Narungga Elder, Tauto Sansbury, NAIDOC lifetime achievement winner, died 23 September after a lifetime of campaigning. Among other matters his key concern was to make the criminal justice system just for Aboriginal people. In the early days of the SA Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Tauto designed its logo, with the motto: 'Justice Without Prejudice'.
Back in 2012, Tauto came to our Josephite SA Reconciliation Circle a few times. None of us could fail to be moved — emotionally and then to action — by the incredible sadness of his personal open letter, written on 13 January 2012: 'And on this day, I attended the funeral of the eighth South Australian Aboriginal person to die — the eight deaths in our small community this year. And it was only Day 13 ...
'Aboriginal people are always at funerals ... Of the eight premature deaths, three were by suicide and another was violent. How can this be considered right for Aboriginal people, in the 21st century, in a first-world country like Australia?'
As Tauto concluded, 'The issue is not going to go away.' Nor indeed have various governments' oppressive legislation and neglect which can lead to such statistics. On the day after Tauto's passing, the Guardian noted that the UN committee on the rights of the child chastised Australia. In Australia, contrary to almost every other nation on the planet, children as young as ten can still be incarcerated. In May 2019 every child in detention in the NT was Indigenous.
In this area of Aboriginal youth justice, as on so many other issues such as protection of country, Tauto Sansbury was a state and national trailblazer
I was first struck by the fittingness of that word at the Point Pearce funeral of another Narungga Elder, Owen (Odie) Karpany, early this year. His son Daniel, a quiet young man and colleague of his exuberant father in the great triumph of their lives, stood at his father's graveside giving tribute: 'Dad was a trailblazer.'
Kym Mavromatis' superb documentary The King's Seal weaves the story of the father and son's improbable campaign all the way to the High Court of Australia over their original prosecution for fishing for abalone. 'My people have been fishing here for thousands of years and now we're being charged for taking our cultural foods because we've got commercialism versus culturism,' they said. 'Everything has been stolen from us and now we can't even go and get a feed.'
"Grace, Tauto Sansbury's partner in life and work, hopes the next generation will carry on with his work. The forces against are powerful. But there's concrete hope."
After Odie and Daniel's appearance in Canberra in 2013, the High Court unanimously declared that the SA Fisheries Act 1971 had not extinguished native title fishing rights. Outside the High Court, Owen's exultant advice to us all summed up his own motivating motto: 'Fear will prevent you from doing anything. But if you do not fear anything, you've got nothing to fear!'
Kaurna/Narungga Elder, Dr Alitya Wallara Rigney (posthumous AO), was a clear trailblazer as the first Aboriginal woman school principal in Australia, at Kaurna Plains Aboriginal School in Adelaide's north. Alitya was renowned as an educator, beloved of students and staff. Renowned also was her significant contribution to the preservation of the Kaurna language.
In 'retirement', however, and less well known, her activities spread even further to many areas of injustice to her people. Alitya was fearless in facing down politicians' racism and inaction. When she was awarded a state memorial service, I couldn't help thinking that, while Alitya would surely appreciate this honour, she would have preferred to be listened to more in life.
Ngarrindjeri Elders George and Tom Trevorrow were long-term defenders of country, waters and the rights of their people. At Tom's 2013 funeral near Lake Albert I was privileged to witness the beloved No:ri — pelicans — of the Ngarrindjeri give their own tribute in praise of another trailblazer. Flying in perfect formation the flock flew directly over Tom's coffin at the precise moment it was borne out of the Church.
Yankunyjatjara Elder Eileen Kampakuta Brown AM and Kokatha Elder Eileen Wani Wingfield in 2003 won the prestigious Goldman Prize for the Environment, really as representatives for those groundbreaking defenders of country, the Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta (Senior Aboriginal women of Coober Pedy). In an exhausting, ultimately successful 1998-2004 campaign against the federal government's attempt to impose the national nuclear dump on their ngura (country), all the Kungkas played their courageous part.
There are so many more — Leaders of the Ngarrindjeri Hindmarsh Island campaign, Doreen Kartinyeri and Aunty Maggie Jacobs; Pitjantjatjara Jack May, the Yalata/Maralinga cross cultural exemplar; Yankunyjatjara nuclear survivor/campaigner Yami Lester ... So many more in South Australia and right throughout the nation. Trailblazers all.
Grace, Tauto Sansbury's partner in life and work, hopes the next generation will carry on with his work. The forces against are powerful. But there's concrete hope. Younger First Nations campaigners for country like Adnyamathanha Dwayne Coulthard have been emerging in recent years. It was good to see this recognised with his first billing at the very large Adelaide Climate Strike on 20 September. Like 16-year-old trailblazer Greta Thunberg, young counterparts have emerged in every part of our own nation. Never has young people's energy and commitment been more needed right across the spectrum for positive change, and justice.
May the trailblazers of old intercede for them — and for us all.
Michele Madigan is a Sister of St Joseph who has spent the past 38 years working with Aboriginal people in remote areas of SA, in Adelaide and in country SA. Her work has included advocacy and support for senior Aboriginal women of Coober Pedy in their campaign against the proposed national radioactive dump.