Emeritus Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik AO was laid to rest this morning at the St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral in Darwin, a little over week since her passing, at the age of 85.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this article contains the name and image of an Indigenous woman who has died.
Tributes have poured in for the Indigenous trailblazer, who made history as the first Aboriginal person to secure full-time employment in tertiary education, lecturing at University of South Australia in 1975. In 1989, she became the first Indigenous person to gain a PhD from Harvard University.
The Djaru Elder from the East Kimberly spent her life championing the rights of Indigenous Australians, working in both academia and advocacy to improve the education and health of Aboriginal people.
The board of the Nova Peris Foundation, which Professor Bin-Sallik had been a member, released a statement describing her as “a pioneer, a scholar, a nurse, a mentor and a fierce advocate for Aboriginal People.”
“She was a shining light who reminded anyone who dared to dream that the impossible is always possible,” the statement read. “We will never forget her contribution to this country and especially to the Aboriginal women who looked up to her as proof that we belong in every room. Your voice, your face, your smile and your courage will continue to inspire generations to come.”
National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair Aunty Professor Lynette Riley AO described Bin-Sallik as “one of the nicest people you could ever meet”.
“She was gracious despite the racism she endured and has been recognised as a pioneer in the many different fields she has contributed her knowledge and experiences to,” Professor Riley told ABC.
“MaryAnn leaves a void that is hard to fill as her passions for equity for her people drove her career and life choices. [She] was a trailblazer in Aboriginal education, Aboriginal health and human rights in Australia. She led the way in community engagement and leadership.”
Last June, Professor Bin-Sallik released a book ‘Aboriginal Women by Degrees’ featuring interviews with thirteen women describing their journeys towards obtaining a university degree.
She was born in Broome in November 1940, and moved to Darwin during her primary years. At seventeen, she qualified as a nurse, becoming the first Indigenous person to graduate as a trained nurse from Darwin Hospital.
She spent the following 17 years working as a nurse in the Northern Territory. In an interview with the ABC, she admitted to harbouring a passion for nursing from a young age.
“My mother wanted me to be a secretary but I had nursing and wouldn’t budge,” she said.
In Adelaide, she studied social work and became a founding member of the Aboriginal Task Force at University of South Australia [formerly South Australian Institute of Technology] — the first Indigenous higher education program Australia. She would go on to become its program coordinator, creating the first degree in the country that centred Indigenous Australian culture.
In her late thirties, she moved to the US to undertake a masters in Education Administration at Harvard University, before securing a Doctorate in Teaching and Learning from the same institute.
She returned to Australia, holding several academic positions throughout the decades that followed, including Dean of UniSA’s College of Indigenous Education and Research, lecturer at Charles Darwin University and Pro Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership at Western Sydney University (WSU).
During the Human Rights Commissions’ Enquiry into the Forced Removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in the late 90s, Professor Bin-Sallik took on the role as Co-Commissioner.
In 2016 she was recognised as NAIDOC’s female Elder of the Year. The following year, she was awarded the Order of Australia.
In 2024, she was interviewed by WSU, saying that her proudest achievement was raising her children.
“I raised my children on my own, and they’ve got children of their own… I’m very proud of them.”
Professor Bin-Sallik is survived by her two daughters Rokiah and Lisa, and her six grandchildren.