One of Central Australia’s most highly respected Aboriginal leaders and Vietnam war veteran has died.
Kaytetye and Arrernte man, Geoffrey Shaw OAM, was born in the dry Todd riverbed in 1945 and began his military career at 18 in 1964, serving until the early 1970s before returning home to devote himself to his community in Alice Springs.
He died in Alice Springs on Thursday, aged 79.
Shaw served in the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation for 18 months as a commander with the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. He later joined the 2nd Royal Australia Regiment, serving two tours in Vietnam when Australia entered the war.
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He was eventually transferred to the 9th Battalion after sustaining a battlefield injury, where he served as a section commander and later as acting platoon sergeant.
He returned home to the Mount Nancy town camp after his military service and became a founding member of the Central Land Council (CLC), most recently serving as deputy chair.
The current chair of the CLC, Warren Williams, thanked Shaw for his lifelong advocacy and leadership of Aboriginal people in a statement last week, saying he had dedicated his life to the service of his country and his people.
“He gave many years of service to the Central Land Council and to Aboriginal people across Central Australia,” Williams said.
“Mr Shaw believed deeply in service. To country, to community and to the nation. His military service shaped his discipline, leadership and strong sense of responsibility, all of which he carried into his work with the CLC.
“On behalf of the Central Land Council and the people we represent, I extend our sincere condolences to Mr Shaw’s family and friends. Mr Shaw’s contribution to this organisation, the land rights movement and the wider Central Australian community will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude.”
Williams said Shaw was a mentor to many young leaders and inspired future generations to continue the struggle for justice, equality and the recognition of Aboriginal rights.
From 1973 to 1975, Shaw attended landmark meetings that followed the royal commission into Aboriginal land rights. That inquiry, chaired by Justice Edward Woodward, was established by the Whitlam government to determine the appropriate way to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory.
It led to the creation of the CLC, for which Shaw served as a delegate from its inception until 2006.
Shaw was also a former president of the Tangentyere Council, a community-controlled organisation that provides a variety of support services to the 17 town camps around Alice Springs and was the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) commissioner for Central Australia. In 1993 he received an Order of Australia for his community service.
The secretary of the Alice Springs Returned and Services League, Kevin Rockemer, told Guardian Australia that Shaw was a longtime member and would be “well-remembered amongst those of us in the RSL”.
“We’re currently, through the president of the RSL, talking with his family with respect to any support that can be offered in his recent passing,” he said.
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said she was “deeply saddened” by Shaw’s passing, calling him a “fierce and principled champion who always stood up for what was right and never wavered in his commitment to his people”.
“Mr Shaw was a strong voice and a champion of Aboriginal rights whose powerful legacy will continue to shape Central Australia for generations to come,” she said.
“It was an honour to see first-hand his dedication to improving the lives of Aboriginal people. His leadership helped shape Tangentyere Council and transformed the lives of many First Nations families in Alice Springs.
“My heartfelt condolences are with his family, loved ones and community during this time of sorry business.
“Lest we forget.”
