Alice Springs veteran Geoffrey Shaw remembered as tireless advocate for Aboriginal rights
Geoffrey Shaw and Malcolm Spencer had not seen each other for more than half a century when they were reunited in Alice Springs in 2023 after serving together in Vietnam. (ABC Alice Springs: Xavier Martin)
Aboriginal elder, Vietnam veteran and Indigenous rights champion, Geoffrey Shaw OAM, has been remembered for his courage and service to the community.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of his family.
A Kaytetye and Arrernte man who fought for the rights of Aboriginal Territorians and shaped the future of Central Australia, Mr Shaw died last week in Alice Springs at the age of 79.
Born in the dry riverbed of the Todd River on Christmas Eve in 1945, Mr Shaw went on to spend his life fighting for his people and his country.
At 18, he joined the Australian Army and served in the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation before going on to complete two tours of duty in Vietnam.
Geoffrey Shaw has been remembered for the way his military service shaped his advocacy work after his return to civilian life. (ABC Alice Springs: Xavier Martin)
When he returned to the desert, Mr Shaw advocated for Aboriginal people and was instrumental in establishing many of the organisations that continue his legacy today.
Mr Shaw was integral to establishing Tangentyere Council, an organisation that formalised leases and established housing in the town camps based on language groups on the outskirts of Alice Springs.
He served as general manager and then as president of the council – which is now one of the largest service organisations and employers in Alice Springs – for many years.
He fought for essential services, housing and for Aboriginal people's agency over their own lives.
Mr Shaw was also a founding member of the Central Land Council (CLC), serving as a delegate from its inception until 2006.
CLC chair Warren Williams said Mr Shaw's contribution to the land rights movement and Central Australia would be remembered with respect and gratitude.
"Mr Shaw believed deeply in service," Mr Williams said.
"To country, to community and to the nation.
"His military service shaped his discipline, leadership and strong sense of responsibility, all of which he carried into his work with the CLC."
Mr Shaw was also instrumental in the establishment of one of the largest and longest-standing Aboriginal health organisations in the nation, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC), as well as legal aid service the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency.
"One of our original staff members, Mr Shaw first worked in Congress doing pick up services and in the night shelter," a CAAC spokesperson said in a statement.
"In 1975 he was the Congress liaison officer, and the Congress representative on the Alcohol Action Committee in 1976.
Geoffrey Shaw carried the Aboriginal flag up Anzac Hill where it flew for the first time during NAIDOC Week in 2018. (ABC News: Nick Hose)
"In 1977 he became the senior coordinator of the Congress welfare division and was elected president of the Congress Cabinet in 1978 and 1979."
The spokesperson described Mr Shaw as a "remarkably courageous man".
The first Central Australian commissioner for the now-dissolved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commission, Mr Shaw received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1993 for his advocacy for First Nations people.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said it had been an honour to see Mr Shaw's dedication to improving the lives of Aboriginal people first hand.
"Mr Shaw was a strong voice and a champion of Aboriginal rights whose powerful legacy will continue to shape Central Australia for generations to come," she said.