Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien (born 25 March 1930), usually known as Uncle Lewis O'Brien, is an

Aboriginal elder Australian Aboriginal elders are highly respected people within Australia and their respective Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. An Elder has been defined as "someone who has gained recognition as a custodian of knowledge and l ...

of the

Kaurna people The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...

Name

Yarlupurka was in 2021 adopted by Uncle Lewis as the preferred spelling of his traditional name, following clarification of the Kaurna alphabet. Previous spellings variously included Yerloburka, Yarloburka, Yarluburka and Yurlaburka.

Early life and education

Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien was born at Point Pearce Mission on

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strai ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in 1930. His father was Irish, born in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

. His great, great grandmother was

Kudnarto Wellington Square, also known as Kudnartu (and formerly Kudnarto), is a public square in the Adelaide suburb of North Adelaide, South Australia, in the City of Adelaide. It is roughly at the centre of the largest of the three grids which compri ...

, who relocated from the northern parts of Kaurna country, near

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

in the nineteenth century due to dispossession of land holdings. O'Brien was ill as a child and became a

ward of the state In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient jur ...

at age 12. Until the age of 18, he lived in a number of

foster home Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

s and boys' homes. He studied at Point Pearce,

Ethelton Ethelton is a north-western suburb of Adelaide from the CBD, on the Lefevre Peninsula, in the state of South Australia, Australia. It is a residential suburb within the local government area of City of Port Adelaide Enfield, adjacent to the s ...

Primary School and Payneham Primary School. He gained his Intermediate Certificate of education in 1946 from Le Fevre Boys Technical High School at

Glanville, South Australia Glanville is a north western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. History In 1846 Captain John Hart settled near Port Adelaide on a private subdivision of section 908 of the Hundred of Port Adelaide. Hart's permanent reside ...

, overcoming extreme difficulties to do so, and gained an apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist with the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Austr ...

, completing in 1952.

Career

In the 1960s, O'Brien became involved with several movements advocating advancement for

Aboriginal Australians 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 ...

, including the first Aboriginal Community Centre and the

Aboriginal Advancement League The Aboriginal Advancement League was founded in 1957 as the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League (VAAL), is the oldest Aboriginal rights organisation in Australia still in operation. Its precursor organisations were the Australian Aborig ...

. His influence was felt on bodies such as 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 ...

; SA Jubilee committees; and various South Australian heritage, sport and recreation committees. In 1977, he began working in schools, promoting

Kaurna language Kaurna ( or ) is a Pama-Nyungan language historically spoken by the Kaurna peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Kaurna peoples are made up of various tribal clan groups, each with their own ''parnkarra'' district of land and ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

as well as supporting

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 ...

students to complete education as a liaison officer for the South Australian Education Department. In 2002, O'Brien, along with Alitya Wallara Rigney and linguist Robert Amery, co-founded

Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

(meaning "creating Kaurna language"), a group developing and promoting the recovery of the Kaurna language. For over 30 years he worked in Aboriginal education, touching every sector. He has also done a great deal of research and scholarly work. He served as Adjunct Research Fellow, David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research,

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

and is a Senior Elder on Campus at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

Memoir

In 2007, O'Brien published his memoir ''And the clock struck thirteen: The life and thoughts of Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O'Brien as told to Mary-Anne Gale'', published by Wakefield Press.

Awards and honours

*1977: NAIDOC Elder of the Year *2001:

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 ...

, "For service to the Aboriginal people of South Australia and in particular,

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

" *2009: Citizen of Humanity, awarded by the National Committee of Human Rights *2014: Officer 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 ...

, "For distinguished service to the Indigenous community of South Australia as an elder and educator, and to the promotion and protection of Indigenous culture and heritage", in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, 9 June 2014 *2019: Winner of the Premier's NAIDOC Award, a South Australian award presented during

NAIDOC Week NAIDOC Week ( ) is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which was originally National Aborigines Day ...

References

1930 births Living people Australian Aboriginal elders Australian indigenous rights activists Australian people of Irish descent Indigenous Australian welfare workers Kaurna Officers of the Order of Australia People from South Australia {{IndigenousAustralia-stub