Connie Bush

{{Short description|Australian Aboriginal health worker}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

Constance Doreen Bush {{postnominals|MBE}} (1919 – 1997) was an Australian aboriginal health worker.{{cite web |last1= |title=Bush, Constance (Connie) Doreen |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0374b.htm |website=The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia |publisher=The University of Melbourne |access-date=1 August 2023 |language=en-gb}}{{cite web |last1= |title=Bush, Constance (Connie) Doreen |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE5004b.htm |website=The Australian Women's Register |publisher=National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of Melbourne |access-date=1 August 2023 |language=en-gb}}

Bush was born in 1919 at Borroloola. Her mother, Norah, was a Garrwa and her father, Tom Turner, was a mounted police constable. Connie and her mother were separated in 1924, and never saw each other again.{{Cite web |title=Tom Turner |url=https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collection/archives/provenances/aa342 |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.samuseum.sa.gov.au}} Bush was raised at the mission in Groote Eylandt.{{Cite journal |last=Dewar |first=Mickey |date=2005 |title=You in Your Small Corner: The Love Song of Alfred J Dyer: Early Days of Church Mission Society Missions to the Aborigines of Arnhem Land |url=http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p13661/pdf/hrj-ch05.pdf |journal=Humanities Research |volume=XII |issue=1 |doi=10.22459/HR.XII.01.2005.04|doi-access=free }}

A street in Alyangula, Northern Territory, is named in her honour.{{cite web |title=Map of Connie Bush St Alyangula, NT 0885 |url=https://www.whereis.com/nt/alyangula-0885/connie-bush-st?mode=walking |website=www.whereis.com |access-date=1 August 2023}}

Bush was appointed MBE in the 1981 Birthday Honours "for services to Aboriginal women".{{London Gazette |issue=48640 |date=12 June 1981 |page=38 |supp=y }}

In 1990, Bush published several short works, including two autobiographical works, in a special issue of Australian Short Stories on Aboriginal Short Stories, edited by Bruce Pascoe. The volume was dedicated to Bush and to Maureen Watson.{{cite journal |title=Aboriginal Short Stories |journal=Australian Short Stories |date=1990 |volume=32 |pages=1–80 |url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C308731 |via=Austlit | access-date=25 June 2024}}