Dr John Paterson takes out NAIDOC Person of the Year

Top End leader recognised for tireless service to community. See the details here.

A LOCAL legend and hero has been awarded the highest honour of Darwin’s NAIDOC Week Awards.

Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT chief executive Dr John Paterson received the Person of the Year Award for his tireless service to Aboriginal health in the Territory.

Hosted by Larrakia Nation, the awards were held at Darwin Convention Center on Saturday night.

In the past year, Dr Paterson has led the public campaign to protect communities against the spread of Covid and encouraged vaccination rates among mob.

“I am very honoured and privileged to win this very special award,” Dr Paterson said.

“It is a tough but rewarding award to win given your peers and community assesses the leadership and work you do on behalf of them all. I’m pleased that I passed the test.”

He went on to thank all those who he works with, his family and friends who he said “have assisted” him on the journey.

NAIDOC Awards

Congratulations flooded Facebook and Twitter as news of Dr Paterson’s award broke.

“As one of our community’s fiercest leaders, he is one who is always willing to Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up,” Danila Dilba Health Service posted to Facebook.

Other award winners included well-known Larrakia business man Kelvin Costello who took home the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Youth of the Year was awarded to Deadly Hair Dude’s Kyle Bambra.

The winners are:

Person of the Year – John Paterson

Lifetime Achievement Award – Kelvin Costello

Scholar of the Year – Jodi Cowdery

Sportsperson of the Year – J’Noemi Anderson

Artist of the Year – Jennifer “Lulu” Coombes

Apprentice of the Year – Lewis McCann

Youth of the Year – Kyle Bambra

Care for Country Award – Gabrial Millar

Female Elder of the Year – Margaret Anstess

Male Elder of the Year – Halpin Hart

Volunteer of the Year – Nicole Brown

FRIDAY 8 JULY: THOUSANDS marched through the streets of Darwin as Territorians got up, stood up and showed up together for NAIDOC week.

The sound of children giggling carried through the crowd as a sense of celebration lingered when individuals, families and organisations assembled on the lawns outside Parliament.

After a crowd of up to 5000 people marched through Smith St Mall, Larrakia man James Parfitt welcomed the crowd to Country.

“As First Nations’ people its not easy and sometimes we get more losses than we do wins,” said Mr Parfitt.

“But to see justice, fairness and equality for the most disadvantaged people in this country, we truly do need people from other service providers that (say) Aboriginal people do have a voice a voice of representation, a voice for change, and a voice for a future.”

James Parfitt addressing crowds at NAIDOC week march in Darwin 2022. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Following his rousing words, several other leaders spoke, acknowledging the celebrations of the week.

Larrakia Nation newly appointed chairman Jerome Cubillo said the current system was failing generations.

“Sometimes you’ve got to break what you’ve got to build it back better and we’re ready to do that,” he said.

“The system has not been working for our model. We cannot have the youth incarceration system sitting at 100 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids.”

Mr Cubillo said the system could not fail another generation and if Aboriginal people were to change anything, they needed to think outside the box.

The crowd was flanked by stalls representing various organisations, including Danila Dilba, Mission Australia and Larrkia Nation.

NAIDOC Week will conclude in the Top End with the NAIDCO Week ball which will recognise and award Aboriginal leaders across all fields.

MON 4 JULY: A CROWD huddled in the sun as NAIDOC Week kicked off across the Territory. In the Top End celebrations commenced with a flag-raising ceremony behind Parliament House.

Larrakia woman Aunty Bilawara Lee opened the week with a powerful Welcome to Country that acknowledged the need for everyone to ‘Get up, Stand up, Show up’.

“English and the colonisation of government has decimated and threatened the extinction of over 60,000 years of history and culture,” she said.

“This cannot continue; I hope that Australia if not the world, celebrates our enduring, deep and rich ancient history. I’d like to see that happen before I passed.”

NAIDOC Week - flag baring

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles address the crowd by accepting there was “still work to do”.

“I was born just down the road on Larrakia Country at the old Darwin Hospital and I’ve spent the majority of my life here … every day I’m grateful for the Larrakia people and the way in which they welcome new people, but also take us long-term Territorians into their hearts,” she said.

“There is a number of achievements to celebrate, but there is more work to be done. Just this week, we’ve announced the appointment of David Woodroffe as an Acting local court judge, the first Aboriginal person to be appointed to the NT bench … but I acknowledge there is more to do.”

Held in Larrakia Park, Garramilla dancers performed while leaders from across the Territory raised the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Larrakia flags next to the Australian and Territory ones.

Events will be held across the Territory this week, culminating in the NAIDOC Week NT Ball and then Central Australian Aboriginal Congress colour run on Sunday. The Colour run invites everyone to come down and have some tucker and then take a jog through Frank McEllister Community Park, Alice Springs.

On Sunday, the NT’s Deadly Cup was held at TRL Stadium and attended by more than 3000 people.