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AIATSIS ‘family’ gathers to celebrate International Women’s Day
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AIATSIS staffer PJ Williams (left) and AIATSIS Chairman, Professor Mick Dodson AM, present the 2012 Shirley Ann Williams Award to Alana Harris. The Award recognises her outstanding contribution and work at the Institute over a career spanning some 27 years. (Photo: Nicole Roberts) |
8 March 2012
AIATSIS Staff and over 100 invited guests - the AIATSIS family - gathered at the Institute in Canberra on Thursday 8 March to celebrate and mark International Women’s Day 2012.
The event is proudly establishing itself as wonderful annual tradition and celebration.
AIATSIS Chairman Professor Mick Dodson AM used the occasion to formally acknowledge the contribution that woman have made – and continue to make - to AIATSIS and through it to the fabric of Australian society
“Women work in every area of this Institution - whether it is as researchers, as archivists, as librarians, as part of our Native Title Unit, our Family History Unit, our personnel and administrative areas.” he said.
“Whatever area one likes to mention, women are an integral and vital part of that areas work.”
“It is with some pride that at a function to celebrate International Women’s Day I can highlight that 61 percent of our staff are women.” Professor Dodson said.
“With those numbers, it’s our female staff who are a vital part to AIATSIS being a keeping place not only of a vast record of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, but also of expertise, of ideas, of capacity, and of vision.”
Professor Dodson also highlighted that Women – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – are the cornerstones of our society.
“In Indigenous Australia so many of our strong leaders are women. No where is this more true than the role they play in Indigenous communities. “
“So often they are the glue that helps holds our societies together.”
Professor Dodson also announced the recipient of the Institute’s 2012 Shirley Ann Williams Award. The Award was established last year as an annual award presented to a female member of staff in recognition of her outstanding contribution and work in the Institute.
The award is proudly named after the late Shirley Ann Williams - a prominent member of the Aboriginal community of Queanbeyan and Canberra and still a highly missed member of our AIATSIS family. Shirley worked in the Library’s Digitisation team and was working towards the on-line access of AIATSIS’ Mission Journals when she passed away in 2010.
Professor Dodson – with assistance from Shirley’s son PJ (who also works at AIATSIS) – presented the 2012 Shirley Ann Williams Award to Alana Harris.
Alana has worked at the Institute for 27 years since starting as a trainee photographer when she was a teenager. She would later become one of the Institute’s senior Photographers and even now is one of only a handful of professionally trained Aboriginal photographers in Australia.
Professor Dodson said that Alana has made long term significant contributions to the work, management and reputation of AIATSIS, including her documentation of the Leeton community for the After 200 Years project back in 1988, AIATSIS publications Australia is too old for Birthdays, Black Women’s Calendar and several photographic exhibitions of her work.
“Alana moved from photography into middle management, where she became the first manager of the newly created Audiovisual Access Unit. In her true work ethic, she established the Access Unit and set up all the procedures."
During her tenure, Alana has also been very active in the business of AIATSIS, whether it’s on the Social Club, representing AIATSIS in a number of forums or being on the bargaining team for the Agency Agreement.
“Her talents, skills and commitment to AIATSIS have made - and continue to make - a significant contribution to the Institute,” Professor Dodson concluded.