50 Years of Deadly: Celebrating Kaurna Changemakers

Winnie Branson, older sister of Vincent Copley, was primarily Ngadjuri, with Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri ancestry. She was a pioneering Aboriginal rights advocate and the first State Secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI).

She recalls being taken to her first FCAATSI meeting in Canberra, traveling with a Communist Party member who drove the delegation, and being billeted with non-Aboriginal families while in the city. This early experience marked the beginning of her lifelong commitment to Aboriginal rights and advocacy.

In 1967, Winnie was part of a delegation to Canberra that met with Prime Minister Harold Holt and Members of Parliament to lobby in support of the “Yes” vote in the 1967 Referendum, a pivotal moment in Australian history.

She later worked alongside her cousin Gladys Elphick to establish the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia. Both women also played key roles in the founding of the Aboriginal Community Centre (now Nunkuwarrin Yunti) in Wakefield Street, Adelaide, helping to create vital spaces of support, advocacy and community connection for Aboriginal people.

Stephen Goldsmith was a proud Narungga and Kaurna man, an inspiration, teacher and friend to many. He was a vital contributor to the revival and strengthening of the Kaurna language through his work with the Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP) language unit at the University of Adelaide, and he also served as an influential advisor to the South Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Stephen became one of the most recognised public faces of the Kaurna language movement, sharing language and culture through live performances at events such as WOMADelaide and many other community and public gatherings across the city and beyond. He also featured prominently in Kaurna Language Learning YouTube resources, helping to make language accessible to a wider audience.

A gifted performer, Stephen shared traditional dance with his Taikurtinna (“family”) dance group, played yidaki, and delivered Welcome to Country at countless events, including multiple WOMAD festivals both in Adelaide and internationally. His cultural leadership and presence helped bring Kaurna language and culture into contemporary public spaces with strength and visibility.

Stephen Goldsmith was recognised for his outstanding contribution to community and culture, receiving Male Elder of the Year at the 2017 Lord Mayor’s NAIDOC Awards. His work was also formally acknowledged by the Premier at the 2017 Premier’s NAIDOC Awards, reflecting the significant and lasting impact of his leadership.

Josie Agius (Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri) was a respected Elder, educator and cultural leader whose work has had a lasting impact across education, language revival and community sport in South Australia.

She began her career as an Aboriginal Education Worker at Taperoo Primary School, where she supported Aboriginal students and shared cultural knowledge within the school community. During this time, she also worked with Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi alongside Rob Amery, contributing to Kaurna language revival initiatives, while also supporting Narungga language work.

After seven years at Taperoo, Auntie Josie expanded her work across a range of schools, delivering cultural and language education and generously sharing her lived experience and personal story as a way of strengthening understanding, pride and connection for Aboriginal students and communities.

Josie was also a passionate supporter of local sport, particularly netball and football. Her contribution is recognised through her ongoing legacy as Patron of the Aboriginal Power Cup and as the namesake of the Josie Agius Netball Cup, held as part of the South Australian Aboriginal Cultural and Sport Festival. Josie Agius Park in the Adelaide Park Lands also honours her significant contribution to Sport and Netball.

Widely respected for her leadership and cultural authority, Auntie Josie became well known for her Welcome to Country in Kaurna language, representing Kaurna people as a Senior Elder at many important civic, cultural and community events.

The award recognises the outstanding achievement and service of an extraordinary Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community member who has made a significant contribution to reconciliation in the City of Adelaide.

A highly respected Narungga-Kaurna elder, Uncle Dookie was awarded an Order of Australia in 2006 in recognition of his contribution to Aboriginal education for over 50 years.

Born in Wallaroo in 1947, Uncle Dookie started his professional career as a farm hand at the Point Pearce Mission Station before going on to study at the Aboriginal College in North Adelaide in 1980.

He soon developed a passion for education and was an integral part of the Aboriginal Studies Resource Unit, training Aboriginal teacher aids and tour guides.

During his time teaching he helped develop and implement many Aboriginal programs relating to Narungga history and dreamings, such as Buthera Rock and Winda the Owl.

Uncle Dookie has had a significant impact on the management of biodiversity in the Adelaide Park Lands, running workshops to incorporate Kaurna knowledge into the management of the City’s biodiversity. His valuable input guided the Kaurna Kardla Parranthi Cultural Burn in 2021 - the first time a Cultural Burn had been practiced in a capital city since colonisation.

The Lord Mayor and City of Adelaide Reconciliation Committee Co-chairperson Jane Lomax-Smith says Uncle Dookie has been a devoted community leader.

Frank Wangutya Wanganeen is a Kaurna/Narungga man born at Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula and raised on Point Pearce Mission.

He travelled and lived between Point Pearce and Adelaide in his younger days and has now been a resident of Adelaide for many years, where he raised his family.

Frank has served on committees for over 30 years in the areas of reconciliation, local government, Aboriginal heritage, native title, social justice, and the revival of the Kaurna language.

He has been a member for the City of Adelaide and Campbelltown Council reconciliation committees, and Chair of the Salisbury Council Reconciliation Committee. He has more recently consulted with both the Holdfast Bay and Tea Tree Gully Councils on Kaurna projects relating to reconciliation and heritage.

Frank understands the importance of education and talks to school and university students about reconciliation, and Kaurna culture and heritage. He is a member of the University of South Australia’s Purkarninthi (Elders) in Residence and is involved in Aboriginal health through SAHMRI and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Frank is passionate about reconciliation and describes himself as a cultural educator who creates awareness of Kaurna cultural heritage and First Nations issues through his Kaurna Cultural Walking Tours in the Adelaide CBD. 

In 2017 Frank was the recipient of the Premier’s NAIDOC Award which he received for his contribution to the Aboriginal community. In 2021 as part of the Australia Day Awards, Uncle Frank was awarded the City of Salisbury Citizen of the Year

The City of Adelaide was recently entrusted with a collection of minutes from the Council of Aboriginal Women, Across the meeting records, a powerful picture emerges of grassroots leadership, collective action, and the steady building of community strength led by Aboriginal women during the late 1960s.

The Council of Aboriginal Women operated with purpose and determination, gathering regularly in their Pirie Street rooms to progress issues that mattered deeply to their communities. Meetings were structured yet grounded in reality, balancing formal governance, such as confirming minutes and managing finances, with practical discussions about education, housing, travel, and community wellbeing.

Education was a recurring priority. Conversations around scholarships and studentships reflected a shared commitment to creating pathways for younger generations, even while systemic barriers remained firmly in place. These discussions were not abstract, they were tied to advocacy, correspondence, and action, including writing to key individuals to ensure Aboriginal voices were heard and represented.

The records also highlight strong networks and collaboration. Members actively engaged with broader movements, attending national gatherings and conferences, including those focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues. These connections demonstrate a clear understanding that local action was part of a larger, national struggle for rights, recognition, and self-determination.

What stands out most is the strength of relational leadership. Women travelled across Adelaide and beyond, attending meetings, building partnerships, and advocating for their community, often using limited resources. They shared responsibilities, supported one another, and ensured the organisation continued to function despite challenges.

These records are more than administrative notes, they are a testament to resilience, agency, and collective care. They show Aboriginal women not only responding to the conditions of the time but actively shaping change: creating spaces of support, amplifying community voices, and laying foundations that would contribute to broader movements for justice and equality.