Sonia Smallacombe.
Sonia Smallacombe will be the new AFTRS Elder in Residence, following the departure of Uncle Bruce Pascoe.
Smallacombe will make her first address next week at Black Talk, where she will discuss her diverse life experiences leading and representing Indigenous people across Australia and internationally at the United Nations in New York.
Smallacombe is a member of the Maramanindji people from the Daly River region of the Northern Territory. Prior to joining the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in November 2005, Smallacombe was a senior lecturer in the School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Charles Darwin University in Darwin, where she taught in a number of subjects including Northern perspectives (a political, social and environment overview of Northern Australia), Indigenous history and contemporary Indigenous studies.
Smallacombe worked at the United Nations in New York as a Social Affairs Officer for 11 years, and returned to Australia in 2017. She is the mother of Penny Smallacombe, Screen Australia’s head of Indigenous and AFTRS graduate.
The final Black Talk of the year will also feature a conversation with two Torres Strait Islander storytellers, Aaron Fa’Aoso and Bernard Namok Jnr. Head of AFTRS Indigenous Kyas Sherriff will host the conversation to gain Fa’Aoso and Namok Jnr’s insights into the world of remote Indigenous broadcasting and diverse television creations.
Sherriff said: “Sonia will bring cultural integrity, knowledge and awareness to this vital role. As our second Elder in Residence it was important to have a respected female Elder following the departure of Uncle Bruce Pascoe. I am excited by the knowledge Sonia will be able to share with the students and broader community.”
BLACK TALK: TORRES STRAIT STORYTELLING
When: Wednesday October 16 4.00‐5.30pm
Where: AFTRS, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
Further details: https://www.aftrs.edu.au/event/black-talk/