Our national NAIDOC winners

Queenslanders took out three of the ten National NAIDOC Awards for 2011.

Terri Janke, Kiel Williams-Weigel and Eldridge Mosby were named person, male elder and youth of the year, respectively.

The National NAIDOC Awards pay tribute to the outstanding contributions that Indigenous individuals make to their communities, to their chosen fields of endeavour and to broader Australian society.

The award winners were honoured at the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and Ball in Sydney on 8 July.

Here are the Queensland winners and their citations.

Terri Janke

Person of the Year

Terri was born in Cairns in Queensland, of Torres Strait Islander and Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal heritage.

A proud Meriam and Wuthathi woman, Terri is a vocal advocate of stronger intellectual property protection for Indigenous artists.

Admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia, she is widely regarded as one of the country’s top lawyers in Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.

Terri has served on the boards of many prominent Indigenous and non- Indigenous organisations and is the only Indigenous director on the Board of Tourism Australia.

In April 2008, Terri was invited by the Prime Minister to be a delegate at the Australia 2020 Summit.

As well as writing and speaking internationally about Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, Terri is an accomplished writer of fiction. Her first novel, Butterfly Song, was published in 2005 and she is working on a follow-up.

Kiel Williams-Weigel

Youth of the Year

Twenty-four-year-old Kiel was born and raised in Brisbane and is a proud descendant of the Mununjali people of the Beaudesert region.

After immersing himself in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Kiel developed a strong desire for a better life for Indigenous people in contemporary Australia.

He was the first in his family to attend university, graduating with a Bachelor of Education from Griffith University. He is now a literacy coordinator at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Western Australia and a lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, where he helps other teachers understand the needs of Indigenous school students.

Kiel is keen to undertake further study and hopes one day to be a principal in an Indigenous school.

Through his dedication, passion and love for his people, Kiel has influenced many young lives. He is a role model for Indigenous students and an inspiration for other young educators.

Eldridge Mosby

Elder of the Year (Male)

Eldridge is an Elder on the Torres Strait Island of Poruma, where he is greatly respected for his commitment to education and the revival of language and culture.

He started teaching at just 15, when community teachers were in short supply on his island, and has been working with students ever since.

Eldridge is passionate about helping young people develop high expectations and a love of learning.

His reassurance and encouragement give them the confidence to “have a go”. As a school coordinator for language and culture, he makes singing, dancing, games, story telling and music a big part of everyday island life.

A member of the Buthu Lagau Saral Torres Strait Islander Corporation, Eldridge works to maintain the traditions and language of Poruma Island. He is a tireless champion of his community and always stands ready to help where he can in matters that affect his people. Photos: Wayne Quilliam, courtesy of National NAIDOC