Gatjil Djerrkura OAM (

Yolŋu Matha The Yolngu or Yolŋu () are an aggregation of Aboriginal Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. ''Yolngu'' means "person" in the Yolŋu languages. The terms Murngin, Wulamba, Yalnumata, M ...

:''Gätjil Djerrkura'') (30 June 1949 – 26 May 2004) was an Aboriginal leader and

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

spokesman in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

and Australia. He was a senior elder of the Wangurri Aboriginal clan of the Yolngu people. He was responsible for a number of traditional and ceremonial activities on behalf of his clan and the East Arnhem Land/

Yirrkala Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia, southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land. Its population comprises predominantly Aboriginal Australians of the ...

Aboriginal community. He served as Chairperson of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

(

ATSIC The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

), appointed on 6 December 1996 to 2000. In 1984 he was awarded the Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

(OAM) for his services to the Aboriginal community. His son

Nathan Djerrkura Nathan Djerrkura (born 19 September 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Nathan Djerrkura was born to ...

played for Geelong and the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

in the Australian Football League.

Positions

*Chairman of the

Batchelor College Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE, generally known as Batchelor Institute and formerly known as Batchelor College) provides training and further education, and higher education for Aboriginal Australians and Torres St ...

Council, NT *Director of the Board of the Indigenous Land Corporation *Director of the Board of the Land Enterprise Australia *member of the Council for Aboriginal reconciliation *General Manager of Yirrkala Business Enterprises in Nhulunbuy *Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation *Director of the Henry Walker Group

Positions

Further reading