By Dongyun Kwon
Healesville Aboriginal woman is named on the list for public artwork subjects.
The Victorian Government will fund six new public artworks to honour women’s contributions to Victoria through the Victorian Women’s Public Art Program and has opened a vote to decide which inspiring women’s stories should become the subjects.
The late Aunty Dorothy ‘Dot’ Peters AM, a widely loved and respected Yarra Yarra woman who spent most of her childhood in the Healesville region, has been named on the list for her efforts for First Nations people and culture.
During her lifetime, she devoted herself to having First Nations peoples’ contributions to the armed forces formally recognised as well as to pass Indigenous cultural practices and knowledge down through generations.
Aunty Dot’s father, Vincent, was a Yorta Yorta man who fought in the Second World War and was captured and died as a prisoner of war on the Burma (Myanmar) Railway.
Like many Aboriginal service people at the time, Vincent’s sacrifice went unacknowledged and his family was not awarded the same compensation as those of other servicemen.
Aunty Dot and then-president of the Healesville RSL retired Flight Sergeant Sam Halim held the first remembrance service to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women in Healesville in 2006.
In the following year, the service, now called Victorian National Aboriginal Service, was taken by the Shrine of Remembrance and has been held at the Shrine of Remembrance annually since then, which has been spread nationally.
This year, it was held successfully on Friday 31 May, having about 300 attendees including the federal attorney general Mark Dreyfus KC, which was the first time a representative from the Federal Government came to the service.
Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Committee chairman Dr Andrew Peters, who is also the son of Aunty Dot, said he was happy with the progress of the service for a couple of reasons when Star Mail interviewed him after the service in early June.
“One, because it’s something that my mum started. I’m very proud of her role in creating it,” he said.
“But more importantly, it’s become such a big event with so many different people involved that recognise the service of Aboriginal people in serving Australia in our war efforts.”
Aunty Dot learned how to weave traditional baskets and eel traps from her grandmother at Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve and later hosted workshops to pass these skills and traditions onto younger generations.
She was an Aboriginal educator at a local primary school and wrote a Dreaming story about how Badger Creek got its smooth rocks and clear water.
Aunty Dot passed away in 2019.
The Victorian Women’s Public Art Program is addressing the underrepresentation of women artists and women in public art, along with gender stereotypes about women’s achievements as fewer than two per cent of close to 600 statues in Melbourne’s public spaces currently represent women.
“Creating a permanent record of the excellence and leadership of Victorian women shows future generations of women and girls what is possible – if you can see it, you can be it,” Women minister Natalie Hutchins said.
“As we can only choose six, I hope by opening the decision-making process to the public we can expose even more people to the stories of inspiring Victorian women who all deserve to be celebrated and remembered.”
To find out more about the 13 women’s stories and vote for Aunty Dot, visit engage.vic.gov.au/womens-public-art-program
