To mark the first anniversary of the passing of Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG, it was announced this week that her life and legacy will be commemorated in an inaugural exhibition in her honour.

Dr O'Donoghue, a Yankunytjatjara woman and one of Australia's most respected and prominent Aboriginal leaders, passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on Kaurna Country, Adelaide, in her home state of South Australia.

Described by her associates and colleagues as, "the greatest Aboriginal leader of the modern era", "a powerful and unrelenting advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people', and "an outstanding leader and visionary", Dr Donoghue left behind a nation that are still mourning the loss of "a leader's leader" and "a national living treasure".

Head of the Lowitja O'Donoghue Foundation, and Dr O'Donoghue's niece, Deb Edwards, told National Indigenous Times that the exhibition and honouring her aunt's legacy is "really significant".

"Her legacy for her work in health and in Aboriginal Affairs in this country is huge. She just opened so many doors and created so many pathways that it was very important for us to make sure that her legacy lived on," she said.

"It's one of the reasons why we created the Foundation in 2022 when she was 90 and was still with us. We did that when she was still with us so that she was involved in the process, and she would want for her legacy to go on and to be able to help others.

"Everything she did was for her people. Everything she did. She wasn't a self-centred person, and it was always about helping her people.

"And her achievements, really, many of them have not ever been matched, and so it is really important to highlight them, and particularly for the younger and the future generations. My aunt was 91, so people in that age demographic from probably 50 years up, or their parents, knew of what she did, but a lot of the younger generation don't.

"I went to the CATSINaM, the Congress of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, at the end of last year to present an award in her name and to speak at that dinner. And there were so many young nurses there who did not know who she was, but by standing up and telling her story and showing a video of her, they were completely transfixed on that and had no idea that somebody had opened those doors. So, it is really important for that regard, and I know that she would be wanting me to educate and share her stories, whether good or bad, you know, triumphant or difficult, with as many people as possible, so that those stories live on. And it is through storytelling that we learn."

Ms Edwards said Dr O'Donoghue would want people to take from the exhibition the lesson that "you can achieve what you want to do… that you shouldn't let barriers stand in your way".

"You know this is a woman who was told when she was 16 years old, when she was leaving the mission home that she lived in to go into domestic service, which was not her choice, that she wasn't going to amount to anything," she said.

"And if you look at her life as it went on, there was absolutely nothing that stopped her, absolutely nothing - as hard as it was, and her full experience of trying to get into the Royal Adelaide Hospital to become the first Aboriginal nurse there was so painful for her, but once she was in, she went on to achieve triple certificate qualifications in nursing, midwifery and mental health, and was the best there.

"Then she realised there were many other things that she could do, and that her purpose was much higher than that, although she loved what she was doing, of course, in the nursing field. I know that that's what she would want people to know from hearing her story and seeing all the things that she did; is that you can absolutely be whatever you want to be, and if you have a purpose in mind and you think that that's what you should be doing, you just go for it, and you don't stop. And your determination and your grit will get you there."

At her State memorial service on 8 March last year at St Peter's Cathedral on Kaurna Country, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Dr O'Donoghue's legacy, describing her as "one of the great rocks around which the river of our history has gently bent".

One year on, Dr O'Donoghue's remarkable life and lasting impact will be remembered and honoured in the exhibition portraying her most iconic, triumphant, and heartbreaking moments from childhood, a career in health, Indigenous activism, high-profile leadership, and stellar career in Australian Aboriginal Affairs.

The exhibition titled 'LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy' will be held at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery managed by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, University of South Australia in Adelaide, from 4 June to 25 July 2025. The exhibition is proudly presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, in partnership with the Lowitja O'Donoghue Foundation and Lowitja Institute, with the support of principal sponsor, the Government of South Australia.

An existing connection to the Hawke Centre, creates a special union for the presentation of this inaugural exhibition. Dr O'Donoghue was a longtime friend and Patron of the Hawke Centre and had a close professional and personal relationship with the late Hon Bob Hawke AC, the former Prime Minister of Australia.

Mr Hawke presented Dr O'Donoghue with her 1984 Australian of the Year Award and throughout the years, their respect and admiration for each other never waned.

The former Prime Minister, born in South Australia, greatly valued the esteemed Dr O'Donoghue, who was born at De Rose Hill on the APY Lands (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara), before she was removed from her mother at the age of two and taken to Colebrook Children's Home in South Australia's Flinders Ranges.

Throughout decades working in health and Aboriginal Affairs, determinedly devoting her life to the betterment of her people, Dr O'Donoghue collected and retained landmark reports, images, video and audio footage, unique memorabilia, papers and certificates, which now form part of her large personal collection of historical archives housed within Special Collections at the National Library of Australia on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, ACT.

Ms Edwards shares a vision for ensuring that the rare, deep and raw history contained within Dr O'Donoghue's collection is drawn upon to educate present and future generations with bold truth-telling through the life story of a strong-minded young girl whose experiences shaped her into a leader who walked tall, unwaveringly and compassionately.

"Dr O'Donoghue was a trailblazing Aboriginal woman who was told she would never amount to anything. Throughout an exceedingly difficult early life, she evolved into a person with incredible internal strength, whose main aim was to always fight for justice and a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," Ms Edwards said.

"Her meticulous diligence and desire to 'do things properly' resulted in the existence of this collection, which holds such a wealth of information about the history of Aboriginal Affairs in Australia… this exhibition is the perfect occasion to remember and honour her a year after her passing, whilst also providing an educational opportunity for school groups, Aboriginal community and professional groups, corporate and community organisations and the broader general public to learn more about an extraordinary South Australian Aboriginal woman whose notable achievements were recognised globally."

Dr O'Donoghue's pioneering achievements included being: the first Aboriginal person permitted to train as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, who then obtained triple certificate qualifications in nursing, midwifery, and mental health; the first Aboriginal woman invested as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM); appointed the inaugural Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC); the first Aboriginal person to address the United Nations General Assembly; 1984 Australian of the Year, invested into the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), named an Australian National Living Treasure, Awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE), and Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great (DSG – a Papal Honour by Pope John Paul II)

She also played a key role in negotiating and drafting Native Title legislation in Australia that arose from the High Court's historic Mabo decision.

The exhibition content will feature vision of a selection of Dr O'Donoghue's landmark speeches and media interviews, historic items of personal clothing and awards, items of cultural and political significance, newspaper clippings and quotes, and never seen before photographs, letters, and reports.

Themes within the exhibition will include Stolen Generations, Nursing and Health, Aboriginal Affairs, ATSIC, Significant Achievements, Family, and Indigenous Peoples.

The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre executive director, Jacinta Thompson, said the exhibition "celebrates the remarkable life of the late Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, a true pioneer and tireless advocate for justice, health, and equality".

"It is an honour for The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre to host this exhibition… As a member of the Advisory Committee of the Aboriginal Task Force, she played a key role in ensuring that one of the University's core functions would be to provide education programs that meet the needs of Aboriginal people," she said.

"Through her extraordinary legacy, Dr O'Donoghue has inspired generations, not only within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities but across the wider Australian community - fostering greater understanding, respect, and reconciliation."

The exhibition coincides with the end of 2025 National Reconciliation Week (27 May–3 June) and aligns with the Lowitja Institute 4th International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre (16-19 June), and 2025 National NAIDOC Week (6-13 July).