A fighter for all the people
INDIGENOUS leader and social justice trailblazer Dr Evelyn Scott, AO, has been remembered for giving a voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The Ingham- born Dr Scott died last month aged 81, leaving a lasting legacy after fighting for Aboriginal rights over six decades.
At her funeral service at Townsville Stadium yesterday, son and former rugby league star Sam Backo described his mother’s mission.
“My mum was a fighter. For our people, for all people; white, black, all people,” he said.
In the 1960s, Dr Scott worked in the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League.
She became the first general- secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in 1973.
Dr Scott spent her life advocating for indigenous Australians and worked tirelessly to close the gap.
Following her death, Indi- genous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said Dr Scott contributed immeasurably to reconciliation in Australia.
Dr Scott is the first indigenous woman to receive a Queensland state funeral.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paid tribute to Dr Scott at her funeral, reflecting on her determination, dignity and distinctive black felt hat.
“As the first general- secretary for the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and as chair of Cairns and District Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Women, Evelyn helped improve access to legal, housing, employment and medical services for communities,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“She was committed to the protection of the Great Barrier Reef and the advancement of indigenous women and I am proud to be joined here today by Leeanne Enoch, the first indigenous woman to serve as a minister in a Queensland Government.”
Friend Jackie Huggins said Dr Scott’s state funeral showed what a significant and important woman she was to the people of Australia.
“Everyone knew what an incredible woman she was in our indigenous rights movement,” she said.
“She was that kind of woman who could communicate with all levels of society and do it with such elegance, grace and sophistication.
“At the end of the day, she always knew that she was an Aboriginal woman who really had done the great deeds, so for six decades she fought for the rights of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander people and her South Sea community as well.”