Jean Aileen Little

Little was born in 1941 at the Presbyterian Mission in the small Aboriginal community of Mapoon in the Western Cape of Cape York Peninsular. Mapoon was a former Mission town but prior to the 'Burning of Mapoon'{{cite web|title=Mapoon History |work=Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council |url=http://www.mapoon.com/37.html |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004230504/http://www.mapoon.com/37.html |archive-date=October 4, 2013 }}{{cite web | title =Mapoon: the burning of a community | work =Solidarity Magazine #7 – Rudd pushed Howard's policies | publisher =Solidarity.net.au | date =September 2008 | url =http://www.solidarity.net.au/7/mapoon-the-burning-of-a-community/ | access-date = October 2, 2013}}{{cite web | last =Ganter | first =Regina | title =Mapoon (1891–1919) | work =German Missionaries in Queensland | publisher =Griffith University | url =http://missionaries.griffith.edu.au/qld-mission/mapoon-1891-1919 | access-date = October 2, 2013}} Little with her family moved to the Torres Strait island of Thursday Island. From there she left to Melbourne, Victoria after having successfully completed her nursing training at St. Andrew's War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane{{cite web|url=http://www.uchealth.com.au/sawmh/ |title=St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital |publisher=Uchealth.com.au |date=September 27, 2008 |access-date=October 2, 2013}} (for which, in 1966, she won a study scholarship from then Queensland Peanut Marketing Board and Trans Australian Airlines).

Little is known for her extensive community work in the health, as a consultant on Cultural Awareness across the corporate sector, advocacy against deaths in custody and involvement within politics in relation to Indigenous Affairs. Little has also worked in a number of public service positions including the Canberra Institute for Criminology, Department of Community Services and the Department of Health & Ageing. She is also a former Executive Officer of Mapoon Shire Council.{{cite web | last =Smith | first =Wayne | title =State gives council status to township it tried to destroy | work =The Courier-Mail | publisher =Trudy and Rod Bray | date =November 8, 1999 | url =http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2@paradigm4.com.au/msg01778.html | access-date = October 2, 2013}}

Little is a Life Member of the now closed Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) Australia's peak body in alcohol and substance abuse and misuse research, and in 2012 she was elected by her peers to be the first Aboriginal woman to sit on the Board of Directors.{{cite web|url=http://www.adca.org.au/about-adca/adca-board |title=Governance |publisher=ADCA |date= |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005001058/http://www.adca.org.au/about-adca/adca-board |archive-date=October 5, 2013 }} In 2005 she was an ambassador to the 25th International Montessori Congress in Sydney.{{cite web|last=Little |first=Jean Aileen |title=25th International Montessori Congress Papers |publisher=Jean Aileen Little OAM |date=July 2005 |url=http://www.montessori-ami.org/congress/2005Sydney/CongressPapersJL.pdf |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011940/http://www.montessori-ami.org/congress/2005Sydney/CongressPapersJL.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2013 }}

Little currently sits on a number of community led committees who advocate against the use of excessive force from Police Officers on prison or watch-house inmates. She also sits on the Thancoupie Bursary Fund committee,[http://www.thancoupiebursary.com Thancoupie's Bursary Fund |] a bursary in honour of late Queenslander{{cite web|url=http://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/2008-recipients/#_thancoupie-gloria-fletcher-james |title=2008 Queensland Greats recipients | About Queensland and its government | Queensland Government |publisher=Qld.gov.au |date= |access-date=October 2, 2013}} and celebrated Australian ceramicist Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James AO.{{cite web|url=http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/insidethecollection/2011/05/thancoupie-thanakupi-the-potter-1937-2011/ |title=Thancoupie (Thanakupi) the Potter (1937–2011) « Inside the collection – Powerhouse Museum |publisher=Powerhousemuseum.com |date=May 16, 2011 |access-date=October 2, 2013}} Little is a former Chair of the Cape York District Health Council, now known as the Cape York Hospital and Health Service Board.{{cite web|url=http://www.health.qld.gov.au/capeyork/default.asp |title=Home Page – Cape York Hospital and Health Service |publisher=Health.qld.gov.au |date= |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004221344/http://www.health.qld.gov.au/capeyork/default.asp |archive-date=October 4, 2013 }} She was also one of the original signatories of the Western Cape Communities Co-existence Agreement{{cite web|url=http://www.westerncape.com.au/western_cape_trust.html |title=WCCCA | our country...our future |publisher=Westerncape.com.au |date= |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005022550/http://www.westerncape.com.au/western_cape_trust.html |archive-date=October 5, 2013 }} (also known as the Western Cape Communities Trust), and was also one of the original signatories from the Tjungundji tribe of Mapoon for the DOGIT or Deed of Grant in Trust agreement, which enabled local Aboriginal people in communities to manage traditional land and receive royalties/reparations for mining activities.

File:Ms. Little performing at the National Poetry Slam, Queensland State Finals in 2011..jpg

In 1995, Little received a local "Citizen of the Year" award. Little is a Life Member of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. In 1997 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her work in Aboriginal health and the community.

In 2011 Little, also a writer and poet,{{cite web|url=http://tropicalwriters.com/member-bios |title=Member Bios | Tropical Writers Inc |publisher=Tropicalwriters.com |date=November 24, 2012 |access-date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213801/http://tropicalwriters.com/member-bios |archive-date=October 4, 2013 }} was selected as one of Queensland's State Finalists for the National Poetry Slam. She performed at the State Finals at the State Library of Queensland.

In 2013 Little was awarded the Queensland's Speaker's Inspiring Women Award for the electorate Queensland state electorate of Barron River.{{Cite web |title=Barron River electorate resident Jean Little has been honoured with a Queensland Speaker's Inspirational Women's Award. |work=michaeltrout.com.au |url= http://michaeltrout.com.au/PrintArticle.asp?Id=128 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012204113/http://michaeltrout.com.au/PrintArticle.asp?Id=128 |archive-date=2014-10-12 |language=en }}

In 2014 Ms Little was announced as one of the state finalists for the 2015 Queensland Australian of the Year Awards in the Senior Australian of the Year division.{{Cite web |title=Finalists praised in the Queensland Australian of the Year Awards |work=Ministerial Media Statements |publisher=Queensland Government |date=2014-10-07 |access-date=2021-04-22 |url= https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/75335 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2015 QLD Senior Australian of the Year Nominee: Jean Little OAM |work=Australian of the Year |url= https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=1170 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303114750if_/https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=1170 |archive-date=2020-03-03 |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web | title =ADCA (Home Page)

| publisher =The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia | url =http://www.adca.org.au/ | access-date = October 2, 2013}}

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Category:1941 births

Category:Living people

Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia