Mick dodson
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Patrick Dodson has given a lifetime of service to the Australian community. With his trademark long flowing beard and Akubra, he has been a striking figure at the forefront of Indigenous issues. In 1975, he became Australia’s first ordained Aboriginal Catholic priest but after ongoing challenges with the ecclesiastical hierarchy over his beliefs about Catholicism and traditional Aboriginal spirituality he eventually left the priesthood. In 1977, Patrick was the founding chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and subsequently became known as the ‘Father of Australian reconciliation.’ During his chairmanship he brought together leaders within the Aboriginal, mining, religious, pastoral, and cultural communities, culminating in the historic Aboriginal Reconciliation Convention.
In 1981, he joined the Central Land Council and was later appointed director, playing a key role in many politically sensitive negotiations with the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments. His sensitive approach saw many successes for Indigenous land rights, including the return of the
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Pat Dodson
Australian politician
For the baseball player, see Pat Dodson (baseball).
Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson (born 29 January 1948) is an Australian (Yawuru[1][2]) indigenous rights activist and former politician. He was a Senator for Western Australia from 2016 to 2024, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
Dodson is a Yawuruelder from Broome, Western Australia.[3][4] He has been chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and a Commissioner into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In addition to a brief stint as a Roman Catholic priest, he was the winner of the 2008 Sydney Peace Prize and the 2009 John Curtin Medal.[5] He is the brother of Mick Dodson.
On 2 March 2016, Dodson was announced as the replacement for Joe Bullock as a Labor senator for Western Australia, following Bullock's resignation.[6] The Parliament of Western Australia appointed Dodson to the Senate on 2 May 2016.[7] On 28 November 2023, Dodson announced his retirement from the Senate, which took effect on 26 Janu
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2008 Patrick Dodson
Patrick Dodson is a Yawuru man from Broome in Western Australia. He is one of Australia’s most respected Indigenous leaders, has been recognised as a Living National Treasure, and is often warmly regarded as Australia’s ‘father of reconciliation’. He has dedicated his life work to being an advocate for constructive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples based on mutual respect, understanding and dialogue. A major figure in Indigenous affairs, Patrick has consistently shown remarkable leadership, courage and vision from a young age.
Early life
The biography Paddy’s Road shares the story of Patrick Dodson’s life and extraordinary family history. From the moment of colonisation in the Kimberleys to the era of native title, from pearling to pastoralism, through missions and institutions, Dodson’s family has survived an uncaring and intrusive state system. Dodson’s grandparents were denied their inheritance, his mother forcibly relocated, his father imprisoned and his siblings detained. His
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