We are delighted to announce that JUNE OSCAR AO is to be co-patron of our Foundation, along with QUENTIN BRYCE AD CVO, former Governor-General of Australia.
This exciting announcement comes as INDIGENOUS LITERACY DAY 2019 is being celebrated around Australia today, 4 September.
“I am very impressed by the work the Indigenous Literacy Foundation does in remote communities. They are passionate about what they do and their work enables Indigenous children to shine and to succeed,” said June Oscar.
“During this year’s Garma Festival, I witnessed the launch of a children’s book written in Yolgnu Matha by students from Nhulunbuy Primary School in Arnhem Land. It is wonderful for students to write and illustrate a book themselves in their own language and be able to see it published. It enables the younger generation – our future leaders – to have a voice.
“I’m thrilled to have been given the honour of being co-patron of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Along with current patron, Dame Quentin Bryce, I will do all I can to support the Foundation, the important work it does, and its ongoing collaborations with remote Indigenous communities across Australia.”
"I feel especially proud that I’m becoming co-patron on this year’s Indigenous Literacy Day — a day for all Australians to contemplate just how important books are in opening doors to worlds of all sorts of great opportunities.”
JUNE OSCAR AO is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice, women’s issues, and has worked tirelessly to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
June has held a raft of influential positions including Deputy Director of the Kimberley Land Council, chair of the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and the Kimberley Interpreting Service and Chief Investigator with WA’s Lililwan Project addressing FASD. Since 2017, she has been the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner for the Australian Human Rights Commission.