Departures of note

Patsy Cameron was a Pairrebeenne/Trawlwoolway woman born in Launceston and raised on Flinders Island. She devoted her life to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal Tasmanians and to preserving and accurately recording Indigenous culture and history.

She became the first Tasmanian appointed to the landmark National Aboriginal Education Committee, and helped create the Aboriginal Studies course at the University of Tasmania as well as the Riawunna Centre for Aboriginal Education. She also wrote numerous children's books inspired by her island upbringing and detailing Tasmania's ancestral history.

In 2017 she was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) for her decades of service to improving educational outcomes for Tasmanian Aboriginal people and for her role as a custodian of cultural knowledge. She is remembered by family and colleagues as a dedicated historian and advocate committed to telling the truth and breaking down racism.