John Anthony Gorrie (born 10 March 1950) is the first

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

person awarded the Public Service Medal, in 2005. Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1950, Gorrie was removed from his mother as a baby, but the authorities returned him to her after she got married, and he grew up with her at

Lake Tyers Mission Lake Tyers Mission, also known as Bung Yarnda, was an Aboriginal mission established in 1863 on the shore of Lake Tyers in Victoria‘s Gippsland, region as a centralised location for Aboriginal people from around Victoria. History The Lake Ty ...

. He is a

Kurnai The Gunaikurnai or Gunai/Kurnai ( ) people, also referred to as the Gunnai or Kurnai, are an Aboriginal Australian nation of south-east Australia. They are the Traditional Custodians of most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slop ...

elder of the

Krauatungalung The Krauatungalung are an Indigenous Australian people, of East Gippsland, in the state of Victoria, Australia. They are regarded as a group of the Kurnai, though Tindale states that their inclusion as one of the Gunai is artificial. Name Acc ...

clan, whose traditional lands are located in

East Gippsland East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering 31,740 square kilometres (14%) of Victoria. It has a population of 80,114. Australian Bureau of Statistics2006 Census Community Profile Series: East Gippsland (Sta ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. He started work as an Aboriginal liaison officer in the (Victorian) Department of Community Services in 1991, and was the only

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 ...

worker there when he began. After working for 14 years in the field of

child protection Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...

, he was given the award "for outstanding public service in improving the relationship between the Department and the Aboriginal community". As a result of his work, new programs were created by the Department, and Aboriginal people's interactions with the department improved. His daughter is writer

Veronica Gorrie Veronica Gorrie (sometimes referred to as Heritage-Gorrie, born 1971/1972) is an Aboriginal Australian writer. She is a Krauatungalang Gunai woman. Her first book, ''Black and Blue: A memoir of racism and resilience'', a memoir reflecting on ...

, and his grandchild is writer, actor and activist Nayuka Gorrie.

References

1950 births Australian Aboriginal elders Living people People from Melbourne Public servants of Victoria (Australia) Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) {{IndigenousAustralia-stub