Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain images and voices of deceased people.
Aunty Flo Watson OAM is an Elder, Traditional Owner and proud descendant of the Ghunghanghi People of Yarrabah, North Queensland. Aunty Flo has a traditional affiliation with both the Kuku-yelangi people of Laura/Maytown, Palmer River area and the Gurambilbarra Wulgurukaba people of Magnetic Island and Townsville.
Aunty Flo grew up in the Yarrabah Aboriginal Community, which was established under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protection Act 1897. Aunty Flo, was also part of the Stolen Generation when she was separated from her family and sent to boarding school in Charters Towers under duress. She was then subsequently sent to Brisbane in the early 70’s to attend teacher’s college. She is featured in the Brisbane City Council’s book “Brisbane Blacks” and she is also in many other publications.
In 1973 Aunty Flo commenced work in the Australian Public Service and worked throughout Australia in several different roles before going out on her own to start her consultancy business. During this time, she became an original and founding member of Reconciliation Qld Inc. was appointed to various Boards, and was active across many community organisations.
Aunty Flo is the Chair of the Teralba Park Stolen Generations Support Group Inc, in Brisbane. With this group she works with the Brisbane community in the areas of storytelling at schools, acknowledgement/welcome to Country for many events including reconciliation/NAIDOC events for the Australian Defence Force (Army), hosting and organising refugees from the Romero Centre to be welcomed by Indigenous Elders and community members into the Australian community. Aunty Flo is also an Elder with the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s group.
Aunty Flo is also the founding member of the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA). She is now the Patron of ACPA a position she still currently holds. Students from around Australia attend ACPA to complete studies in music, acting and dancing.
Aunty Flo has set up Elders groups throughout Qld to be viable businesses in particular the Yarrabah Elders Group Inc. In 2015 Aunty Flo received an OAM- Order of Australia medal, for her service to the Indigenous communities of Queensland. Aunty Flo continues to work hard in the communities across Queensland with many government and non-government organisations helping to bring change and improving the lives of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Aunty Flo has been involved in many Reconciliation Action Plans {RAP} nationally. She also developed the Commonwealth Games RAP.
For Decades Aunty Flo Watson has inspired communities across Queensland and nationally with her story and commitment to sharing her cultural and knowledge with others. Aunty Flo Watson spends a great deal of time daily teaching members of the community about the importance of respect for culture and the importance of walking together in the spirit of reconciliation. She is now in the process of truthtelling sessions around the nation.
Aunty Glendra Stubbs OAM is a Wiradjuri Elder from the Mudgee, Dubbo and Narrandera area.
Narrandera area. Aunty Glendra has worked tireless for 40 years to provide advice and practical guidance to survivors of trauma.
Throughout her life Aunty Glendra has held multiple high-profile roles. Aunty Glendra acted as the CEO of Link-Up NSW for many years and has worked as a First Nations engagement and Elder in Residence for multiple organisations. Aunty Glendra has provide expert cultural witness in important legal cases and has served on several important boards and committees. Aunty Glendra has worked with a number of state and national bodies including as an Aboriginal Engagement Advisor for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the National Stolen Generations Alliance, and Metro Migrant Resource Centre.
Today, Aunty Glendra continues to support survivors of Trauma through her organisation Knowmore, which provides cultural and legal support to survivors of child sexual abuse and the Stolen Generation. Knowmore also helps Stolen Generations survivors, including with applications under the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme.
Throughout her life and her illustrious career, Aunty Glendra Stubbs has had a profound impact on her community, and the First Nations community at large. Aunty Glendra remains an important figure in her community and an invaluable asset to the survivors of trauma that she has dedicated her life to helping.
Some of the things that make Auntie really happy being the elder at Uts supporting students with cultural support and practical support Tranby College board membership and longtime supporter of the yellow Mundi strong women’s and community project ID know yourself supporting our young ones in the out-of-home Care system should be the best they possibly can ACRC support for local community and as required.
Aunty (Dr) Lynette Riley is Acting Co-Chair of the National NAIDOC Committee.
Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams is a proud Ngambri (Kamberri) Wallabalooa (Ngunnawal) and Wiradyuri Elder. She is, and always was, a powerhouse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocacy.
Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM, is a proud Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri woman, born in 1941 on Erambie Mission, just outside of Cowra in country New South Wales. Aunty Dr Naomi has dedicated her life to the advancement of Indigenous health and is a leader in Aboriginal affairs.
Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM, is a proud Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri woman, born in 1941 on Erambie Mission, just outside of Cowra in country New South Wales. Aunty Dr Naomi has dedicated her life to the advancement of Indigenous health and is a leader in Aboriginal affairs.
Aunty Dr Naomi has developed and led some of the most enduring and fundamentally profound reforms in Aboriginal and Torres Strait health, both in terms of community-controlled services and the broader Australian health system.
At the age of 18, Aunty Naomi began her work in health as a nurse, working at the Royal Women’s Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, the Home Hill Hospital in Queensland and St Andrews Hospital in East Melbourne. She was also a board member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
In addition to her contributions to healthcare and education, Aunty Dr Naomi was also a founding member of The Sapphires, the ground-breaking all-Aboriginal music group from country Victoria that gained international recognition for their soulful harmonies and powerful performances. The group performed defiantly at a time when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and issues were both ignored or not spoken about.
