Essie Coffey , born Essieina Shillingsworth, (1941–1998) was born near
Goodooga in northern New South Wales, Australia.
She was a
Muruwari woman and the co-founder of the
Western Aboriginal Legal Service and served on a number of government bodies and Aboriginal community organisations.
Her family avoided forced relocation to an
Aboriginal reserve
An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...
by following seasonal rural work.
Coffey co-founded the Western Aboriginal Legal Service and the Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Museum in
Brewarrina, serving on several government bodies and Aboriginal community organisations including the
Aboriginal Lands Trust and the
Aboriginal Advisory Council. She was an inaugural member of the
Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation
Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991, focused on the improvement of race relations between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. The Council for Aboriginal ...
.
She was awarded a 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) on 10 June 1985, for service to the Aboriginal community. She was nominated for an MBE but refused it, explaining "I knocked the MBE back because I'm not a member of the British Empire".
Coffey was also an active filmmaker.
In 1978 she made ''
My Survival as an Aboriginal'', which she gave to
Queen Elizabeth II as a gift at the opening of Australia's new
Parliament House in 1988. The film won the Greater Union Award for documentary film and the
Rouben Mamoulian
Rouben Zachary Mamoulian ( ; hy, Ռուբէն Մամուլեան; October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an American film and theatre director.
Early life
Mamoulian was born in Tiflis, Russian Empire, to a family of Armenian descent. ...
Award at the
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
1979.
The sequel, ''My Life As I Live It'', was released in 1993. Coffey also appeared in the film ''
Backroads''.
Essie Coffey and her husband, Albert "Doc" Coffey, raised 8 children and adopted 10 more.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffey, Essie
1941 births
1998 deaths
Australian indigenous rights activists
Women human rights activists
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
People from New South Wales
Australian women activists