Mollie Dyer

Mollie Geraldine Dyer, later known as "Auntie Mollie," was born in 1927 in Barmah, Victoria, Australia, of Yorta Yorta descent. She was the daughter of Margaret Tucker, an Aboriginal activist involved in establishing the Australian Aborigines League, and Philip Tucker, an Irishman. Dyer grew up in Hawthorn and Hastings and was educated at a convent school in Abbotsford, where she was the only Aboriginal pupil. She would frequently travel to New South Wales to stay with her mother's family at Cummeragunja Mission. When Dyer's father was serving overseas during World War II, Dyer, aged 15, left school to enter the workforce, where she experienced significant racism. ==Career and advocacy==

In the 1960s and 1970s, Dyer worked with a group of fellow Aboriginal women to establish and deliver services to the Aboriginal community despite a lack of funding. In 1966, Dyer accepted a full-time position with the Aborigines Advancement League, continuing and formalising her welfare work. Dyer worked to establish the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) in 1981. In the 1980s, Dyer was a respected elder and spokesperson. She was part of the group that established the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre in Halls Gap and held positions on numerous boards and committees. She also organised several awareness-raising conferences for public servants. ==Personal life==

Dyer's first marriage, to Alan Burns in 1947, produced six children, all of whom were to become involved in Aboriginal community work and activism. She later married Charlie Dyer. In addition to her six biological children, Dyer fostered 20 more children. ==Recognition and honours==

Dyer was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 1979 in recognition of service to the Aboriginal community. She received the International Year of the Child Award and the Advance Australia Medal. The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency headquarters was named in her honour. ==Death and legacy==

Dyer died in 1998. According to her entry in the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll, "Through her efforts she challenged institutionalised prejudices at the highest levels, forging a legacy of respect and understanding that lives on today". In 2012, she was inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll. A street in the ACT suburb of Bonner is named after her. ==References==