Alice Eather Explained

Alice Pearl Daiguma Eather (1988/1989 – 4 June 2017) was an Aboriginal Australian slam poet, environmental campaigner, and teacher.

Early life and education

Alice Pearl Daiguma Eather was born in 1988 or 1989 in Brisbane, Queensland, to Helen Djimbarrwala Willams and Michael Eather, an artist and gallery-owner with European ancestors who arrived on the Second Fleet.

She was educated in Brisbane.

Career

Eather moved to Maningrida, Northern Territory to become the first Ndjebbana-speaking Aboriginal teacher, and performed as a slam poet.[1]

In writing, she contributed poetry to the anthology Growing Up Aboriginal In Australia (2018), edited by Anita Heiss.[2]

Activism

In 2013 Eather started Protect Arnhem Land, an anti-fracking campaign group against Paltar Petroleum.[3] It was successful in convincing the Northern Territory government to suspend the application pending agreement with the local population; further campaigning eventually led to Paltar withdrawing the application in 2016.

Recognition

In 2014 Eather received the Northern Territory Young Achiever's Environment Award for her work in preventing oil exploration of Arnhem Land.

She appeared in the ABC television programme The Word: Rise of the Slam Poets.[4]

Death

Eather died aged 28 on 4 June 2017 in Maningrida as a result of suicide, after having suffered from anxiety and depression on and off throughout her life. She was close to her two sisters, Noni and Grace.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The slam poet who forced big oil out of Arnhem Land. Bardon. the National Reporting Team's Jane. 2017-06-10. ABC News. en-AU. 2020-01-13. 11 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111190217/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-10/the-slam-poet-who-forced-big-oil-out-of-arnhem-land/8606356 . live.
  2. Web site: 2020-01-13. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss Black Inc.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200113083706/https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/growing-aboriginal-australia. 2020-01-13. 2020-01-13.
  3. Web site: Jane Bardon. 9 June 2017. Alice Eather: The slam poet who forced oil company Paltar Petroleum out of Arnhem Land . ABC News. 13 January 2020. 11 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111190217/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-10/the-slam-poet-who-forced-big-oil-out-of-arnhem-land/8606356. live.
  4. Web site: The Word Rise of the Slam Poets . 2020-01-15 . ABC iview. en. 15 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200115140355/https://iview.abc.net.au/show/word-rise-of-the-slam-poets. live.
  5. Web site: Vale Alice Eather: Aboriginal poet, teacher and warrior. 2020-01-13. 24 June 2017. 13 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200113164920/https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/vale-alice-eather-aboriginal-poet-teacher-and-warrior. live.
  6. News: Petersen . Freya . Alice Eather: Anti-fracking activist's 'black dog' never left her, family says . 13 January 2020 . ABC . September 18, 2017 . 16 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190516094652/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-25/alice-eather-aboriginal-suicide-brisbane-maningrida-fracking/8719016 . live .

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