Aunty Dr Naomi was one of the founders and a pioneering force in establishing the Aboriginal Medical Service Redfern (AMS) in 1971. The AMS Redfern was the first Aboriginal medical service and has since become a service model for community controlled health services that underpins the principles of self-determination. The service provides culturally appropriate healthcare to Indigenous people and has been instrumental in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal communities throughout Australia.
Aunty Dr Naomi dedicated 45 years to the Redfern AMS and service to the community. She started out as an Administrator, and in 2012 went on to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) before her retirement in 2017. Throughout her career at the AMS, Aunty Dr Naomi guided the transformation of the AMS from a small shop-front into a national network of services.
Aunty Dr Naomi has been one of the principal figures behind a number of Redfern's community development projects, including those which established the Murawina pre-school program in 1973 and the Aboriginal Housing Company in 1976.
Aunty Dr Naomi is a founding member of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW, the National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation (NAIHO) (now the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation), was founding president of the Federation for Aboriginal Women and a member of the first ATSIC Regional Council for Metropolitan Sydney.
As an authority on Aboriginal health issues, she proved an influential witness during the inquiries of the 1977 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal Health. In 1981 she was appointed as a consultant by the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists.
In 1984, Aunty Dr Naomi was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of her services to the community.
As Chair of the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party in 1988-9, Aunty Dr Naomi worked with state and community representatives to develop the National Aboriginal Health Strategy. Under her leadership, that pivotal report introduced innovative Aboriginal health sector reforms that continue to shape the nature, range and delivery of health services to this day.
In 2017, Aunty Naomi was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from the University of Sydney for her work delivering and transforming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care. At this time, Aunty Dr Naomi already held a doctorate in Aboriginal Affairs from Tranby Aboriginal College in Sydney.
Aunty Dr Naomi has dedicated her life to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement, health, education and policy. She has guided, advocated, argued for and supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the nation to build a healthier future.
It is our privilege to honour Aunty Dr Naomi with the 2023 National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding services and contributions to our peoples.
Aunty (Prof) Lynette Riley is Co-Chair of the National NAIDOC Committee.
The Aurora Education Foundation is an Indigenous organisation that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to realise their full education and employment potential – whether it is completing Year 12 or achieving a PhD from Harvard.
Through interconnected programs and pathways, the team at Aurora walk with students from high school through to university and into the workplace, redefining Indigenous educational and employment success.
Aurora works towards a society in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people determine their own aspirations through education and life-long learning, shaping a new future for our country.
Aurora’s role is to inspire First Nations peoples in their education journey, and connect them with educational and career opportunities that enable them to realise their potential. Aurora staff support students and scholars to achieve unparalleled outcomes and shift the conversation to one of proud and talented students with limitless potential. In order to achieve systemic change, Aurora is committed to an authentic and trusted approach, evidence-based decision making and a long-term focus.
Aurora offers programs to Indigenous students, scholars and professionals at the high school, tertiary and executive levels including the RISE project, High School Program, Scholarships, International Study Tour and Internships.
RISE is Aurora’s major new initiative to redefine Indigenous success in education. Over the next five years, Aurora will deliver and evaluate programs that enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students to define and pursue their version of success with academic, cultural and wellbeing support. Insights from approximately 800 students will contribute to Australia-first insights about what works in Indigenous education, creating a platform for Indigenous-led advocacy and reform.
Aurora’s High School Program is an intensive student-centered support program focused on academic improvements through a cultural lens. It is the only program of its kind that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their families to access educational, wellbeing and cultural opportunities to support students to realise their academic potential and achieve their aspirations.
Aurora’s Internship Program offers full or part-time internships for 4-6 weeks at organisations across a variety of sectors, including native title, justice, research, policy, education, community development, social welfare and health. The program supports interns to develop practical skills, gain real-world career experience and build professional networks.
Aurora offers several programs to open pathways for high achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and executives to further their academic excellence through the Study Tour, the Scholarship Program and Executive Education Scholarships. Aurora Scholars are trailblazing new pathways for Indigenous students and are role models for the next generation.
The Study Tour program offers Indigenous students multi-week academic visits to some of the world’s best universities including Columbia, Harvard, and New York University in the US, and Cambridge, London School of Economics and Oxford in the UK. The aim of the Study Tour is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to build networks of support and gain an understanding of their options and pathways for success at leading overseas universities.
Ten years ago there had never been an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person studying full time at Oxford or Cambridge. Today, 49 Indigenous postgraduate scholars have been accepted to these two universities and so far, 37 out of 37 have graduated.
Aurora’s Executive Scholarship Program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander managers, entrepreneurs and leaders to attend executive education programs at some of the world’s best institutions, including Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School and INSEAD business school. Aurora’s Roberta Sykes Executive Scholarship provides Indigenous managers and professionals, who may not have the time or the formal qualifications to undertake ongoing study, the opportunity to gain new perspectives and ideas, develop skills and new qualifications.
The Aurora Education Foundation is supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students all the way through to PhDs. You don’t have to look far to see some of Aurora’s program Alumni completing Masters degrees and Doctorates at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world.
Aurora ensures that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can realise their full educational potential, pursue their professional aspirations, blaze trails and forge new pathways.
Welcome to NAIDOC.
We acknowledge all First Peoples of the beautiful lands on which we live and celebrate their enduring knowledge and connections to Country. We honour the wisdom of and pay respect to Elders past and present.