Resources
DR LOWITJA O’DONOGHUEAC CBE DSG
1932
Born 1 August 1932 - De Rose Hill, Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, north-west South Australia.
1934
September, aged two, Lowitja was removed from her mother Lily, along with her older sisters Violet and Amy, and taken to the United Aborigines Mission home, ‘Colebrook Children’s Home’ at Quorn, South Australia. The missionaries gave her the name ‘Lois.’
1938
–1943
1938–
1943
Attended Quorn Primary School, South Australia.
1944–
1945
1944
–1945
Moved to the new Colebrook Training Home at Eden Hills, Adelaide.
Completed Grade 7 in 1944 and received her Certificate in 1945.
1946
–1948
1946–
1948
Attended Unley Girls Technical High School, receiving her Intermediate Leaving Certificate in 1948.
1948–
1949
1948
–1949
Left Colebrook Home on her seventeenth birthday; moved to Waitpinga, South Australia to work as a domestic servant for the Swincer family.
1950
–1953
1950–
1953
Began as a trainee nurse at South Coast District Hospital, Victor Harbor, South Australia.
Completed training in June 1952.
1953
Denied entry to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital due to discrimination and racism, Lowitja joined the South Australian Aborigines Advancement League and lobbied then Premier Sir Thomas Playford for his support.
1954
Twenty-two-year-old Lowitja entered the Royal Adelaide Hospital as the first Aboriginal trainee nurse.
“Because I was the first Aboriginal nurse there, I always felt I had to be better than anyone else. I couldn’t be seen to fail. So my shoes were shinier, my uniforms whiter, my punctuality perfect.”
1958–
1961
1958
–1961
Completed training with triple qualifications in nursing, midwifery, and mental health.
Was promoted to Charge Sister in 1959.
Resigned in December 1961.
1962
Travelled to Assam, India, to work for the Australian Baptist Missionary Society as a missionary relief nurse (first Aboriginal person in such a role)1.
Returned to Adelaide December 1962. Commenced work at the Repatriation Hospital, Belair, South Australia.
Met future husband Gordon Plumer Smart.
1964
Joined the Aboriginal Progress Association, South Australia.
1965
Co-founded the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia with Gladys Elphick, Maude Tongerie and others2.
1967
Reunited with mother Lily at Oodnadatta, South Australia after thirty-three years.
“When I arrived, she discovered that we did not share a common language to communicate with. We could not speak to each other – except through our eyes.”
1967
–1972
1967–
1972
Worked as Nurse/Welfare Officer for SA Department of Aboriginal Affairs at Coober Pedy, Oodnadatta, APY Lands and Point McLeay.
Campaigned for the 1967 Referendum which was successful in changing the Constitution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be counted as part of the population, and for the Commonwealth to make laws for them.
1970–
1972
1970
–1972
Became a member of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM).
1973
–1976
1973–
1976
Promoted to Senior Liaison Officer, Federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
Joined National Aboriginal Consultative Committee (NACC).
1975
Promoted to Regional Director, SA Department of Aboriginal Affairs (first Aboriginal person at this level).
1976
Invested as Member of the Order of Australia (AM) – the first Aboriginal woman to be inducted into the new Australian honours system.
Was appointed Board Director, Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL).
Resigned from Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
1978
Appointed founding Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC).
1979
Married Gordon Plumer Smart on January 5th at Pichi Richi Pass, Quorn, South Australia.
Mother Lily Woodforde died 17 October, buried at Oodnadatta, South Australia.
“He was a very supportive husband. We had a marriage contract that I would want to continue my involvement in Aboriginal Affairs, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of that. He supported me through all that time”
1981
Appointed Chairperson, Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL).
1983
Invested as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for service to the Aboriginal community.
1984
Named Australian of the Year by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
Lois O’Donoghue Hostel opened in Port Augusta, South Australia.
1989
–1990
1989–
1990
Appointed final Chairperson, Aboriginal Development Commission (ADC).
1990–
1996
1990
–1996
Appointed inaugural Chairperson, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).
ATSIC was a Commonwealth statutory authority, set up under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 to include Indigenous people in the processes of government affecting their lives.
1991
Husband Gordon Smart died on 27 June.
1992
Became the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly, speaking at the launch of the International Year of the World’s Indigenous People.
1993
Recognised for leadership during Native Title Act negotiations; commended by Prime Minister Paul Keating.
Received her first two honorary doctorates. Honoured with nine honorary doctorates during her lifetime.
1996
Resigned as Chairperson of ATSIC, left Canberra to return home to South Australia.
Appointed inaugural Chairperson, Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health.
1997
Opened the Fountain of Tears monument at Reconciliation Park, formerly the site of Colebrook Training Home in Adelaide. The opening coincided with the release of the Bringing Them Home report which documented the experiences of the Stolen Generation.
1998
Declared an Australian National Living Treasure, was appointed Chairperson, National Indigenous Advisory Committee of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG).
Appointed Patron of National Sorry Day Committee.
Reclaimed and permanently adopted her traditional name, Lowitja.
1999
Invested as Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
Met with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, as a member of a five-person delegation of Aboriginal leaders to visit the United Kingdom.
2000
Served as a torchbearer, Sydney Olympics; was invested as a Member of the Olympic Order.
