SENIOR Ngunnawal elder Aunty Agnes Shea OAM has died. She was 91. 

Paying tribute to her, Julie Tongs, in the “Winnunga News”, says Aunty Agnes was born in 1931, just as the great depression was beginning, at Oak Hill, outside Yass.

She grew up there and later at Hollywood Aboriginal Mission. Aunty Agnes described Oak Hill as ground on the stock route as “an open bit of ground on the stock route”.

She described her home as a gunge, a dwelling with a dirt floor, stringybark walls and a galvanised iron roof. There was no electricity or running water and the inner walls were lined with newspaper.

Aunty Agnes’ childhood was unremittingly hard, says Tongs, reflective of the racism and bigotry that defined Australia at that time.

“The death of her father when she was only eight years of age, would have compounded that hardship,” Tongs writes.

“Aunty Agnes would, however, when reflecting on her childhood speak positively about the strong sense of community which existed at Oak Hill and Hollywood Mission and of the good times they experienced. Aunty Agnes was a true champion of the Aboriginal community and a great Canberran. She will be sorely missed.”

In acknowledging her work, the ACT government says Aunty Agnes was a tireless and much loved advocate for reconciliation, equality and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“She was well known and respected across the ACT and beyond for her warmth, positive attitude and decades of hard work in the community. Aunty Agnes was loved across the community for her generosity, compassion, integrity and humility; embodying the strength of an elder in the community,” the government says.

“Starting her life growing up on missions in Yass, Aunty Agnes went on to become a founding member of the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, which has played a pivotal and longstanding role in representing Ngunnawal voices to the ACT government, particularly in relation to heritage and land matters.

“Aunty Agnes was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004 for service to Ngunnawal people by contributing to the improvement and development of services for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and region. Her achievements and dedication have also been recognised through honours including a Centenary Medal, the ACT Senior Citizen of the Year and a place on the ACT Honour Walk in 2010.”

ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said: “Aunty Agnes is such a significant figure in the Ngunnawal families, and we know this loss will be deeply felt by many across the whole Canberra community. We join the local community in sadness at this time of mourning.

“Throughout her long life, Aunty Agnes has been instrumental in building our local community’s understanding of First Nations culture, and was always generous in sharing her knowledge of Ngunnawal traditions and culture. She shared her elders’ knowledge, and nurtured future Ngunnawel leaders and elders.

“My most special memory of Aunty Agnes arose during the passing of a motion that instigated the opening of the ACT Legislative Assembly in Ngunnawal language. She was so proud and emotional, as she explained to me that as a child she had been prohibited from using her own language on the mission near Yass, and how much it meant to her to see it being adopted for such a public use. She was so delighted at the respect it offered to her people.

“There are many other significant initiatives that Aunty Agnes has been involved in, but for those closest to her, we know she will be most remembered as their aunty, their matriarch, and someone who will be so deeply missed.”