Aunty Fay Carter OAM

Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung Elder

“If you heal Country, you heal people – it goes hand in hand. Healing Country is healing people”.^[1]

Aunty Fay Carter has devoted her life to improving the lives of Aboriginal people in Victoria and maintaining connections to Country.

A Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung Senior Elder, Aunty Fay grew up on the Flats, a settlement on the outskirts of Mooroopna, after her family joined the landmark walk-off from Cummeragunja Mission in 1939.

In 1972 Aunty Fay moved to Melbourne with her husband, Leslie Carter, and their children, Wendy and Rodney. She became increasingly involved in Aboriginal affairs, working as a field officer at the Aborigines Advancement League and then as an Aboriginal liaison officer at the Victorian Department of Social Security.

One of Aunty Fay’s proudest and most recognised achievements is her involvement in the establishment and running of the Aboriginal Community Elders Services (ACES) in East Brunswick.

Aunty Fay was also a founding member of Australia’s first Aboriginal women’s refuge, chair of the board of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), president of NAIDOC’s Victorian branch, an ATSIC councilor and a member of many other advisory committees and boards.

Although she formally retired at the age of 72, Aunty Fay continues to support her community. She participated in 18 months of negotiations with the Victorian Government to achieve a landmark native title settlement in 2013, which formally recognised the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of lands in central Victoria.

Aunty Fay was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2004 and the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll in 2013.

 

Site:

Her Place Women’s Museum is a not-for-profit organisation that honours and celebrates the social, civic and entrepreneurial achievements of all Australian women and their role in shaping our nation.

 

Acknowledgement:

We respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

 

Photo:

Aunty Fay Carter, Film Still, Her Place Women’s Museum