Ida Amelia West (30 September 1919 – 8 September 2003) was an Australian Aboriginal elder who was better known as Aunty Ida. She was the author of ''Pride Against Prejudice.''

Biography

Ida West was born on Aboriginal reserve on

Cape Barren Island Cape Barren Island, officially truwana / Cape Barren Island, is a island in the Bass Strait, off the north east coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the second largest island of the Furneaux Group; Flinders Island lies to the north, with the s ...

on 30 September 1919 and moved with her family to

Flinders Island Flinders Island, the largest island in the Furneaux Group, is a island in the Bass Strait, northeast of the island of Tasmania. Flinders Island was the place where the last remnants of aboriginal Tasmanian population were exiled by the colon ...

as a young child. She was attended school in Lughrata. In 1939 she married Marcus Sydney West. They had a daughter and two sons, but divorced in 1960. West spent her life lobbying for better health services and land rights for the Aboriginal community in Tasmania. She was president of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre in Hobart. In 1984 her memoir, ''Pride Against Prejudice: Reminiscences of a Tasmanian Aborigine'', was published by

Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

Awards and recognition

West was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

in 2001 for "services to social welfare, justice and reconciliation" and appointed a

Member 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 Gove ...

in the

2002 Australia Day Honours The 2002 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2002 by the Governor General of Australia, Peter Hollingworth. The Austr ...

for "service as a leader of the Aboriginal community in Tasmania". She received the Female Elder of the Year award at the 2002

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 was given a National Special Achievement Award at the 2003 NAIDOC ceremony. She was inducted onto the

Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women The State Government of Tasmania in Australia established the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2005 to recognise Tasmanian women who have been distinguished in their contributions to the State. In 2021 Martine Delaney Martine Delaney (born 15 Oct ...

in 2005, its inaugural year.

Death and legacy

West died of cancer on 8 September 2003. Speeches were made in Australian Federal Parliament on 10 September and in the Tasmanian Parliament on 23 and 30 September 2003, expressing condolences and recognising West's life and work. The Department of Health in Tasmania established the Ida West Aboriginal Health Scholarship in 2003 in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Ida 1919 births 2003 deaths Members of the Order of Australia