Ku-ring-gai Council has paid tribute to local civil rights campaigner, the late Dr Faith Bandler, with a plaque unveiling in Turramurra during National Reconciliation Week.
The plaque was installed in her honour on a park bench at Boyds Orchard Park in Turramurra, near her former home.
Dr Bandler dedicated her life to promoting the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, changing peoples’ hearts and minds. She was at the forefront of the decade-long campaign leading up to the historic 1967 Referendum.
That referendum saw more than 90% of Australians vote for Constitutional change to ensure full participation and equal treatment for First Nations people.
In her own words, “Those changes turned the tide for Indigenous Australians. The 1967 Referendum opened a new world for Indigenous Australians.”
A decade before that historic referendum, Dr Bandler co-founded the Aboriginal-Australian fellowship. Later, she became a key figure in the founding of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Through that body, she campaigned for land rights, equal wages, housing and legislative change.
Dr Bandler was a resident of Turramurra until her passing in 2015.
Mayor, Christine Kay said the naming of the park bench helped pay tribute to Dr Bandler and her lifetime of service.
“Ku-ring-gai was proud to count Dr Bandler as one of our own. Through the naming of this park bench, we honour her today and for many years to come,” Mayor Kay said.
Dr Bandler was also a founding member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby and the Australian Republican Movement, as well as an author of more than six books.
She was recognised for her service to the community with an Order of Australia in 1984, and the Australian Human Rights Commission Human Rights Medal in 1997, the same year that the National Trust listed her as a national living treasure.
Dr Bandler was also awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Macquarie University and was presented with the Sydney Peace Foundation award by Nelson Mandela.
