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AIATSIS mourns passing of Torres Strait leader and rights advocate
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Photo: Torres Strait Islander leader and advocate George Mye MBE OAM (left) at the Torres Strait Regional Authority Inauguration Celebration in 1994.. Trevor Creighton collection. |
27 April 2012
The Chairperson of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), Professor Mick Dodson AM, today expressed his deep sadness at the passing of Torres Strait Islander leader and advocate George Mye MBE OAM.
Mye, aged 85, passed away yesterday of pneumonia.
Professor Dodson said that Mr Mye - a traditional Erub (Darnley Island) Elder – was a staunch advocate of land and sea rights for Torres Strait Islanders over the last 60 years and was a central figure in the push for full autonomy for the Torres Straits.
“George Mye will forever be remembered as a very active and well-regarded member of the Torres Strait Islands who worked tirelessly to improve life in his community and - to his death - continued to advocate on behalf of his people.”
Mye’s lifetime involvement includes being elected to the Mer (Murray Island) Council in 1953 and retaining the position until he returned to Erub in 1976.
He was the Eastern Islands Representative to the Islander Advisory Council established in 1972 and Chairman of its successor, the Island’s Coordinating Council (ICC) from its establishment in 1984 to 1988.
Mye also represented Torres Strait Islanders on the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee (1973-77) and its successor the National Aboriginal Conference (1977-1985) and was the only person elected to the Conference over four consecutive terms.
Professor Dodson noted that Mye was at the forefront of the independence movement demanding Torres Strait Islanders be granted control over their own land and sea resources,”
“In 1988, he chaired a landmark meeting of 400 delegates on Thursday Island that voted for secession - not just from Queensland, but from Australia.”
“That protest led to an avalanche of government committees, working groups and measures to deliver some autonomy to the region, including the establishment of the Torres Strait Regional Authority in 1994, a federal government body originally set up to gradually become an autonomous regional assembly.”
From 1990 – 1994, Mye was the Commissioner for the Torres Strait as part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and was the inaugural Chairperson of the Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board (TSIAB) that provide advice to ATSIC on mainland Torres Strait Islander issues.
Professor Dodson highlighted that Mye’s passion for land and sea rights for Torres Strait Islanders saw him address the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations Conference in Geneva.”
In June 1996, he filed an application for native title in the Federal Court and continued to act as the named applicant on behalf of the people of Erub Island throughout the proceedings.
The Erubam Le (Darnley Islanders) #1 determination arose out of this application.
This claim was affected by the Federal Court’s decision in October 2003 in Erubam Le v State of Queensland which established that public works which had been constructed on the islands before December 1996 would extinguish native title. This decision motivated the parties to negotiate in order to recognise exclusive native title rights. The claim was mediated.
All parties recognised the Erub people’s right to exclusive possession of land, and
non-exclusive use of water and things within the water for personal, non-commercial or domestic uses.
“George Mye was referred to as the modern godfather of independence for the Torres Strait Islands and his outstanding leadership, contribution and passion for his people will forever be remembered,” Professor Dodson concluded.