The staff and Board of Directors from Terrain would like to express their condolences on the passing of Elsie Elizabeth Go Sam on Christmas Day 2011.

Elsie was a keen advocate of Aboriginal rights and spent much of her life involved in community work helping to form organisations and committees. She was a founding member of many groups advocating for and representing indigenous people, pushing for Indigenous human rights and a better future for all Indigenous people.

Image: Elsie with Terrain's Land and Sea Management Coordinator, Lyle Johnson, and CEO Carole Sweatman recieving her certificate for her valued contribution to TOAC and the Terrain Board.

She was a proud Ngadjon-Jii Traditional Owner and was one of a group of Elders instrumental in securing native title for the Ngadjon people. She was an avid sports fan and was most passionate about the Brisbane Lions and the Bronco's.

In 2004 Elsie was appointed as the Traditional Owner Support Member to the Indigenous Director of the FNQ NRM Ltd board of management. She served for 5 years (2004-2009) in the position

A number of key initiatives were progressed during this time and Elsie, along with other Indigenous leaders from the region, was instrumental in guiding the formation of:

• The Traditional Owner Advisory Committee (TOAC)
• The development of the Regional NRM Plan and the Aboriginal Cultural and Natural Resource Management Plan and
• The Wet Tropics Regional Agreement.

Elsie diligently fulfilled her responsibilities on the Board through her contribution to progressing and strengthening the role of the TOAC and through her participation in other Terrain and NRM-related events.

Terrain's Chair, Mike Berwick said, "Elise always prompted the Terrain Board to remember Traditional Owner interests during our discussions at Board Meetings. Elsie also acted as a liaison between the Terrain Board and TOAC which kept us informed on Traditional Owners and their interests."

We are all grateful and appreciative of her contribution to engaging and empowering Traditional Owners in the cultural and natural resource management agenda in the region.

Her community work continued until the age of 74 when she decided it was time to lay down her pen, retire and enjoy the rest of her time with her family especially her grannies. But nothing kept her down and she continued to play a supportive and mentoring role to many within the community on a voluntary basis especially to staff within Terrain's People and Country Unit and to its Indigenous Directors.

Auntie Elsie will be sadly missed by all.