Ollie named NAIDOC Elder of the Year

Badimaya elder Ollie George is the 2017 National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee Elder of the Year.

The announcement was made at a gala event in Cairns on Saturday.

Mr George is the last fluent speaker of the Badimaya language and has been a passionate driving force behind its documentation and preservation.

The Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre nominated Mr George after working alongside him to record his knowledge of the Badimaya language.

The centre published a book this year with a collection of yarns by Mr George about his life growing up and living on Badimaya country, on pastoral stations across the Mid West and Murchison.

Language centre co-ordinator Jenni Gregory-Kniveton said Mr George’s contribution to his language and culture was priceless.

“Ollie ... is an inspirational leader and role model,” she said.