Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG
1 August 1932 – 4 February 2024
Lowitja Institute was named in honour of its founding patron, the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, when it was established in January 2010. Dr O’Donoghue’s lifetime contribution to the advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights produced significant outcomes in health, education, political representation, land rights and reconciliation.
Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, a Yankunytjatjara woman, was born in 1932 at De Rose Hill, in the remote northwest corner of South Australia. In 1954, she became the first Aboriginal person to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, eventually progressing to the position of Charge Sister despite ongoing experiences of racism and remained working there for ten years.
Dr O’Donoghue campaigned for the recognition of Aboriginal peoples in the 1967 Referendum, and later joined the South Australian branch of the Federal Office of Aboriginal Affairs. From 1970–1972, she was a member of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement and was soon appointed to the position of Regional Director of the SA Department of Aboriginal Affairs, making her responsible for the local implementation of national Aboriginal welfare policy. In 1977 Dr O’Donoghue was appointed the founding Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Conference.
Building on her passion and growing expertise, she continued to take on senior leadership roles and positions among prominent agencies in Aboriginal affairs. In March 1990, Dr O’Donoghue was appointed the inaugural Chairperson of ATSIC – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission – and won universal admiration for her leadership, tenacity, and integrity. A highlight was her pivotal role in the tense and complex negotiations that enabled the creation and passing of Prime Minister Keating’s Native Title legislation that rose from the High Court’s historic Mabo decision. In 1992, Dr O’Donoghue was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly, during the launch of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Peoples.
When Dr O’Donoghue stepped down as Chair of ATSIC in 1996, she became the inaugural Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health (1996–2003), which led to the CRC for Aboriginal Health (2003–2009), the CRC for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, and the Lowitja Institute Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health CRC (2014–2019). Lowitja Institute was established in January 2010, and became a cooperative research centre (CRC).
Dr O’Donoghue was awarded numerous honours in recognition of her contribution to promoting Aboriginal rights, including Membership of the Order of Australia in 1977 (the first Aboriginal woman to become so); Australian of the Year in 1984; Australian National Living Treasure in 1998; a Papal honour from Pope John Paul II and investiture as a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 2006, and the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. She was also invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1983, a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1999, and received an extraordinary list of honorary doctorates from universities around Australia (most recently from the University of Adelaide in 2021).
Dr O’Donoghue retired from public life in 2008, and celebrated her 91st birthday in 2023.
Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, Yankunytjatjara woman, died aged 91 on 4 February 2024.