Appointed Professional Fellow, Flinders University, South Australia.
2002
–2004
2002–
2004
2002 - Collaborated with Martin Luther King III during his Australian tour.
2003 - Co-wrote and published the book ‘LOWITJA’ as a primary school education resource.
2004 - Appointed advisor to South Australian Premier Mike Rann for matters relating to the APY Lands.
2006
Invested as Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great (DSG) a Papal honour.
Lowitja’s portrait by acclaimed South Australian artist Robert Hannaford AM was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery3.
2007
Delivered the inaugural Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration in Adelaide, hosted by the Don Dunstan Foundation. Titled “Black and White Together, We Shall Overcome, Some Day,” the speech celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum4.
2008
Witnessed National Apology to Stolen Generations, given by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 13 February5.
Announced retirement from public life.
2009
Received the National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement award.
“I have received many awards and been proud of them. But tonight I feel overwhelmed to be receiving such a prestigious award from my own people.”
2010
Lowitja Institute established, Australia’s only national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research6.
2016
Delivered the opening address at the Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference, Melbourne, her final public speaking engagement7.
2017
Featured in Australia Post “Australian Legends” limited edition stamp series, a set of $1 stamps of Lowitja, Professor Tom Calma AO and Dr Yunupingu.
2020
The authorised biography ‘Lowitja’, written by Stuart Rintoul, was published by Allen and Unwin.
“Thank you for sharing your story with the world. It is an important narrative that will continue to influence and educate generations, and will inspire and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across our nation.”
2022
On 1 August, Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation was established in honour of Lowitja’s 90th birthday. The Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation supports the empowerment of the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead with, and work for, their communities8.
2023
Prime Minister the Hon Anthony Albanese delivered the 17th annual Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration, “A Moment To Unite.”9.
2024
On 4 February, Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG died peacefully, aged 91 years, on Kaurna Country, South Australia.
A State Memorial service was held at St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide10,11.
2025
National Library of Australia announced the digitisation of Lowitja’s speeches as accessible through Trove – Australia’s free online research portal12.
The Australian National University (ANU) opened the Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre on 19 March13. ANU honoured Lowitja as the first Aboriginal person to receive a building naming honour and an honorary doctorate (Law, 1999).
The inaugural exhibition “LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy” opened at The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, Adelaide, South Australia14.
Lowitja Institute and Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation announced 1 August is now recognised as Lowitja O’Donoghue Day15.
2026
Received an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography16.
On 2 June, a statue of Lowitja by her portrait artist Robert Hannaford AM, was unveiled on Kaurna Country, South Australia. It is the first of six statues of leading Aboriginal South Australians to be built on Kaurna Land in the CBD.
Patronage
Current Co-Patron: Lowitja Institute
Past Patron: Don Dunstan Foundation, Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, Reconciliation South Australia, Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA)
Additional Awards & Honours
Advance Australia Award (1982) SA Great Award (1992) Centenary Medal (2003) South Australian Nursing & Midwifery Recognition, SA Government (2005) Gladys Elphick Perpetual Lifetime Achievement Award (2022) UNESCO Adelaide Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
Honorary Doctorates: Murdoch University, Western Australia (1993) University of South Australia (1993) Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory (1995) Queensland University of Technology (1996) Flinders University, South Australia (1996) University of Notre Dame, Western Australia (2001) University of Melbourne, Victoria (2003) University of Sydney, New South Wales (2014) University of Adelaide, South Australia (2021)
Honorary Doctorates: Murdoch University, Western Australia (1993) University of South Australia (1993) Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory (1995) Queensland University of Technology (1996) Flinders University, South Australia (1996) University of Notre Dame, Western Australia (2001) University of Melbourne, Victoria (2003) University of Sydney, New South Wales (2014) University of Adelaide, South Australia (2021)
Footnotes
- Australian Baptist Missionary Society records
- Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia
- Portrait by Robert Hannaford AM – National Portrait Gallery
- 2007 inaugural Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration: Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue – Don Dunstan Foundation
- National Apology to the Stolen Generations
- Establishment of Lowitja Institute
- 2016 Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference opening address
- Establishment of the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation
- 2023 Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
- ABC News coverage of Dr O’Donoghue’s death – ‘Her own life story is the story of the truth of Australia.’
- State Memorial service for the late Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue
- Speeches of Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue now available online – National Library of Australia
- Australian National University (ANU) opens Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre – ANU Reporter
- Inaugural exhibition ‘LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy’ – National Indigenous Times
- Announcing annual Lowitja O’Donoghue Day – 1 August
- Australian Dictionary of Biography entry for Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue
Acknowledgements & Resources
Creative Development
Written and curated by Deb Edwards and Ruby Edwards
Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation / Lowitja Institute
Creative design and digital development by We Create Print Deliver
Sarah Aitken, Daniel Correa, and Pat Caruso
Supported by
Australian Government / National Indigenous Australians Agency
Resources
All images and biographical information are the property of the Lowitja O’Donoghue Collection (Personal) unless specifically credited.
Lowitja Institute and Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation
Don Dunstan Foundation
National Library Australia – Papers of Lowitja O’Donoghue
Government of South Australia, Department of the Premier and Cabinet
Australian National University
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
Natalie Harkin and Denise Noack
