Motions

Agius, Auntie Josie

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:57): I move:

That this council—

1. Expresses its deep regret at the passing of Aboriginal Elder, Auntie Josie Agius; and

2. Places on record its appreciation and respect for her distinguished service to our state.

Ngadlu, tampinthi ngadlu Kaurna yartangka inparrinthi. Kaurna miyurna yaitya mathanya Wama Tarntanyaku.

Although my acknowledgment of country may be lacking in comparison to Auntie Josie's warm welcomes to Kaurna land, I acknowledge today that we gather on Kaurna land, and I rise to speak about the life and significant contributions that Ms Josie Agius, a proud Narungga, Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri woman, made to our state.

All of us in this chamber today, and indeed many of those in our communities, would know Auntie Josie from her warm welcomes, those warm welcomes to Kaurna country, where she officiated at countless functions over many years. Auntie Josie, or Josie Agius, was born in Wallaroo on 2 April 1934 to Katie Edwards and Fred Warrior. She was one of five children. I extend my condolences to her children Kate, Raymond and Fred, to the wider Agius and Warrior families and to her many grandchildren and others who loved her.

Although people remember her as a joyful presence, she was no stranger to sorrow, losing her father at the age of three, her brother when she was only 12 and her mother at the still tender age of 16. Nevertheless, Josie had many fond memories of her childhood. While she was growing up, her family moved around a lot and, after living in Point Pearce, Mile End and Leigh Creek, she left school at the very young age of 14, moving with her family to Alice Springs. There she immediately started her working life, taking on three jobs, including as a farm hand in Pine Point. She also worked at the Franklin Hotel in Adelaide and then in aged care.

During the 1970s, Auntie Josie became one of our state's first Aboriginal health workers, becoming part of a team that developed a cultural framework for how hospitals and community health services deliver services to Aboriginal people in our state. From 1984 until 1991, Auntie Josie worked as an Aboriginal education worker at the Taperoo Primary School. There, she helped launch the Port Adelaide-based Kurruru Indigenous Youth Art Centre, and I know she is particularly loved by all at Kurruru and sorely missed there. Along with Kurruru, Josie contributed to many of the Aboriginal arts and cultural organisations in Adelaide, including Tandanya.

In 1995, at the age of 61, when many contemplate retirement, Auntie Josie returned to school to study at Tauondi College. She studied tourism and the Kaurna language. In recognition of her obvious life-long commitment to learning, in 1998 she was appointed the South Australian Ambassador for Adult Learning. It was not her only recognition, achievement or award. Indeed, her community work saw her rightly recognised through the receipt of many awards and honours.

She was appointed the NAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year in 1990. She was awarded the Centenary Medal, under the Australian honours system, for her service to the community, particularly youth, in 2001. She was inducted into the South Australian Women's Honour Roll in 2009 and in 2014 she was awarded the David Unaipon Award. She was appointed the Port Adelaide council's Aboriginal Person of the Year, the Ambassador for the Port Adelaide Power Cup and the patron of the 2014 and 2015 NAIDOC SA Awards. In 2014, Auntie Josie was also awarded the Premier's NAIDOC award as an extraordinary South Australian whose outstanding achievements and activities have made a significant difference to the lives and welfare of Aboriginal people in South Australia.

A resident of Taperoo for 55 years, Auntie Josie was a proud and active member of the Port Adelaide community and, of course, a Port supporter (be that Adelaide or the Power). It was a fitting tribute that her funeral was held at the Alberton Oval. It was no surprise that in the mourners not only did we see the Governor and our Premier, but federal and state shadow ministers and ministers in attendance among the 1,000-plus strong who attended that day to respect Auntie Josie and her enormous contributions. They were there to farewell the woman who had so warmly welcomed us so many times.

I first came across Auntie Josie when I was working in a collective, the International Women's Day collective, with many from the union movement and the feminist movement. I was asked to organise the Kaurna welcome. I had not done this before. I was given instructions that I was to contact Kurruru and I was to send a fax, and I duly sent that fax. I did not receive much of a response, but there she was on the day at the appointed time: Auntie Josie, and that was the first time that I met her, at that particular International Women's Day march back in the early 2000s.

She was a real treasure to our state and I think she kicked off events in a way that was inimitable and belied her very short—'diminutive' is the word I am looking for—stature. Those very small shoes will be very hard to fill. She was a tireless advocate for reconciliation, a tireless advocate for the progress of not only her people but of all people of South Australia.

