Traditional owner who helped promote birding at NT Parliament opening

Good morning

Stephanie Thompson-Nganjmirra, a Larrakia elder, was integral in helping her husband’s people, the Kunwinjku of western Arnhem Land, in getting to know the birders who came to visit my house in the 80s and 90s. They were too uncomfortable around white strangers to even talk to them. But Stephanie, who grew up in Darwin and had travelled the world playing sport, was integral in breaking down those barriers. Consequently the Reverend P. Nganjmirra and other traditional owners decided to open their country to birders.

Stephanie and I will be giving the ‘welcome to country’ at the opening of NT Parliament tomorrow morning, if any Birding-Aussers are present and wish to pay their respects to her.

Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
043 8650 835

PhD candidate, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW.

Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
Nominated by Earthfoot for Condé Nast’s International Ecotourism Award, 2004.
Liaison Officer, NT Field Naturalists’ Club

With every introduction of a plant or animal that goes feral this continent becomes a little less unique, a little less Australian.