanding leaders of the South Australian Aboriginal community.
Dr O’Donoghue has led the way for Aboriginal women from an early age – in her early 20s, she was the first Aboriginal person to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and in 1977, she was the first Aboriginal woman to be appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, later elevated to Companion of the Order of Australia.
Among many other achievements, in 1990, Dr O’Donoghue was appointed the inaugural Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, ATSIC and in 1992, she was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly.
Work is now underway on the next statue in the series, with the Government committing one-million-dollars to six statues in total, celebrating the lives and legacies of Dr O’Donoghue, David Unaipon, Gladys Elphick, Garnett Wilson, Dr Alice Alitya Rigney and Yami Lester.