Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to one of the great but humble elders in our community in Logan, Aunty Eileen Williams, who sadly passed away on 27 September 2020. Aunty Eileen was a Yugambeh elder and traditional owner and a descendant of Bilin Bilin, also known as the King of Logan. She grew up in and around Mount Gravatt and Holland Park with her two sisters, Robyn and Loris, and three brothers. We are lucky to have a record of Auntie Eileen's life, shared through our Aunties and Uncles Digital Stories project, which Logan City Council conducted a few years ago.

The most important aspect of Aunty Eileen's life was that it was devoted to serving our community and, in particular, seeking to make life better for women and children in our community, particularly Indigenous women and children. Aunty Eileen's father was from Beaudesert—he was a Mununjali man—and her mother grew up in Cherbourg, under the Aboriginal protection act. Family was particularly important to Aunty Eileen, and with her sister Robyn—and I checked this on the transcript of the project—they referred to themselves as the 'black Brady Bunch'. Aunty Eileen spoke Yugambeh language and taught language in local schools. I want to extend my deep condolences to Aunty Eileen's family and all of the lives that she touched during her life.

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