{"id":12,"date":"2023-06-20T00:24:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T00:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lowitja.org.au\/lowitja-foundation\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2025-05-30T03:01:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T03:01:33","slug":"dr-lowitja-odonoghue","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lowitja.org.au\/lowitja-foundation\/dr-lowitja-odonoghue\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Lowitja O\u2019Donoghue AC CBE DSG"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue, a Yankunytjatjara woman, was born in 1932 at De Rose Hill, in the remote north-west corner of South Australia. She was removed from her mother at the age of two, along with two of her older sisters. Dr O\u2019Donoghue and her siblings were survivors of a harrowing time in Australia\u2019s history when Aboriginal children were being removed from their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sisters were taken to a church mission home, Colebrook Children\u2019s Home in the town of Quorn in the Flinders Ranges, where they were reunited with their eldest sister and only brother who had been taken to the home seven years earlier. Lowitja was given the name Lois, a birth date and a birthplace and did not see her mother again for more than 30 years. The children were not allowed to speak their own language or to ask questions about their origins, or even about their parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working in health<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Employed as a domestic servant at the age of 16 years old, Dr O\u2019Donoghue was encouraged to work as a nursing aide at the Victor Harbor Hospital. When she applied to complete her nursing training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, she was refused the opportunity because of her Aboriginal heritage. In the stoic fashion for which she would come to be known, Dr O’Donoghue fought the decision, which included personally seeking support from the then South Australian Premier of the day, Sir Thomas Playford. The decision was eventually overturned and in 1954, she became the first Aboriginal person to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing her training, she worked 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 1960s, Dr O\u2019Donoghue travelled to India to nurse with the Baptist Overseas Mission, gaining a broader perspective on Indigenous cultures worldwide and cementing her determination to fight for the rights of Indigenous peoples. She 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr O\u2019Donoghue accepted a position in the remote South Australian town of Coober Pedy where an Aunt and Uncle, noticing the family resemblance, recognised her at a local supermarket. Through this chance meeting, she was eventually reunited with her mother, Lily, who by this time was living in the nearby town of Oodnadatta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upholding Aboriginal rights<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From 1970\u20131972, Dr O\u2019Donoghue 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. She was the first woman to hold such a position in a federal department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking new ground for Indigenous women at the national level, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March 1990, Dr O’Donoghue was appointed the inaugural chairperson of ATSIC \u2013 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission \u2013 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\u2019s Native Title legislation that rose from the High Court\u2019s 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 People.<\/p>\n\n\n

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