Indigenous activist Bonita Mabo dies

Prestigious Indigenous and South Sea Islander activist Bonita Mabo has died.

Mabo was the co-founder of Australia’s first Indigenous community school, the Black Community School in Townsville.

She worked alongside her husband, the late Indigenous land rights activist Edward Mabo.

Bonita Mabo’s death comes just days after she received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from James Cook University. The honour is the university’s highest awards and comes in recognition for her advocacy work for Indigenous schooling and campaigning for the rights of Indigenous Australians and Australian South Sea Islanders.

“It is with a heavy heart that the ASSIPJ Board write to extend our condolences to the Mabo family for the loss of their Mother, Sister, Aunty, Cousin and Grandmother on this very day,” Australian South Sea Islanders said in a statement online.

“Aunty Bonita's contribution to social justice and human rights for First Nations People and the Australian South Sea Islander recognition was monumental and relentless. A formidable 'Woman Tanna' Aunty Bonita will be greatly missed as Australia has lost one of the greatest matriarchs of all time. "Tuff Tumas.”