Congratulations to Professor Ann McGrath for recently being awarded a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia, for significant services to tertiary education and to the social sciences as an academic and researcher in Indigenous history.

I could not have achieved anything without a supportive family and generous mentors and colleagues.  It's been a particular honour working with Aboriginal people who wanted their history to be better known by the wider community. Amy Laurie, a Gurindji woman, was one of the first to share her rich life experiences with me, partly because her grandchildren did not believe she was a highly regarded drover. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a great inspiration; she fought for equal rights and an equal place in national narratives, for she wanted her people's epic stories to be recognised as histories and part of Australian history.

Further information on Ann's award can be read here.