Evelyn Scott (activist)
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1935
Evelyn Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | Evelyn Ruth Backo 1935 |
| Died | 21 September 2017 (aged 81–82) |
| Partner | Allen Scott |
Evelyn Ruth Scott AO (1935 – 21 September 2017) was an Indigenous Australian social activist and educator. She played a major role in the 1967 Constitutional Referendum to put Indigenous Australians on equal footing with other Australians in relation to the making of special laws and to include Indigenous Australians in official population numbers.
Scott began working in the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League in the 1960s. She was actively involved in campaigning for the 1967 Constitutional Referendum.[1][2][3]
In 1971, she joined the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) executive as a vice-president. She was a leader in the transformation of FCAATSI into an Indigenous-controlled organisation in 1973, with the support of Josie Briggs. She was active in the first national women's organisation, the National Aboriginal and Islander Council, formed in the early 1970s.[1][2]
She became Chair of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR) in the late 1990s, succeeding Patrick Dodson,[4] at a challenging time when the federal government led by John Howard was cutting reconciliation funding.[1][3] Under her leadership, the CAR produced a draft Declaration for Reconciliation.[4]
Awards and honours
Scott was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001[5] and received the Centenary Medal in the same year.[6] She was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2003 Australia Day Honours.[7]
