It is with profound sadness and respect that VACCHO acknowledges the passing of cherished Gunditjmara Elder, Aunty Frances Gallagher.

Aunty Frances born in Bendigo in 1926, one of Violet Ella Winters’ eight children. She was an adored mother to 10 children, including VACCHO CEO Dr Jill Gallagher AO who will forever be inspired by her mother’s strength, determination and resilience. She was also a proud grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother.

Returning to the Dreaming at 99 years of age, Aunty Frances defied all odds. She survived the government forcibly taking away six of her children and lived on a mission in Framlingham in western Victoria, where she was denied learning or passing on of her cultural knowledge, and speaking her language. And she survived job insecurity, travelling across Gunaikurnai Country in southeast Victoria to follow seasonal vegetable picking work – before eventually settling in Fitzroy in the 1960s, where she found work in one of the many Collingwood factories.

Aunty Frances was a fierce advocate for her Community. In the 1970s and 1980s, she jumped on the growing momentum in Victoria to establish Aboriginal Community-controlled health services to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people. She welcomed the opportunity to work in culturally safe organisations run by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people.

During this time, she also worked at a number of Aboriginal hostels for women and children escaping violence or homelessness, and for vulnerable young women in the criminal justice system at risk of being placed into care.

Then in 1982, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) opened Koorie Kollij to train Aboriginal Community Health workers – and at 60 years of age, Aunty Frances was one of the first to enrol.

She was also one of the first Elders to serve on the Broadmeadows Koorie Court in 2004. She encouraged offenders’ sense of self-worth and reinforced their responsibilities to family and Community.

In her later years, Aunty Frances advocated for the welfare of Victorian Elders. Led by her friend Iris Lovett-Gardiner, she campaigned for government support to establish culturally appropriate care for Elders. It’s because of them we now have Aboriginal Community Elders Service (ACES), opened in Brunswick in 1991. She later served as an ACES Board member and eventually became a much-loved resident.

Even in her eighties, Aunty Frances’ curiosity and drive never dimmed. She earned a Diploma in Visual Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, and over the years, her art found its place in several exhibitions.

We will remember Aunty Frances for her staunch spirit, her compassionate heart, and for standing up for what was right – calling out injustice and discrimination whenever she saw it.

As we honour her life, VACCHO remains committed to carrying forward her wisdom, leadership, strength, and unwavering commitment to Community.