Djaara matriarch Aunty Fay Carter to be farewelled in state funeral

Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta elder Aunty Fay Carter will be honoured with a state funeral on Wednesday, June 12 at the Ulumbarra Theatre at 10am.

The revered advocate for Victoria's Aboriginal communities passed away at the age of 89.

Aunty Fay was involved in the negotiations for a native title settlement which recognised more than 1,000 generations of Aboriginal history in Victoria and the Dja Dja Wurrung as the Traditional Owners of much of central Victoria.

She has served as president of the Victorian branch of the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance (NAIDOC) Committee and was a founding member of Australia's first Aboriginal women's refuge.

She served as Chair of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) for 10 years.

She was inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll in 2013 and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2019.

In 2022, Aunty Fay contributed to the Yoorrook Justice Commission, calling for history to be taught right from the beginning.

She said her ancestors were forcibly removed from their families or massacred.

"I sometimes think to myself, 'we are the kindest people, to be able to know what happened to our people, and still survive'," she told the commission.

"It is important not to forget your past. It does not matter how painful it is. If you bury our past, you bury our ancestors without a thought."

Premier Jacinta Allan said Aunty Fay was the epitome of generosity.

"She was so overwhelmingly generous - with her time, her wisdom and her work," she said.

"We wouldn't have the Victoria we do, without her."

City of Greater Bendigo mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf and chief executive Andrew Cooney paid their respects to Aunty Fay in a joint statement.

"Aunty Fay was an incredible advocate for her community and her career contributed to enhancing programs and services that supported Aboriginal people through key ages and stages of life," they said.

"Aunty Fay's extraordinary passion and determination to look after her people and culture are seen in the next generations of her family; her spirit and outstanding contribution lives on in them."

At the request of the Carter family and in lieu of flowers, tributes could be made in the form of a contribution to the Aboriginal Community Elders Services via acesinc.org.au/about-us/donate.

The funeral would be open to the public and would be livestreamed at vic.gov.au/AuntyFay.