Indigenous Australians honoured in 2008 National NAIDOC Awards
12 July 2008
Statement by National NAIDOC Committee co-chairpersons Anne Martin and Ben Mitchell
On behalf of the National NAIDOC Committee, it is with great honour that we announce the 2008 National NAIDOC Award winners.
The National NAIDOC Awards pay tribute to the outstanding contributions that Indigenous individuals make to their communities, chosen fields and the broader Australian society.
This year, the committee received 266 nominations – the highest number on record.
It is a testament to the high quality of these nominations that the committee decided to award 12 Indigenous Australians with National NAIDOC Awards.
This included three joint winners for the Lifetime Achievement Award and two joint winners for the Youth of the Year Award.
The 2008 National NAIDOC Award winners are:
- Person of the Year: Associate Professor Colleen Hayward (Perth)
- Apprentice of the Year: Amy McQuire (Canberra via Rockhampton)
- Lifetime Achievement: Joseph Elu AO (Seisia), Archie Roach (VIC), Dr Chicka Dixon (Sydney)
- Youth of the Year: Angeline Blackburn (Canberra via Cann River), Krista Moir (Perth via Esperance)
- Elder of the Year (Female): Carol Pettersen (Albany)
- Elder of the Year (Male): Bob Muir (Rockhampton)
- Scholar of the Year: Dr Karen Martin (Lismore via North Stradbroke Island)
- Artist of the Year: Les Elvin (Cessnock)
- Sportsperson of the Year: Stacey Porter (Sydney via Tamworth)
The National NAIDOC Committee was pleased to hear about the many achievements of Indigenous people through the 2008 selection process. As with each year, selecting award winners was a very difficult task.
As the recipient of the Person of the Year award, Associate Professor Colleen Hayward will receive a grant of $20,000 to assist Colleen in her great work at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth. We would like to thank the Christensen Fund and Poola Foundation for their ongoing partnership with National NAIDOC to make this grant possible.
Tonight’s awards ceremony was a major highlight of a vibrant and diverse week of NAIDOC activities across Australia.
More than 1000 people attended the awards ceremony in Canberra, which featured the best of the nation’s Indigenous entertainers.
The sweet sounds of Jessica Mauboy, Casey Donovan, Archie Roach, Blue King Brown and Dave Huddleston and the Riverbank Band delighted the audience as well as the talents of Mary G, Leah Purcell and Ernie Dingo.
Once again congratulations to NAIDOC Poster Competition winners, Darwin brothers Duwun (Anthony) and Laniyuk (Ian) Lee for their inspiring design based on this year’s theme Advance Australia Fair?
We are very happy that NAIDOC – now in its 51st year – continues to grow with an ever increasing number of local activities being organised across Australia.
NAIDOC is at its most meaningful at a grass-roots levels and the National NAIDOC Committee’s warm thanks extend to all those volunteers and community members who have invested significant time and energy in making NAIDOC successful again this year.
The committee would like also to recognise the support of the Australian Government in supporting NAIDOC events across the nation.
It was announced that Brisbane will be the focus city for National NAIDOC celebrations in 2009. The committee is already looking forward to next year’s festivities.
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