Alice Eather

Alice Pearl Daiguma Eather (1988 or 1989, Brisbane[1] - 4 June 2017) was a slam poet, environmental campaigner and teacher. She was an Indigenous Australian and a teacher in the Maningrida community.[2]

Eather's mother is an Aboriginal Traditional Owner Helen Djimbarrwala Willams and her father is artist and gallery-owner Michael Eather, who has European ancestors who arrived on the second fleet.[3] She was brought up and educated in Brisbane but moved to Maningrida to be the first Ndjebbana-speaking Aboriginal teacher.

In 2013 Eather had learnt that Paltar Petroleum had made an application to begin fracking.[4] Her campaign group, Protect Arnhem Land, was successful in convincing the Northern Territory government to suspend the application pending agreement with the local population; further campaigning eventually led to Paltar withdrawing the application in 2016.[4] In 2014 she was awarded the Northern Territory Young Achiever's Environment Award for her work in preventing oil exploration of Arnhem land.[2]

Her poetry was featured in an autobiographical chapter in the book Growing up Aboriginal.[3] She appeared in the ABC television programme 'The Word: Rise of the Slam Poets'.[5]

She died 4 June 2017 aged 28[1] as a result of suicide.[6]

References
  1. "Vale Alice Eather: Aboriginal poet, teacher and warrior". 24 June 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  2. Bardon, the National Reporting Team's Jane (10 June 2017). "The slam poet who forced big oil out of Arnhem Land". ABC News. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  3. "Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss | Black Inc". 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  4. Jane Bardon (9 June 2017). "Alice Eather: The slam poet who forced oil company Paltar Petroleum out of Arnhem Land". ABC News.
  5. "The Word Rise of the Slam Poets". ABC iview. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  6. Petersen, Freya (18 September 2017). "Alice Eather: Anti-fracking activist's 'black dog' never left her, family says". ABC. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
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