Many outstanding award winners emerged from presentations to deserving members of the Aboriginal community at the recent Narrungdera NAIDOC Awards Ball 2023 held at the Narrandera Ex-servicemen’s Club auditorium.
Emcees for the awards were Tony Galluzzo and Narrandera Shire Councillor Braydon Lyons and guests of honour famous Rugby League football icon Cliffy Lyons and equally famous fashion designer Ms Lillardia Briggs Houston.
The Lifetime Achievement Award for nominees who made meaningful sustained contributions and displayed outstanding commitment to the development of the Aboriginal community was taken out by the well known Yvonne Ingram, who was honoured for making a significant impact through leadership, mentoring and advocacy.
Her story is one that will no doubt be passed down for generations to come. Sandhills born and bred, Yvonne studied by candlelight as she didn’t have electricity at her home in Narrandera until 1967. She not only achieved her Nursing Degree but held many qualifications such as First Line Emergency, Obstetrics and Early Childhood Teaching.
She went to night school in Sydney while caring for her grandmother and received distinctions in her Midwifery exams sat at King George Hospital in Sydney.
Only a certain number of nurses were admitted to study at King George Hospital and to be a Koori Girl from the Sandhills and finish in the top 10 was an amazing achievement in itself.
She was the first Aboriginal midwife at Narrandera hospital, where she worked for over 30 years and delivered an incredible number of babies in her lifetime through many generations.
Her commitment and love for her people always shone through and she brought this to the forefront when she was also employed as the Nurse Educator for Charles Sturt University. Her award was no doubt recognition of her unwavering dedication to the wellbeing of the community and hard work.
Special mention went to Cecily Lyons who has dedicated her life to protecting Aboriginal children, having worked in the community service sector since 1999. She has held many leadership roles and been a major force in improving the care of Aboriginal children in care.
Cecily helped establish the Intensive Family Based Services at RivMed which has aided countless Aboriginal families, also helping develop and found the Cultural Connections Team in DCJ. Her commitment and advocacy for her people was second to none and her service admirable.
The Reconciliation Award was the only category open to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and was for nominees who should be recognised and celebrated for their outstanding reconciliation initiative, who demonstrated commitment to strengthening relationships, building respect and were dedicated to providing and participating in meaningful opportunities that work toward reconciliation.
This year’s winner was the 2021-22 Narrungdera NAIDOC Committee – a group of individuals who drove for great change for the community and were the ones behind the scenes who helped rally for community events including the Survival Day march, the ‘cuppa and yarn with elders’, the ‘shake a leg disco’, and various NAIDOC events and ceremonies.
See all the pictures in the issue.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 23 November 2023.
