John Anthony Gorrie PSM (born 10 March 1950) is the first Aboriginal Australian person awarded the Public Service Medal, in 2005.[1]

Born in Melbourne in 1950, Gorrie was removed from his mother as a baby, but the authorities returned him to her after she got married, and he grew up with her at Lake Tyers Mission. He is a Kurnai elder of the Krauatungalung clan, whose traditional lands are located in East Gippsland in Victoria.[1]

He started work as an Aboriginal liaison officer in the (Victorian) Department of Community Services in 1991, and was the only Indigenous worker there when he began.[1]

After working for 14 years in the field of child protection, he was given the award "for outstanding public service in improving the relationship between the Department and the Aboriginal community". As a result of his work, new programs were created by the Department, and Aboriginal people's interactions with the department improved.[2]

His daughter is writer Veronica Gorrie, and his grandchild is writer, actor and activist Nayuka Gorrie.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Griffin, Michelle (4 July 2011). "Damper, jam and a walk in his shoes". The Age. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Australia Day honour for Aboriginal liaison officer". Department of Human Services (Victoria). 3 January 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Gorrie, Veronica (30 March 2021). Black and Blue: a memoir of racism and resilience. Scribe. pp. 164, 230. ISBN 9781925938814.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.