Gladys Elphick (née Walters; 27 August 1904 – 19 January 1988), also known as Gladys Hughes and Auntie Glad, was an

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

woman of

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...

and

Ngadjuri The Ngadjuri people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the Flinders Ranges in the north. Name Their ethn ...

descent, best known as the founding president of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia, which became the Aboriginal Council of South Australia in 1973.

Early life and education

Gladys Walters was born on 27 August 1904 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, the daughter of John Herbert Walters, gas-meter inspector, and Gertrude Adams. Her maternal great-grandmother was Kudnarto, who was known for having been the wife of a white man, Tom Adams, in the first approved mixed-race marriage in South Australia. She was descended from their son Tim, and was related to the family of Vince Copley on his mother's side, who was descended from his brother Tom. The families were close and Copley refers to "Aunty Glad" (actually his older cousin) many times throughout his memoir, ''The Wonder of Little Things''. While still an infant of eight months, Gladys was taken to live with relations at Point Pearce Aboriginal mission on the

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula, known as Guuranda by the original inhabitants, the Narungga people, is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula ...

. There she attended the local school, and taught herself to play the organ. On leaving school at age twelve, she worked in Point Pearce's dairy. She married Walter Hughes, a shearer, in 1922. After her husband's death in 1937, she (then Gladys Hughes) moved to Adelaide, lived with her cousin Gladys O'Brien (mother of Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien), and worked as a domestic servant. She then worked at the

Islington Railway Workshops The Islington Railway Workshops are railway workshops in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. They were the chief railway workshops of the South Australian Railways, and are still in operation today.World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

creating shells and other munitions. She married Frederick Elphick, a soldier, in 1940.

Community work

Elphick joined the Aborigines Advancement League of South Australia in the 1940s and became active in committee work with the League in the 1960s. Most of the Aboriginal members of the AALSA left to join the Aborigines Progress Association (APA).

Lowitja O'Donoghue Lowitja O'Donoghue (August 1932 – 4 February 2024), also known as Lois O'Donoghue and Lois Smart, was an Australian public administrator and Indigenous rights advocate. She was the inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait I ...

reported that she and others, including Elphick, joined the new group because they felt the need for an all-Aboriginal group, but without any ill-feeling towards the League or founding president

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Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia

In 1966, after Elphick clashed with Laurie Bryan, and others became disillusioned with the APA (which they said was run mainly by white people), she and a group of Aboriginal women broke away and formed the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia (CAWSA). Maude Tongerie was a co-founder, and some of the other " Colebrook girls", including Lowitja O'Donoghue and Faith Coulthard, and Ruby Hammond from

the Coorong Coorong National Park is a protected area located in South Australia about south-east of Adelaide, that predominantly covers a coastal lagoon ecosystem officially known as The Coorong and the Younghusband Peninsula on the Coorong's southern ...

, were actively involved with the Council. CAWSA worked closely with and received substantial support from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Working out of an office in

Pirie Street Pirie Street is a road on the east side of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It runs east–west, between East Terrace and King William Street. After crossing King William Street, it continues as Waymouth Street. It forms the south ...

, Adelaide, the did a lot of work to support Aboriginal women and children, running programs such as the ''Sunday Mail'' blanket drive and organising a Christmas tree in

Bonython Park Bonython Park is a 17-hectare park in the north-west Park Lands of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The park was opened in 1962 and named in honour of prominent South Australian politician and journalist, Sir John Langdon Bonython. It ...

each year. The Council was active in campaigning for the

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. The Council became the Aboriginal Council of South Australia in 1973, and from then included men in its remit and governance.

Aboriginal Cultural Centre/Nunkuwarrin Yunti

After the disbandment of the APA in the 1970s, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre (ACC) amalgamated with CAWSA, with Elphick as first president of the ACC. The ACC was first incorporated in 1971, and evolved through a series of names, including Aboriginal Community Centre of South Australia and the Aboriginal Community Recreation and Health Services Centre of South Australia. In the early days, a health programme was established, funded by donations and a small amount of government funding, with the help of a dedicated doctor. The centre started accommodating several other

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

programmes, including the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, Aboriginal Child Care Agency, Aboriginal Sobriety Group, National Aboriginal Congress, Aboriginal Hostels Ltd, Trachoma and Eye Health Programme, WOMA, Aboriginal Housing Board, Aboriginal Home Care, and Kumangka Aboriginal Youth Service. The service was incorporated as Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc. in 1994, and was named NAIDOC Organisation of the Year in South Australia in 1998. It is community-controlled and governed by an all-Indigenous board, employing more than 100 staff, and delivers a range of health care and community support services as well as being a

registered training organisation A registered training organisation (RTO), in Australia, is an organisation providing Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses to students, resulting in qualifications or statements of attainment that are recognised and accepted by indust ...

