The National NAIDOC Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who go above and beyond to contribute to and fight for the preservation of our cultures and communities.
The Elder Award celebrates an Elder whose dedication to people, culture and future generations has been lifelong and has left an indelible impact in their communities.
This year, the awards ceremony will kick off on Saturday, July 1 and will be broadcast on NITV from 7.30pm AEST.
Let’s meet the phenomenal Elders nominated for their contributions at the 2023 National NAIDOC Awards.
Female Elder Award nominees
Dr Aunty Bilawara Lee
Aunty Bilawara Lee is nominated her endless work in her community and beyond, where she brings people together with her knowledge of culture and spirituality.
As a proud Larrakia woman, she also shares the name Bilawara with the red-tailed cockatoo – an Ancestral spirit that brings about change.
Her dedication to her community has resulted in various accolades and led to international recognition, as an author of two books (Star Dreaming and Healing from the Dilly Bag) and as a facilitator of much sought-after workshops on Aboriginal spirituality and healing.
At home, Aunty Bilawara continues to be a beacon of knowledge and perseveration for Larrakia people.
She is recognised by the Larrakia community as a Gurdimin-ba Bali, a spirit Doctor, a healer and teacher of the ancient wisdoms of Aboriginal Spirituality and Healing and she regularly organises and cooks a monthly lunch and gathering for various community groups including the Larrakia Nation Elders group, the Danila Dilba Stolen Generation and the Stolen Generation Organisation.
In April 2023, Aunty Bilawara was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charles Darwin University for her work in health, education, cultural and spiritual work.
Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams
Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams is nominated for her tireless work in Indigenous Affairs on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country. Credit: Blacklock Media
As a proud Ngambri (Kamberri) Wallabalooa (Ngunnawal) and Wiradyuri Elder, Aunty Matilda has been involved in Indigenous Affairs on her Ancestral Country in the Canberra region since 1963.
There, she worked in community and educated Australians on the Yes vote for the 1967 referendum before working as an Aboriginal liaison / social officer at the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra, assisting Aboriginal people with health, education, welfare and employment.
Aunty Matilda’s advocacy has seen her play key roles in establishing many well-known and vital services and organisations for Aboriginal people including the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the Aboriginal Legal Service, Winnunga-Nimmityjah and founding the Ngambri Land Council alongside her brothers.
As a fierce Blak Matriarch, Aunty Matilda continues to be a mainstay of her community.
Even in retirement, she continues to work tirelessly, illustrating children’s books available in ACT schools, creating paintings for exhibitions and providing mentorship and support to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM
Aunty Dr Miriam-Rose is nominated for her contributions to Aboriginal education, art and mental health in her community. Credit: Salty Dingo
The proud Ngan’giwumirri woman and Elder from Nauiyu has dedicated her life to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal children as a renowned artist, educator and public speaker.
As the Northern Territory’s first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher and a life-long painter who believes education is the way forward, Aunty Miriam-Rose has advocated for the inclusion of visual art and Aboriginal culture in every child’s education.
This belief and advocacy have led to major curriculum reforms.
Aunty Miriam-Rose’s work has even extended beyond art and education. In 2013, she established the Miriam Rose Foundation to combat youth suicides in the community after the loss of her nephew. The Foundation, which supports children in her hometown of Nauiyu, aims to provide a space where youth feel they belong and are valued in their community through education, opportunity, art and culture.
Aunty Miriam-Rose’s body of work was celebrated on the national stage when she became a Member of the Order of Australia and again in 2021, when she was named Senior Australian of the Year.
Male Elder Award Category
Pastor Dennis Phillip Jetta OAM
Pastor Dennis Phillip Jetta is nominated for his extensive work in Aboriginal employment sharing Noongar culture.
“I have a passion for working with people and trying to assist them – that’s why I won’t give up.”
The Noongar Elder left school at 14 years old to start a logging job, before going on to have various stockman jobs throughout Western Australia in the 70s and early 80s, when he was presented with an opportunity that would change the course of his life.
