Influential Aboriginal leader Lowitja O'Donoghue immortalised in bronze statue

Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue was one of the most respected and influential Aboriginal leaders in the country, known throughout the world for her fierce advocacy and dedication to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians. 

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this story includes images of a person who has died.

On Tuesday, a statue of the Yankunytjatjara woman was unveiled on the banks of Adelaide's River Torrens at Elder Park, immortalising her extraordinary legacy and extensive achievements.

Her niece Deb Edwards said it was a special moment for Dr O'Donoghue's family.

"My aunt was a very proud South Australian," she said.

"The contributions she made to the state over so many decades, in so many firsts of setting up organisations and all the work that she did, probably the thing she was most proud of was being the first Aboriginal nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The unveiling was attended by hundreds, including members of Dr O'Donoghue's family and several dignitaries, including Aboriginal advocate and lawyer Noel Pearson, South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Kyam Maher.

"There's probably three generations of O'Donoghues here today," Ms Edwards said.

"My niece Mahailia [Levinson] did the artwork at the base of the statue, which includes our [family] totem, which is the owl.

"We've even got one of our little great nieces here who's eight-years-old and if you think about how important that is for them to learn about the work that their nanna did, that's pretty special.

First of six statues

The bronze statue was created by South Australian artist Robert Hannaford, who also painted Dr O'Donoghue's 2006 portrait which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

"I was honoured to be asked to do this statue," Mr Hannaford said.

South Australia's Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Kyam Maher said the statue was the first of an initial six of prominent Aboriginal South Australians that the state government had planned, with $1million of funding committed to all six.

The other statues will immortalise inventor David Unaipon, community leader Gladys Elphick, inaugural member of the Aboriginal Lands Trust Garnett Wilson, the first Aboriginal woman to become a school principal in Australia Dr Alice Alitya Rigney and anti-nuclear advocate Yami Lester.

"For the history of Adelaide, there've been precious few Aboriginal people who've been reflected in what we hold out to the rest of the world as the history of this land," Mr Maher said.

"It is well overdue and past time that Aboriginal people, Aboriginal leaders took their place in that narrative of who we are, how we see ourselves and where we're going."

'We want to make sure young Aboriginal kids see this'

Dr O'Donoghue's statue now stands on the bank of the River Torrens, in Adelaide's Elder Park, a location that was chosen for its prominence.

Speaking at the event, Mr Maher said he could imagine Aboriginal children one day visiting the statue.

"Something to be proud of, to see them reflected, their culture reflected in this city, a better sense of belonging, a better sense of acceptance knowing what a young Aboriginal person can aspire to," he said.

Born in 1932, at De Rose Hill in remote South Australia, Dr O'Donoghue was removed from her mother at the age of two.

She grew up at the Colebrook Children's Home in Quorn, and was trained to be a domestic worker which led to nursing training.

Dr O'Donoghue was refused admission to Royal Adelaide Hospital to complete nursing training because of her Aboriginality, but successfully fought that decision.

Among her many achievements, Dr O'Donoghue was named Australian of the Year in 1984, was inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and was the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

She died in 2024, aged 91.