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O'Donoghue, Lowitja (1932-)

Also known as
O'Donoghue, Lois (1932-)
O'Donoghue, Lowitja
Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-641459

Biographies

Australian Women's Register

A Pitjantjatjara woman, Lowitja O'Donoghue has worked for Aboriginal organisations or in Indigenous affairs for the last 30 years. She was the Founding Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, 1990-1996. O'Donoghue is one of the most prominent members of the stolen generation.

Born in 1932, in Indulkana, South Australia, Pitjantjatjara woman Lowita O'Donoghue was separated from her family at the age of two. She was taken by missionaries to the Colebrook Children's home and brought up, by the name of Lois, under the white education system. O'Donoghue attended Unley General Technical High School, then trained as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She worked as a nurse from 1961-1972, partly among Aboriginal communities in northern South Australia. She was a member of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (1970-1972), and later regional director of the Adelaide Department of Aboriginal Affairs (1975-1976). O'Donoghue has since worked in various capacities in the areas of health, housing, community development, Aboriginal and Islander studies, Native Title and the Sydney Olympics.

O'Donoghue has received many awards and accolades for her work, including being named Australian of the Year (1984), a National Living Treasure (1998), wining the Advance Australia award in 1982 and being appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 1977, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1983, and a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1999. O'Donoghue was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians (1998) and the Royal College of Nursing. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the Australian National University and Notre Dame University, and is a Doctor of Flinders University, as well as the Australian National University (ANU), University of South Australia and Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She has been a Professorial Fellow at Flinders University since 2000.

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

Related people and organisations

Australian Women's Register

Resources for Lowitja O'Donoghue

Selected resources (5)

Australian Women's Register

  1. Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989
    Australian Women's Archives Project
    [2003]
    Published: Australian Women's Archives Project
  2. Notable lives : profiles of 21 South Australians
    Cockburn, Stewart
    [1997]
    Published: Ferguson Publications, Adelaide
  3. Living in South Australia : a social history
    Elizabeth Kwan
    [1987]
    Published: South Australian Government Printer, Netley, S. Aust.
  4. The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia : Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture
    Horton, David
    [1994]
    Published: Aboriginal Studies Press for AIATSIS, Canberra
  5. Who's who in Australia 2002
    Herd, Margaret
    [2002]
    Published: Crown Content, Melbourne

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Australian Newspapers (1803-1954)

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  1. Website: Australian Women in War
    www.womenaustralia.info
    Matching pages:
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  2. Website: Australian Women's Archives Project
    www.womenaustralia.info
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    View 15 matching archived pages
  3. Website: Putting skirts on the sacred benches : women candidates for the New South Wales Parliament
    www.womenaustralia.info
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Pictures and Photos

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  1. Elphick, Gladys. 1904-1988
    Indigenous leader; Indigenous rights activist/supporter; women's activist
    ... O'Donoghue, Lowitja (1932 - ) ...