Picture: Acting mayor Wayne Wendt and Division 3 Councillor Kerry Silver present Aunty Faye with the key to the city.
Local Indigenous elder Aunty Faye Carr has been presented the Key to the City by Ipswich City Council in recognition of her “tireless commitment and outstanding work” for the Ipswich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
In a moving ceremony at Hymba Yumba Community Hub at Springfield in front of family and friends, including one grandchild who attends the independent school, plus councillors and council staff, Aunty Faye Carr received a framed key and photographs from Acting Mayor Wayne Wendt.
Division 3 Cr Kerry Silver introduced the Key to the City presentation, describing it as the highest honour a city can confer on an individual or organisation for furthering the ideals of the City of Ipswich and recognising outstanding achievement in public life.
“I have the privilege to present this honour to Aunty Faye Carr. Passionate about sharing her culture and knowledge with her community, Faye has been contributing to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community since the 1960s,” Cr Silver said.
“Starting her advocacy career at a young age, Aunty Faye Carr has worked to better the lives of Ipswich’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
Cr Silver said that in 2017 the NIADOC committee “recognised that she is a strong, wise elder, advocate and leader in her community and that she exemplifies the values important to the community”.
Recipient of the 2017 National NAIDOC Elder of the Year, Aunty Faye, a Yuggera elder, has also been involved in the creation and running of various community organisations, including:
- Brisbane Aboriginal Legal Service, now known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service;
- Kambu Progress Association, delivering housing and sporting services to the Ipswich community; and
- Kambu Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, delivering a range of primary health services in Ipswich and surrounding areas.
