Carolyn Briggs

N'arweet Carolyn Briggs AM
Carolyn Briggs conducting a Welcome to Country ceremony in 2018.
Alma mater	RMIT University, PhD, 2020
Relatives	Louisa Briggs (great-grandmother)

N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM is an Aboriginal Australian rights activist. She is a Yaluk-ut Weelam and Boon Wurrung elder, and serves as the Boon Wurrung representative in the City of Port Phillip.

Biography

Briggs is the great-granddaughter of Louisa Briggs, who as a child was abducted by seal hunters before later returning to the Kulin nation with her husband, John Briggs, who also survived abduction.^[1] Briggs was born in Melbourne.^[2]

She first attended Monash University in the 1970s, and completed her Doctorate in Philosophy (Media and Communications) at RMIT University in 2020.^[3] In the 1970s, she opened the first Aboriginal child care service in the Dandenong Ranges.^[4]

In 2005, she established the Boon Wurrung Foundation, to conduct cultural research, including for the restoration of the Boon Wurrung language.^[5] She serves as its chair.^[6] Briggs is the Boon Wurrung representative to the City of Port Phillip.^[7]

She was awarded the National Aboriginal Elder of the Year in 2011 by the National NAIDOC Committee. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2005.^[8] She was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) as part of the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.^[9][10]

References

1. Latimore, Jack (3 July 2018). "'A most resolute lady': the radical resistance of Indigenous women". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
2. "Retracing history". Timeout. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
3. Carey, Adam (15 December 2020). "Amazing': Three generations of Boon Wurrung women graduate together". The Age. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
4. Paul, Margaret; Dunstan, Joseph (30 May 2020). "Reconciliation efforts on Boon Wurrung land bring language, culture and stories to children". ABC.au. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
5. "N'arweet Carolyn Briggs". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
6. "N'arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM". Art, Design and Architecture. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
7. "First Peoples local history and culture - The City of Port Phillip". www.portphillip.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
8. "10th Anniversary Victorian Honour Roll of Women". Victorian Government Library Service. p. 26. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
9. Webb, Carolyn (9 June 2019). "Elder, great-grandma, PhD student: Carolyn Briggs is a whirlwind". The Age. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
10. "Ms Carolyn Maria Briggs". It's An Honour. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.