Indigenous leader Lisa Mumbin earns honour for decades of service

JAWOYN leader Lisa Mumbin has been working for decades advocating for indigenous Territorians. She says being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia encouraged her to keep up her work into the future

Lisa Mumbin has received an OAM for service to indigenous Territorians. Picture: Chloe Erlich

JAWOYN leader Lisa Mumbin has been working for decades advocating for indigenous Territorians, and said being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) had encouraged her to keep up her work into the future.

However, she said it came as a surprise.

“The award is big and it is something you work very hard to achieve and I wasn’t expecting it,” she said.

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“I am not a person that expects that, I just want to do my job.”

Ms Mumbin, 51, has five children and 13 grandchildren and has lived in the greater Katherine region all her life.

She said she was inspired by her own Elders growing up to fight for the rights of indigenous Territorians.

“It goes back a long way, I’ve always been among my Elders,” she said.

“The Elders giving me that chance to make that stand – out of that came my passion to start representing my people.”

Ms Mumbin became the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation chairwoman in 1997 and went on to fill various committee and advisory roles, including board chair of the Nitmiluk Parks Board, director of the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre and a member of the Aboriginal Benefit Account Advisory Committee for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

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Ms Mumbin said she was most proud of her ability to constantly overcome the challenges she had been faced with.

“Where I sit from my position in all my leadership levels it is painful,” she said.

“But that pain … That’s what gives me the power and strength to give my support in every way to other people.”