She would speak to a crowd of sometimes thousands, sometimes hundreds, but she would also take the time to address smaller, more intimate gatherings, and she would do it with that same warm, cheeky humour and quick wit and she would do it with a compassion that I think is a very rare quality. She would come to the event to wish us a warm welcome to Kaurna land, and we would all feel welcomed by Auntie Josie, so it is fitting today that we farewell Auntie Josie as a council of the Parliament of South Australia and pay our respect and show our admiration for the amazing contribution she made in her life.

Vale and rest in peace, Auntie Josie. Our state is richer and stronger as a result of all your service, goodwill and the love and welcome you gave us all.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:04): I rise to support this motion, and I thank the honourable member for bringing this motion to the council. It is indeed with deep regret that I and other honourable members pay our respects to the late Josie Agius, respectfully known in her community as Auntie Josie, and recognise her great contribution to the South Australian community.

Auntie Josie was a proud Kaurna Narrunga Ngadjuri woman. As a child Josie travelled with her family, spending time at different schools in Adelaide, Leigh Creek and Alice Springs before moving to Adelaide. In the late seventies she was one of South Australia's first Aboriginal health workers, enabling community nursing to be available to people in their own homes. She was at the forefront of influencing policy in regard to specialist Aboriginal health services in this state.

From 1984 to 1991, Josie was an Aboriginal education worker at Taperoo Primary School, working with Aboriginal children in reception to year 7. In this position, she introduced Aboriginal Culture Week in the school and made sure that the children were linked to special NAIDOC Week activities. She organised cultural activities in the school to celebrate these events, and she played an important role in helping to bridge the gap between children and staff with the Aboriginal community.

Josie worked closely with the education department, teachers and families to break down barriers to the children achieving an ongoing education. From 1988, Josie was the main organiser of the annual Aboriginal Youth Concert, which is a showcase for all Aboriginal children at schools in Adelaide to perform their items to a large and enthusiastic audience. She arranged for every child who performed on the night to receive a prize or a trophy at this event.

Her interest in the preservation of culture through languages led to her collaborate on a National Aboriginal Languages Project with Kaurna Plains School and Professor Rob Amery, an Indigenous languages lecturer at Flinders University. The project produced a songbook of Narrunga, Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna languages, and that songbook has become an important resource for schools teaching Indigenous languages.

From her work with young children Josie understood the importance of using music and song as a medium to keep the languages alive. From 1994 to 1995, Josie worked on a national committee to get Aboriginal languages into the curriculum in schools in all states. Josie's keen interest in language was also shown through her study of Kaurna heritage, language and tourism at Tauondi Aboriginal College in Port Adelaide, from which she graduated in 1998.

From her appointment as the first Aboriginal community networker working with Kurruru Youth Performing Arts (formerly Port Youth Theatre Workshop) in 1995, she set about establishing links between the youth performing arts company and her community. She established an Aboriginal advisory group, consisting mainly of elders. This extended to the community trusting that their children were in good hands—sometimes there would be four generations attending workshops.

Auntie Josie continued her connections with the Aboriginal education workers at local schools to encourage children to attend weekly workshops. These workshops included dance—both traditional and contemporary—drama, music, singing, film and circus, combining health and wellbeing with cultural knowledge.

Over the time of Auntie Josie's involvement at Kurruru, the company grew in strength to the point where in 2000 they became the first Indigenous youth performing arts company in South Australia—once again, a reflection of Josie's ability to be at the forefront of establishing opportunities for Aboriginal people to achieve cultural democracy.

She was also an engaging performer. She performed in many plays and videos, as well as presenting at national conferences and events, including the 1996 World Indigenous Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the 1997 Indigenous Women's Conference at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Albuquerque.

The Hon. T.T. NGO: Albuquerque, yes. Auntie Josie believed strongly that arts and sport must be part of the everyday lives of the community. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Auntie Josie well, but I did get to meet her at events where she performed the Welcome to Country as a member of parliament and also during my time as a councillor on the Port Adelaide Enfield council.

As a former Port Adelaide Enfield councillor, I want to acknowledge Auntie Josie's passion for the Port. Auntie Josie was western suburbs through and through. Part of the reason why she was held in such high regard was her commitment to working with everyone to improve the wellbeing of her community. This is also highlighted by her ongoing work with the council.

Auntie Josie was one of the original members of the council's Aboriginal Advisory Panel, established in 1998, and she continued to have input through the panel until her illness made it too difficult to continue. In 2009 she was awarded the council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lifetime Achievement Award and was also Elder of the Year in the early 2000s. Aunty Josie provided Welcome to Country greetings in the Kaurna language at many events across our council, always including her personal touch of references to her life in the Port.

