Tribute to Mr Joe and Mrs Pearl Trindall

Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [6.06 p.m.]: I highlight the contribution to Aboriginal communities in north-west New South Wales of Kamilaroi elders Joe and Pearl Trindall. Known as Uncle Joe and Aunty Pearl, the Trindall's efforts to advance Aboriginal affairs were articulated to me by their daughter, Amy Creighton, but the people of my electorate are familiar with their story, given the couple's active profile. Known and respected by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, the Trindalls are ambassadors for their people at every level. The couple has led an active public life as they are frequently called upon to speak at functions on behalf of their community. Mixing with politicians and government officials at all levels and advocating their culture has enabled the Trindalls to achieve much for indigenous Australians, especially the disadvantaged.

I visited the Tamworth Correctional Centre last year with the New South Wales Minister for Justice and the Trindalls were in the visiting room offering support and cultural guidance, regardless of family ties, to Aboriginal inmates. They are also often found playing a similar role at the Tamworth courthouse. Joe and Pearl are highly respected elders of the Kamilaroi people. In August Joe will be 80 and Pearl will be 78. They will celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in July next year. The couple has lived through government policies and practices that have shaped Australia. They do not need to read the history books on racism and discrimination because they have lived it. Their life together began almost 60 years ago in Narrabri's Church of England church. After the wedding they left on a horse and sulky and set up home on a farm where Joe was employed.

Eventually they took to the road, droving stock and spending many years travelling the country before settling permanently in Narrabri in about 1965, where their struggle for equality and Aboriginal rights became a way of life. In 1975 the couple moved to Attunga near Tamworth, where they again established themselves as pro-active community members. Both Joe and Pearl are, by nature, strong personalities—they are not afraid to voice their opinion. In their early years they were active in the Aboriginal progressive movement. They have been instrumental in establishing numerous Aboriginal services in Tamworth, being long-time members of health advisory committees, aged care and rehabilitation committees, the Aboriginal Medical Service, the Tamworth Reconciliation Group, founding members of the Kamilaroi Aboriginal Corporation and the Tamworth Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. Both of them are justices of the peace. Their involvement and membership of other committees are too numerous to mention, except to say that if there is a meeting relating to Aboriginal issues they will be there.

At an international level, Joe recently travelled to Albuquerque to highlight Aboriginal issues. Back home they still organise football knockouts, family days and country music talent quests. Despite their advancing years, they are often seen working behind the scenes with a tea towel or broom in their hands. In the early 1980s government policy saw Tamworth become a resettlement town for Aboriginal people across the north-west. The Trindalls saw a need for a community-based Aboriginal organisation to provide support and advocacy for such families, and they established the Kamilaroi Aboriginal Corporation. Joe and Pearl were often seen driving people to appointments, supporting grieving families and providing a much-needed cup of tea and chat. The time and effort required to establish a service and acquire funding in those times required enormous commitment.

Joe and Pearl may have had limited formal education but this is outweighed by extensive cultural knowledge and a commonsense approach. They believe strongly in the education of Aboriginal children and worked tirelessly for many years to establish the Birrelee Child Care Service in Tamworth in 1980. I attended the flag raising ceremony at Peel High School, which the Trindalls also attended. The young children from Birrelee sang numerous songs in front of the appreciative audience. Initially, the Trindalls covered expenses, they picked up children and operated out of private homes. They were given the use of church facilities for a few years while they worked to secure funding. The current building was opened in 1988, and has seen countless numbers of Aboriginal children pass through its doors. Pearl was the centre's co-ordinator for many years before unofficially retiring.

Joe was instrumental in establishing the Kamilaroi Aboriginal Legal Service in Tamworth, for which he received an acknowledgement at the inaugural New South Wales Justice awards at Parliament House. Their most recent achievement was to secure funding and establish an Aboriginal medical centre in Tamworth. Joe and Pearl had seven children and they are the elders of a very large extended family. They have spent a lifetime fighting for Aboriginal rights and for acceptance and understanding of Aboriginal culture. I have commended the Trindalls to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs as worthy of official recognition. I note the presence of the Minister for Juvenile Justice, who has a clear understanding of the mentoring role that people who are as highly respected as the Trindalls can play in keeping young Aboriginal people on the straight and narrow. I hope that she will join me in highly recommending the Trindalls for recognition by the Government.

Private members' statements noted.