“The major part of my life would have begun in 1984,” he said. “I was offered a trainee clerical assistant job with the Commonwealth Employment Service in Bunbury. From that trainee position, I was able to gain a full-time position with the Aboriginal employment branch.”
This move was the catalyst for Uncle Dennis' 30-year-long career in the employment industry helping Aboriginal people gain employment. He would oversee 190 Aboriginal trainees.
Buoyed by his passion, skills and knowledge, Uncle Dennis co-founded the Noongar Employment and Enterprise Development Aboriginal Corporation (NEEDAC) and Noongar Property Holdings and created even more employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.
Now in semi-retirement, he remains active in his Pastoral duties and as a Senior Elder in the Greater Bunbury Aboriginal Elders Group, he shares Noongar culture through delivering Welcome to Country ceremonies and Cultural Awareness Training to multiple organisations across Western Australia.
He has been recognised with various awards, including being presented with an Order of Australia Medal in May this year and says he is proud of what he has and continues to accomplish.
Uncle Tom Slockee
Uncle Tom Slockee has been nominated for his achievements in pioneering safe and affordable Aboriginal housing. Credit: Blacklock Media
With steadfast commitment, fuelled by his own experience of racism, the Butchulla man became the leader of a movement spanning six decades that provided secure and affordable housing for Aboriginal people, changing the lives of people across New South Wales and the nation.
After serving in the Australian Army in pursuit of better opportunities, Uncle Tom met his wife and settled on the South Coast. Here, he found many Aboriginal people struggling to find safe and accessible housing, including himself. After he was repeatedly refused private rentals in Batemans Bay because of the colour of his skin, he would embark on a life-long fight for housing justice for Aboriginal people.
Uncle Tom was involved in the early growth of the Aboriginal community housing and land council movements – founding Batemans Bay Aboriginal Housing Corporation in 1985 – he was also the first Aboriginal councillor of Eurobodalla Shire, later Deputy Mayor, and was a member, then chairperson, of the Aboriginal Housing Development Committee which advised the NSW Housing Minister and would lead to the passing of the NSW Aboriginal Housing Act (1998) which established the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office.
Since then, he has achieved and contributed to many vital services providing safe and affordable housing for Aboriginal people.
His main goal? Uncle Tom says it’s to pass on wisdom and knowledge to the next generation of emerging Australian leaders and is keen to ensure robust institutions and community-controlled organisations are in place to serve future generations.
Uncle William Tilmouth
Uncle William Tilmouth is nominated for his contributions to community, Aboriginal health and the futures of First Nations children. Credit: Children's Ground
As a member of the Stolen Generations, the proud Arrernte man was taken to Croker Island Mission from his home in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). He returned in 1980 and hasn’t left since.
What followed was a lifetime dedicated to improving the lives of others.
First, as a community worker for Tangentyere Council supporting people who were homeless by creating shelters, providing basic needs and supporting young people at the Alice Springs Youth Support Services. Then as the Executive Director of Tangentyere Council, elected by the Elders and a position he would hold for more than 20 years.
After his time at the Council, Uncle William became the Chair of Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Health Service and later, the founding Chair of the ground-breaking organisation, Children’s Ground.
Tilmouth continues to be a recognised and respected leader in the Northern Territory and throughout Australia whose work will empower future generations of First Nations children.
Here the other National NAIDOC Week Award Finalists
National Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM
Person Award
Professor Kelvin Long
Megan Krakouer
Murrawah Johnson
Sportsperson Award
Indi Cooper
Donnell Wallam
Ash Gardner
Youth Award
Brodie Murray
Courtney Burns
Mitchell Harrison-Currie
Creative Talent Award
Aaron Fa’aoso
Dr Anita Heiss AM
Rachel Perkins
Caring for Country and Culture Award
Lala Gutchen
METRONET Noongar Reference Group
Talei Elu
Education Award
Aurora Education Foundation
Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre
Professor Jacinta Elston
Innovation Award
Daniel Motlop
Passing the Message Stick
Dr Rhett Loban
The NAIDOC Awards ceremony will be broadcast on NITV from 7.30pm AEST on Saturday, 1 July.
