Kathy Mills facts for kids

Kathleen Mary Mills OAM (born April 6, 1936 – died April 24, 2022), also known as Mooradoop and Aunty Kathy, was an important Aboriginal leader, singer, and activist from Australia. She was a respected elder in her community. Aunty Kathy came from a very musical family, and several of her daughters became famous as the Mills Sisters.

Early Life of Kathy Mills

Kathleen Mary McGinness, who later became known as Kathy Mills, was born on April 6, 1936, in Katherine, Australia. Her traditional name was Mooradoop.

Her grandparents were Stephen McGinness, an Irish sailor, and Lucy McGinness, a respected Aboriginal elder. Lucy's children included many important leaders. Kathy's father was John Francis "Jack" McGinness, who was also known as Kingulawuy. He was an activist and the first Aboriginal union leader elected in the Northern Territory in 1955.

Kathy's mother was Kingarli, later called Polly Wakelin. She was a Gurindji woman who was taken from her home at Wave Hill Station to a place called Kahlin Compound. This made her part of the Stolen Generations, a time when many Aboriginal children were sadly removed from their families. Even though she went through this, Kathy's mother shared her rich Aboriginal culture with her children.

Kathy Mills was connected to the Kungarakany people through her paternal grandmother and the Gurindji people through her mother.

Kathy Mills' Important Work

Kathy Mills worked hard to help her community. She was a strong supporter of services that helped people with health and wellbeing challenges. She was key in starting the FORWAARD support centre in Darwin in 1967.

She was the first woman elected to the Northern Land Council, an important group that looks after Aboriginal land rights. Kathy also helped to create Batchelor College, which is now a big institute for Indigenous education.

Kathy Mills was a co-commissioner for the Northern Territory in the Stolen Generations Inquiry. This inquiry created the Bringing Them Home report, which helped Australia understand the Stolen Generations issue better. She also worked to keep Aboriginal Australian languages alive.

She shared her stories and ideas at many Writers Festivals in the Northern Territory. In 2018, she spoke about the film Buffalo Legends, which was about men who broke down racism in sports in Darwin.

In 2020, Kathy Mills published her first book of poems, called Mookanunganuk : Selected poems by Mooradoop Kathy Mills.

A play she co-wrote, Jarradah Gooragulli – Dance of the Brolgas, was being performed in Darwin when she passed away. It was a mix of storytelling, dance, music, and language.

Awards and Special Honours

Kathy Mills received many awards for her dedication and hard work:

• 1986: NAIDOC National and Northern Territory Aboriginal of the Year.
• 2000: Centenary Medal for her services to women, Aboriginal people, art, and music.
• 2005: Inducted into the Northern Territory Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame with her husband, David.
• 2006: NT Senior Australian of the Year.
• 2019: Order of Australia Medal for helping the Indigenous community.
• March 16, 2022: Received an Honorary Doctorate from Batchelor Institute for her amazing contributions to First Nations peoples.

Family and Music

Kathy Mills was married to David, and they had 11 children. Their whole family loved music. Kathy and David were both talented singers and songwriters. David played guitar, steel guitar, ukulele, mandolin, and drums, and had a wonderful singing voice. Kathy played the ukulele.

Some of their children include:

• Allyson (Ali), who was the main singer in the family.
• Robert, who played the guitar.
• June, who is well-known in Darwin for sharing cultural knowledge, presenting Welcome to Country ceremonies, and being an artist and songwriter. June released her own album called I’ll Be The One.

The Mills Sisters

The Mills Sisters were a musical group made up of Kathy's daughters: June on guitar, Ali on ukulele, Barbara on tambourine and shakers, and Violet on Tbox (a type of bush bass). Robin Forscutt played lead guitar with them.

Their first big chance came in 1982 when they opened for the Bushwackers and Bullamakanka. They later performed as support acts for famous artists like Harry Secombe, Charlie Pride, and Tina Turner. They toured to places like Tamworth, New South Wales, where they won the Australasian Buskers Award. They also performed in Alice Springs for the Pope, and in Melbourne and Sydney.

Kathy Mills in Films

Kathy Mills and her youngest brother, Speedy McGinness, appeared in a 1999 documentary film called Wrap Me Up in Paperbark. This film was about their journey to bring their mother's remains back to her traditional Gurindji country.

In 2003, a 26-minute documentary about Kathy and her family, called Arafura Pearl, was made by Indigenous filmmaker Steven McGregor. It was part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Message Stick" series.

Kathy also featured in Blown Away (2014), a documentary about Cyclone Tracy, which caused a lot of damage in Darwin in 1974. In the film, Kathy shared how she and her family survived the cyclone by hiding in a small storeroom under their house.

Death and Lasting Legacy

Kathy Mills passed away on April 24, 2022. A memorial ceremony was held for her in Darwin by her family and friends.

Kathy was known for her amazing memory, especially for songs and important historical and cultural information. She worked tirelessly to help the community of Darwin and Aboriginal people everywhere.

Many local Aboriginal organisations in Darwin were started because of her hard work. These include the FORWAARD support service, a women's shelter, and the Danila Dilba Health Service. These organisations continue to help people today and are a big part of her legacy.

Her song "Arafura Pearl" is considered an important cultural icon by the Northern Territory Heritage Society.

In 2020, a festival called "Arafura Pearl: A Festival of Women" was created to celebrate women in Darwin. It was named after Kathy's song because of its connection to Darwin and because the Mills family had many strong women. Kathy's daughter June Mills opened the first festival.