Josie was always extremely generous with sharing her knowledge and her story, providing input into many council projects, including the Aboriginal Heritage Review and the Mudlangga to Yertabulti Track. In telling her story, Josie stated:

We got involved with the council that was all different. The Aboriginal Advisory Panel made a difference, and for the Mayor to come up and give you a kiss on the cheek, that's something.

I believe that the mayor mentioned here is Gary Johanson. To stop Mayor Johanson from gloating, I believe Josie also received those kisses from most dignitaries across the state—including us.

Auntie Josie was a truly remarkable leader in the South Australian community. She is sorely missed. The Hon. Kyam Maher, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, said it best when he suggested that the best way to honour Auntie Josie is to continue her great work. I hope that I, as Presiding Member of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, and the committee members can be part of the many who will continue the work towards advancing the causes that Auntie Josie spent her life pursuing. I commend this motion to the council.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (16:14): I rise on behalf of the Liberal Party to support the motion and to thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for bringing the motion to the chamber. I would also like to commend the Hon. Tammy Franks for her most eloquent speech, and I know that it was certainly delivered from the heart. I would also like to congratulate the Hon. Tung Ngo for the time and effort he has put into getting that speech together. I know that the Hon. Tung Ngo—other than the fact that he got Albuquerque wrong because he was taking us to a place that I have never heard of—was very sincere in all the things that he had to say about Auntie Josie Agius.

I was very fortunate to have met Auntie Josie on a number of occasions. I found her to be a very warm and decent person. I know that she achieved an enormous amount in her life and that her family and friends would all be extremely proud of her enormous contribution to South Australia.

I know that she was a passionate Port Power supporter and I can remember some occasional cheeky little jibes that she would give me. I think I might have made the mistake of wearing a Crows tie to a function that Auntie Josie attended at some stage, and she had a little whisper in my ear and gave me a bit of cheek which was all done in a very good spirit.

I will not detain the chamber further, but all in the Liberal Party are very grateful for the enormous contribution Auntie Josie Agius has made to the lives of all South Australians. Her incredible work has not gone unnoticed. With those few words I commend the motion to the house and again congratulate the Hon. Tammy Franks for bringing the motion to the house.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (16:16): I also would like to associate myself with the comments that have been made by all members so far and those to come on this motion. I thank my colleague the Hon. Tammy Franks for putting this on the agenda because it does give us the opportunity to reflect on the life of someone most of us knew. We do a lot of condolence motions here and, while some members have known some of the people who have passed on, it is probably fair to say that most of us did not know them. However, Auntie Josie falls into that category of someone we have all met, and we have done that because she was a regular at conferences, events and all manner of gatherings.

She had a style, as members have alluded to, that was peculiar to her but it can be best described in terms of warmth and generosity of spirit, as other members have said. We often hear other Kaurna elders, Uncle Lewis springs to mind who is probably best known for his jokes—which I think fall in to the genre of 'dad jokes'—that is probably the best way to describe them, but that is what we expect if Uncle Lewis is welcoming us to country. However, when Auntie Josie welcomed us we knew that it would be her warmth.

In her role as a senior Kaurna person welcoming people to Kaurna land, she attended many events and conferences where the subject matter was esoteric. Whether they were rocket scientists or brain surgeons or molecular biologists, she would often start her welcome by admitting that she did not really know what everyone was going to be talking about—few of us would—but you always knew at the end of her words that you were well and truly welcome. I think that is the message that many of us would have taken from our interactions with her.

I agree with the sentiments expressed already. We are the richer for having known her and for her service but we are the poorer for her passing.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (16:19): I have not prepared anything in particular, but I simply want to put on the record my support for this motion and my thanks to the Hon. Tammy Franks for putting it on the agenda, and of course my thanks for Josie Agius—Auntie Josie. As the Hon. Mr Parnell rightly pointed out this is, I think, the first time that I can recall that I have spoken to a condolence motion about someone who I have actually met and I must say that makes it all harder.

I cannot say that I knew Auntie Josie particularly well or personally, but I was always a great admirer of her work, her commitment to that work, her commitment to warmth and generosity, and her commitment to humanity and meeting people for who they were and where they were in life and going from there. She certainly was not a person who was a preacher by any means. She very much, from what I can see, lived by what she preached. She practised what she preached and we are all the better for seeing her and hearing her preach that message which was always about peace, equality, warmth and humanity. For those reasons she will be, by me as much as anyone else in this chamber, very dearly missed.

Motion carried.