Statesman of the Torres Strait will be remembered

THE Far North is reeling from the loss of another great leader with the highly-respected Torres Strait elder George Mye passing away early Thursday morning.

Uncle George, as he was widely known, was a passionate advocate of the rights of Torres Strait Islanders and strongly supported the campaign for autonomy in the Torres Strait.

Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch knew Uncle George for many years, after the statesman approached Mr Entsch in 1995 while he was first standing for parliament.

“I visited him at a motel in Cairns where he proceeded to give me a very comprehensive briefing on a whole range of issues in relation to the Torres Strait,” Mr Entsch said.

“He was clearly one of the elder statesmen of the Torres Strait, just the most amazing man. I gave him a commitment that I would work to ensure that those issues were raised and supported.

“Over the years, he became very much one of my mentors in relation to the Torres Strait and I always took the opportunity of visiting him when I could.

“When you walked into his house he had all these certificates and awards, and whenever I sat down to discuss anything Uncle George made it very, very clear that I was there to sit down and listen. I never had the courage to argue against him, he had that sense of authority and an aura about him. When Uncle George spoke, I listened.”

Uncle George played a key role in showcasing the practises and values of traditional Torres Strait Islander culture to the world when he starred in the 1967 documentary The Islanders.

He was a life-long friend of land rights campaigner Eddie Koiki Mabo, vowing to continue the fight after Mabo’s death for secession from Queensland and the recognition of Native Title rights.

He served his community in numerous different roles, including being a Torres Strait Island Councillor for more than 20 years, ATSIC Commissioner, Eastern Islands Representative to the Islander Advisory Council, Chairman of the Islands Coordinating Council and an ongoing staunch advocate of land and sea rights for Torres Strait Islanders.

Mr Entsch said Uncle George was determined to have his voice heard at any cost, an example of which took place when Anna Bligh’s Community Cabinet visited Thursday Island last year.

Uncle George was affronted that as a senior leader who had been awarded an MBE and an OAM for his services, he did not receive an invitation to make a deputation to the then-Premier.

With the limited domestic flights booked out, he saved his money, took six pensions in advance and borrowed from friends and family to meet the $2500 cost of hiring a helicopter to fly to Thursday Island, so he could personally present his petition to the Premier.

“He was first and foremost a proud Torres Strait Islander and a very proud Australian,” Mr Entsch said. “His voice was heard not only in the Torres Strait, but right around our country through his addresses in Canberra, as well as right around the world through his visits and speeches to the United Nations.

“Uncle George has left a void that will be very difficult to fill but he has left us in a better place having made his contribution.

“I loved him dearly and this will be a profound loss for the Torres Strait,” Mr Entsch ended.

Mr Mye was 85 years old.