Trailblazing Aboriginal health worker Jilpia Nappaljari Jones has been remembered as a "darling friend who had an amazing life" following her passing on October 28.
Ms Jones, a Walmadjari woman who was born in 1945 at Christmas Creek station in Western Australia's Kimberley region, was forcibly removed from her family by government authorities when she was just five years old.
She was taken to Queensland and looked after by relatives, eventually learning how to speak English.
Upon completion of schooling, she began her career helping others at Cairns Base Hospital in 1962 where she would gain qualifications in General Nursing, Midwifery and Ophthalmology.
She travelled to Sydney to help establish the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service and became a pivotal figure in the field through her work with Fred and Gabi Hollows, Gordon Briscoe and the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program.
"Jilpia was a darling friend and a beautiful sister who had an amazing life. She was godmother to our daughter Ruth and a member of our family," Gabi Hollows said.
"Jilpia was a trailblazer who paved the way for improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She was also one of The Fred Hollows Foundation's original Life Members."
Through the Program, Ms Jones won the Churchill Trust Scholarship to work and study in England for 6 months at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
Jilpia Nappaljari Jones was a founding member of the Redfern AMS. Source: Courtesy of: The Fred Hollows Foundation
Upon returning to Australia she would unexpectedly meet her mother, Penny Luck, after taking part in a program that took her back to the Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing.
Ms Jones worked for the Commonwealth Department of Community Service and Health in the early 1990s where she studied birthing choices in Far North Queensland. Her contribution would also go towards a study into Asthma for Sydney University.
"She will be missed by everyone who knew her," said Gabi Hollows.
Then in 1994, she was appointed to the council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
Ms Jones would go on to take up further study in 1995 at the Australian National University, where she would graduate in 2003, achieving majors in political science and history.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to First Nations health, including she was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal on the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s list.
Despite her living away from her birthplace for much of her life she was also involved with a successful 2007 land claim project for the Great Sandy Desert.
"Jilpia helped awaken in me, and in those who knew her, a deeper understanding of our First Australians," said Gabi Hollows.
"She will be missed by everyone who knew her."
