The life of Aunty Agnes Josephine Shea OAM was celebrated at St Christopher's Cathedral in Canberra this morning, with her body entering the church to the sound of Anne Murry's There Goes My Everything.
Ngunnawal elder Aunty Caroline Hughes delivered a welcome to country — both in language and in English – and thanked those who had gathered for celebrating the life of the "most loved and most senior Ngunnawal elder".
"Aunty was actually the very first of us to include language in her welcome to country, and I'm honoured to follow in her footsteps," Ms Hughes said.
Ms Shea had a wide variety of accomplishments in her 91 years, including as a founding member of the United Ngunnawal Elders Council and her role in establishing the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm – a culturally appropriate alcohol and other drugs rehabilitation service.
As a member of the ACT Heritage Council, she also worked to improve non-Indigenous Australians' understanding of Aboriginal culture.
More than 400 people today attended the funeral, including ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury, and a number of other Legislative Assembly members.
'Contributed and consulted for so many things'
Aunty Agnes's oldest child, her daughter Mary Boek, gave her mother's eulogy.
She shared memories of her mother, from her most impressive achievements in the community to when she taught herself to play the organ.
"In the early 1990s Mum rang me and said 'Oh girl, they want me to join this health committee but what can I do? I've only had a mission education," she said.
"I told Mum that she had been to the university of life, and that she should get involved as I believed she would bring a lot of wisdom and experience to the discussion of the committee.
"This is where Mum's involvement with Aboriginal organisations started."
In addition to being a foundation member of the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, Ms Shea was also a member of the advisory board to ACT Health and contributed to the establishment of Galambany circle sentencing, which culturally supports offenders in the ACT.
"Mum contributed and consulted for so many things here in the ACT – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous issues – and was often acknowledged for her services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the wider community," Ms Boek said.
In 2001, Ms Shae was awarded the Centenary Medal, in 2008 she was selected to be the first Australian citizen to receive the Olympic torch in Canberra, and in 2010 was awarded ACT Senior Citizen of the Year and a place on the ACT Honour Walk.
In 2016 a documentary about Aunty Agnes' life was made, called Footprints on Our Land: Aunty Agnes, Ngunnawal Elder.
"Mum's firm belief in life was 'if you give respect, you get respect', which proved to be so very true," Ms Boek said.
"Mum: thank you for all that you've achieved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and our family.
"Your family members will continue to work tirelessly to uphold your formidable legacy and continue your reconciliation efforts."
Born in Yass, raised on the Hollywood Mission
Ms Boek told the gathered mourners her mother was born on September 4, 1931, the fifth of nine children to parents Violet Bulger, a domestic servant, and Edward Bulger, a railway worker.
She grew up at Oak Hill and the Hollywood Aboriginal Reserve – also known as the Hollywood Mission – near Yass in New South Wales.
Her father Edward died on Christmas Eve 1939, and soon after, due to her mother's poor health, Aunty Agnes was encouraged by a mission teacher to take responsibility for her younger siblings so they would not be separated.
She married Ronald Joseph Walker in 1947, and with the arrival of her daughter Mary in 1949 became one of the first Aboriginal women to give birth in the wards of Yass hospital, instead of on the verandah as was custom up to that time.
Aunty Agnes had her second child and only son with husband Ronald Walker in 1951, but just a year later Mr Walker died in a house fire. Ms Shea was left a widow looking after two young children.
She later met and married non-Aboriginal man Charles William Shea, both of whom Ms Boek said were "ostracised by their families" for their partnership.
"Mixed marriages were frowned upon in the 50s, but their love was too strong," Ms Boek told the gathered mourners.
"They proved to be very happy and caring parents, and the rift between the families was mended."
Ms Boek said her mother and Mr Shea lived in Yass with their family – which had grown to include two more daughters with Mr Shea – until a family member's need for ongoing medical care saw them move to Canberra in the late 60s.
"They settled in Narrabundah in the late 1960s, and so began Mum's involvement with the Canberra community," Ms Boek said.
Mr Shea died in 1988, leaving Ms Shea widowed once again.
"She felt the impact of being a single mother and trying to keep the family together, although we all felt she was the best Mum that anyone could have," Ms Boek said.
"She was always there for us, especially in those times of need.
"At the time of her death, Mum was the last of her siblings to pass onto the Dreamtime.
"She is survived by four children, 13 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren."
