Jacob George Mye (3 December 1926 – 26 April 2012) was an elder statesman from the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

.Obituary
Cairns Funeral Directors. Accessed 26 March 2019. A vocal advocate of land and sea rights for

Torres Strait Islanders Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often groupe ...

, Mye is credited with helping the region gain autonomy from

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, with the formation of the

Torres Strait Regional Authority The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government body established in 1994 to administer the Torres Strait Islands. It consists of 20 elected representatives. The primary function of the authority is to strengthen the economic, s ...

in 1994.Caruana, Patrick (26 April 2012
Torres Strait elder George Mye dies
''news.com.au'', News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2019. Mye served as a commissioner with 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 ...

and was involved in local government in the Torres Strait for more than 20 years.Ryan, Brad (27 April 2012
Torres Strait elder dies
''ABC News'', Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 March 2019. In recognition of Mye's work with the Torres Strait Islander community, he received numerous honours throughout his career, including an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in the

1979 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1979 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1979 to celebr ...

, an OAM in the 1994 Australia Day honours, a Male Elder of the Year Award at the 1998

NAIDOC Awards The NAIDOC Awards are annual Australian awards conferred on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals during the national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...

, and a Centenary of Federation Medal in 2001. He also worked as a cultural consultant on the SBS drama series '' RAN Remote Area Nurse'', which was filmed in the Torres Strait. Mye died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on 26 April 2012. His death prompted tributes from political and community leaders including Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Member for Leichhardt

Warren Entsch Warren George Entsch is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007 and since 2010, representing the Division of Leichhardt. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and si ...

. His funeral was held at All Saints Anglican Church on

Darnley Island Darnley Island or ''Erub'' in the native Papuan language, Meriam Mir, is an island formed by volcanic action and situated in the eastern section of the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the Torres Strait Islands and is loc ...

on 16 May 2012. Following his death, Mye was posthumously awarded an AM in the

2013 Australia Day Honours The 2013 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2013 by the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia Day Honours, the first major honours list for a calendar year, are announced on Australia Day (26 January) every ye ...

.Award ID: 1147268
It's an Honour search facility, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australian Government. Accessed 26 March 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mye, George 1926 births 2012 deaths Australian indigenous rights activists Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire