Laila Haglund facts for kids

Laila Haglund is an important archaeologist. She helped start a new way of doing archaeology in Australia. She also helped create the first laws in Queensland to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Early Life and Studies

Laila Haglund was born in Sweden. She first studied old languages like Latin and Greek. She also studied classical archaeology at the University of Lund. During her studies, she visited Australia. She saw many old Aboriginal stone tools. This made her change her focus to prehistory and conservation. She then studied at the University of London. She also dug at archaeological sites in Britain and Sweden. In 1965, she moved to Australia.

Broadbeach Dig: A Big Discovery

In 1965, Laila Haglund was the only archaeologist in Queensland. The University of Queensland asked her to help. They needed to dig up an important site on the Gold Coast. This site was the Broadbeach Aboriginal burial ground. It was a place where Aboriginal people had been buried long ago. Laila Haglund led the dig for several years. Her team found the remains of over 150 Aboriginal people. This was one of the biggest digs ever in Australia. Her work helped her earn two university degrees. Later, the human remains were returned to the local Aboriginal community. They were reburied in 1988. This was a very important moment for respecting Aboriginal heritage.

Protecting Aboriginal Heritage

Laila Haglund helped write the first laws to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage. These laws became the Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1967. This was a big step for protecting important sites. From 1967 to 1974, she was part of an important committee. This committee advised the Queensland government on conservation and Aboriginal affairs. She also taught at the University of Queensland.

Making Archaeology a Profession

After new heritage laws came out, Laila Haglund saw a need. She realized that archaeology in Australia needed to become a proper profession. She helped create the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc. (AACAI). This group helps archaeologists who work as consultants. She was the first president of AACAI from 1979 to 1986. She was also the first archaeologist in Australia to work only as a consultant. Today, AACAI gives out the Laila Haglund Prize. This award celebrates excellent work in consulting archaeology. It shows how much she helped the field.

Later Career

In March 2019, Laila Haglund was a senior research fellow. She worked at the University of Queensland. It seems she retired around April 2020.

Recognition

• The Laila Haglund Prize for Excellence on Consultancy was started by the AACAI in 2005. It is given out every year. It honors the best paper about consulting archaeology in Australia.