Aunty Iris named on Aboriginal Honour Roll

BELOVED Baarkindji woman, Elder and Bendigo resident Aunty Iris Bysouth has been recognised for her work serving the First Nations community over many decades by being inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.

Ms Bysouth is a survivor of the Stolen Generations who has dedicated her life to supporting Aboriginal people in Victoria.

After working on farms from an early age, she took on her first office job with Member for Dromana David Hasset in the early 1980s before moving to the Commonwealth Employment Service (now Centrelink), where she stayed for almost 30 years.

She then worked at Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-Operative Limited, becoming a board and lifetime member, and relocated to Bendigo in 2011.

She has since served the local community in many roles, including as chair of the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Corporation (BDAC) and as Koorie Liaison Officer at the former Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre.

Currently Ms Bysouth is an essential part of the Bringing Them Home program at BDAC, a job she has occupied for many years.

When she first heard about her induction, Ms Bysouth said she felt overwhelmed.

“I didn’t know how to accept it or how to react,” she said. “I kept thinking, why me?

“I went through all sorts of emotions. I never thought I’d ever be recognised like this.”

Commenting on her career of giving, she said she initially thought she could never do office work due to her limited schooling.

“But that MP saw something in me,” she said. “He said, ‘if I get voted out, I’m going to get you into the Commonwealth Employment Service’.

“I didn’t believe it at first. I thought, how can that happen? But he told me, ‘you won’t be going back to the fields’.

“That moment changed everything. I realised I had a path forward.”

These days Ms Bysouth remains passionate about her work at BDAC, where she helps First Nations people reconnect with their identity, culture and families.

“A lot of them have been adopted out, or taken away, and don’t know where they’re from,” she said.

“We start from scratch; many don’t even have birth certificates or ID.

“We get their documents in place and start tracing their family. We talk about their mob, create family trees, and help them understand who they are and where they come from.

“It’s emotional work, but it’s powerful. This job, this space, feels like home.”

Looking back, Ms Bysouth reflected on how far she’s come since picking fruit and vegetables to make ends meet.

“At the start, I was ashamed. I didn’t think I was good enough,” she said.

“Now I tell people who come through my office, don’t be ashamed. You can do this. You can be somebody.

“Even if you’ve experienced trauma or disconnection, you’re still part of us. We’ll find you.

“I think that’s why I was honoured, because I never stopped helping others.

“Even when I was struggling, I tried to lift someone else up. That’s just who I am.”