The Goldfields Aboriginal community is much poorer for the recent passing of Sadie Canning MBE.  

“The GLSC passes its deepest sympathies to her family. Few people have contributed as much as Ms Canning did to the well-being of Goldfields indigenous people,” said CEO Brian Wyatt.  

Born at Laverton, Ms Canning was brought up at the Mount Margaret Mission, when she had only intermittent contact with her parents who lived on the surrounding country of her Wongatha people.  

She went on to become the State’s first indigenous hospital matron when she was appointed to the position at Leonora Hospital in 1958, two years after she began there as a nursing sister. She worked at the hospital for 32 years until her retirement in 1990. Ms Canning completed her nursing training in Melbourne because as an Aboriginal person she was not accepted into a position in Western Australia . She was awarded an MBE in 1964 for her service to nursing.  

She was extremely proud of her heritage and maintained a strong connection to her country and family. In the 2003 publication Ngayaku Kapi – stories from the north-east Goldfields Ms Canning was quoted as saying nursing at Leonora provided the ‘opportunity to reconnect with my Wongatha roots’.  

She was a claimant for the Wongatha native title claim, was a staunch advocate for the recognition of Aboriginal people and their land-based culture, and was always available for providing wise counsel to other indigenous people and a wide range of associates in non-Aboriginal society, including politicians and leaders of industry and community.  

“Her strong advocacy for maintaining connection to land came from two directions: first, her own view that land and identity are central to Aboriginal culture; and second, this was also a core philosophy of missionary Rodolphe Schenk who established the Mount Margaret Mission where she spent her childhood.  

“Schenk was deeply concerned about the corruptive influence that Western society would have on Aboriginal people. The fears of Schenk and Ms Canning have proven prophetic,” Mr Wyatt said.  

‘You have an indefinable connection to your own country, drawn from what you have learnt from parents, relatives and other Wongatha people all through your life.’  – Ms Canning.

Media contact: Brian Wyatt 0417 970413; David Berry 0417 963089