Page 4480 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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was the ACT local hero award recipient. There were NAIDOC awards and many others.
I would like to quote from the biography written for his nomination as an ACT local hero:
Peter Sharp is Medical Director of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service. Established in 1988 to provide a culturally safe and holistic health service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding areas. He is their longest staff member. At first he travelled from Sydney every weekend to run a clinic and then took on home visits. He now runs clinics at local and regional correctional facilities and at Narrabundah Primary School. Peter also works with older people affected by alcohol and substance abuse and trains other medical professionals in Aboriginal health. Peter has a high level of understanding of the complex health, social, emotional and cultural needs of his patients. In return, he is held in high esteem by the local Indigenous community.
Added to this, he did an enormous amount of work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the justice system. He provided health services in the region’s prisons and then in the AMC—health services to people who would probably not have otherwise accessed those services. He was a tireless advocate for the need to address the root causes of the unacceptably high rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration. I have heard the stories of just how trusted and respected he was by all those people in the justice system that he provided health services to.
In recognition of Dr Pete’s substantial commitment and contributions to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra over many years, the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT—ATODA—is establishing a charitable trust in the name of Dr Peter Sharp—Dr Pete—for his tireless work to improve the health of those experiencing alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues and of those in detention. I encourage anyone to go to the ATODA website and make a contribution to help set up the trust and ensure that Dr Pete’s work can continue. I am also very pleased to hear from the Chief Minister this morning about the money that will be going to the ANU Medical School.
There is no doubt that Dr Pete was truly inspirational. In fact, I struggle to think of an adjective that can aptly convey all the qualities of Dr Pete. I think that, as a community, the best that we can do to acknowledge all the good work he did is to make a conscious effort to ensure we build on his work, that we not only put on the record our thoughts today but that we make sure all the great work and great achievements throughout his life lead to better Aboriginal health outcomes in the future.
I am sure that this is what he most would have wanted and the best way to let future Canberrans know just what an enormous contribution he has made, how much we value his work and how lucky we all are to have him call Canberra home.
On behalf of the ACT Greens, I would like to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to Dr Pete’s partner, Carolyn Patterson; his parents, Don and Prue; his
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