TITAN of Territory politics John “Jak” Ah Kit was a fierce leader and advocate for the rights of First Nations people and a beloved man who lit up rooms with his cheeky humour to the very end. He was 69.

Mr Ah Kit was born “John Leonard Ah Kit” in Alice Springs on July 22, 1950 and was the fifth child in a family of 13. He passed away at Royal Darwin Hospital on July 12, 2020 just 10 days short of his 70th.

He moved with his parents to Darwin in 1954 and lived initially in the old Parap Camp, which was a series of steel framed tin sheds left over from World War II on the site of present day Stuart Park.

PHOTO GALLERY: Remembering John ‘Jak’ Ah Kit (1950-2020)

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He attended Darwin and Parap primary schools and Darwin High School.

Biographic details reveal Mr Ah Kit was known as “Johnny” as a child and it was not till much later that he came to be known by his father’s name, Jak.

At 13, Mr Ah Kit left school to work on cattle stations as a young ringer — at Douglas and Litchfield stations and Elizabeth Downs, as well as the famous Elsey station down Mataranka way.

“Life as a kid at the Parap Camp was hardly a bed of roses, but we had a good life growing up in the old ex-army tin sheds,” he said in a 2002 speech.

“It was a knockabout life where we made our own entertainment, some of which I can only laugh about in a shame faced way now.”

In 1977, after becoming politically active, Mr Ah Kit realised he needed formal education and qualifications and enrolled at the old Aboriginal Task Force at the then-South Australian Institute of Technology.

It was in Adelaide where he met his life partner, Gail Canendo, a Torres Strait Islander woman from Yarrabah in north Queensland. They would go on to have four children.

In 1984 Mr Ah Kit was appointed director of the Northern Land Council, a position he held until 1990.

A news article during his tenure shows Mr Ah Kit was an advocate for Aboriginal rights to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution, which at this time in 1987 was against the backdrop of NT’s push for statehood.

There are multiple instances of Mr Ah Kit and then Central Land Council chief executive turned WA Senator Pat Dodson joining forces to stand up for Aboriginal rights.

In 1990 he resigned from his post in the NLC to contest the seat of Goyder for NT Labor. He was unsuccessful.

From 1991 to 1995 Mr Ah Kit was the executive director of the Jawoyn Association.

During the period he worked at the Jawoyn Association, the organisation successfully engaged in major joint venture arrangements at Nitmiluk National Park which are the inspiration for current legislation governing the resolution of Land Rights and Native Title claims through joint management regimes across the Northern Territory.

In 1993, Mr Ah Kit — along with the Jawoyn Association’s then-chairman Robert Lee, and senior traditional owners — negotiated Australia’s first post-Mabo native title agreement over mining at the Mt Todd gold mine.

The sudden death of Arnhem MLA Wes Lanhupuy in 1995 triggered a by-election in the seat of Arnhem, which Mr Ah Kit contested and won for NT Labor.

His accession to cabinet after Labor’s shock win in 2001 was a historic one, with Mr Ah Kit becoming the first Indigenous minister in the Territory’s history.

He was the ninth Indigenous parliamentarian in Australian history.

“I remarked the other week that it was puzzling to work out how a little ratbag from the Parap Camp could get to where I have. I am not sure who should be more surprised – me or the kids I grew up with in Darwin,” Mr Ah Kit said in 2002.

In that speech he also said it was up to us to “keep our eyes out for bright young it is up to us to Indigenous leaders coming through in the future”

“They’ll be the ones that will take our place – but they will remember the old people, and still be wearing the colours.”

Fast forward to 2020, his daughter, Karama MLA Ngaree Ah Kit and Namatjira MLA Chansey Paech made history themselves by becoming Australia’s first Indigenous Deputy Speaker-Speaker pair.

Mr Ah Kit served in multiple portfolios, including Sport and Recreation, Housing, Community Development, Regional Development, and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Indigenous Affairs.

As the Sports Minister, he was dubbed by the media as the “Minister for Fun”.

He retired in 2005 citing ill health.

The MLA who succeeded him in the seat, NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, said she “deeply grateful” for the wise mentorship and friendship he provided her.

“He was, and will always be remembered, as an outstanding spokesman on First Nations issues, in the NT and across Australia,” she said.

“He was cheeky, stubborn, a hard head and yet so determined to see a better Northern Territory for all people. Plus he bled true-blu for the Darwin Buffaloes!!”

Mr Ah Kit continued to be a vocal advocate for Indigenous rights and against the backdrop of the 2007 NT Intervention, described it as “in some ways genocide”.

Ms Ah Kit issued a statement on behalf of the family on Sunday night, saying her father’s achievements were many and “we’ll hear stories of these in the coming days and weeks”.

“But what we should all remember is that my dad had a wonderful sense of humour,” the statement read.

“As you can imagine, our family is devastated and have appreciated the outpouring of support. We will reflect on my Dad’s passing before sharing details of how we plan to celebrate his life.”