. Elphick helped to establish the College of Aboriginal Education (now Tauondi Aboriginal College) in 1973, and co-founded the Aboriginal Medical Service of South Australia in 1977. She was known to the community as Auntie Glad.

Awards, honours, and legacy

Elphick was appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in 1971 in recognition of service to the Aboriginal community. She was named South Australian Aborigine of the Year in 1984, during National Aborigines Week. A plaque honouring Elphick and her work for the community is part of the

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, a series of 150 bronze plaques set into the footpath of

North Terrace, Adelaide North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east–west along the northern edge of "the square mile". The western end con ...

commemorating "a selection of people who had made a significant contribution to the community or gained national and international recognition for their work". An award has been named in her honour by the

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

Committee (South Australia). Presented since 2003, it is a Community Spirit Award Acknowledging Outstanding Aboriginal Women. Known as the Gladys Elphick Award, it is awarded to recognise Aboriginal women working to advance the status of Indigenous people. One of the parks in the western parklands of Adelaide has been named Gladys Elphick Park in her honour. Numkuwarrin Yunti, the cultural and community centre established by Elphick, continues today. A

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released on 27 August 2019 was dedicated to her. The first Gladys Elphick Memorial Oration was scheduled to be given in July 2021 by journalist Stan Grant as a

keynote address A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

of the

Adelaide Festival of Ideas The Adelaide Festival of Ideas (AFOI) is a festival held in Adelaide, South Australia since 1999, usually biennially. It aims to foster the public promulgation, discussion and critique of culturally and socially relevant ideas from around the w ...

, in collaboration with the

History Trust of South Australia The History Trust of South Australia, sometimes referred to as History SA, was created as a statutory corporation by the ''History Trust of South Australia Act 1981'', to safeguard South Australia’s heritage and to encourage research and publi ...

and Reconciliation SA. The title of the inaugural address was "Flagging Intentions", referring to the Aboriginal flag. However, it was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

. The inaugural Gladys Elphick Memorial Oration was held in July 2022 with academic, artist, and community leader Simone Tur, pro vice chancellor Indigenous at

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

, giving the Oration. Tur explored "First Nation Matriarchs: The Role of First Nations Women in Elevating Voices".

Gladys Elphick Awards

Gladys Elphick Awards were established in 2003, with the following aims: The awards are run by a group of volunteers, who make up the Gladys Elphick Awards Ceremony Committee. the awards are given in the following categories: *Perpetual Gladys Elphick Award (Lifetime Achievement) *Shirley Peisley Award – Aboriginal woman who is leading positive change for Aboriginal people in the workplace *Regional Award – (actively contributing to the community and initiating positive change to the lives of others) *Young Sister Rising Star Award – up to 30 years *Quiet Achiever Award - Aboriginal woman who contributes substantially to the empowerment of Aboriginal people *Young sister dreaming award - Up to the age of 18

Personal life

Elphick married Walter Hughes, a shearer, in 1922, who died in 1937. She married Frederick Elphick, a soldier, in 1940. They had two sons, Timothy Hughes (1919–1976) and Alfred Hughes. Timothy enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 4 December 1939 and fought in the Second World War, and afterwards (1953) he leased a soldier settler block of at Conmurra and was highly regarded in the community. Alfred served in the regular army, and was posted to serve in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

with the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

between 1951 and 54.

References

External links

*
Elphick MBE
in ''S.A.'s Greats: the men and women of the North Terrace plaques'', via Adelaidia {{DEFAULTSORT:Elphick, Gladys 1904 births 1988 deaths Activists from Adelaide Australian Indigenous rights activists Australian women human rights activists Indigenous Australian social workers Australian social workers Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian women Kaurna