Ellie Gaffney

Ellie Joan Gaffney, also affectionately known as Bebe Ellie, (18 August 1932 - 13 October 2007) was a Torres Strait Islander-Indonesian nurse, midwife, writer and Indigenous rights activist.

She is the author of numerous publications, including her autobiography: Somebody Now: The autobiography of Ellie Gaffney, a woman of the Torres Strait (1989).

Early life Gaffney was born on Thursday Island (Waiben) and she was the last child of nine children born to Thomas and Gertrude (née Summers) Loban. Her father's birth name was Simeon Sadir and he had been kidnapped as a child from Banda Neira and, later, was recruited to work as a spy for the Australian Naval Intelligence Service during World War I. Because of this service Loban was granted a permanent exemption to the White Australia policy and, as a side effect, this also granted his family exceptions from restrictions on them based on their Aboriginality.

Despite her skills and qualifications, and still in the early 1960s, Gaffney was fired from the hospital and banned from working there for six years as she had given birth to two children outside of marriage. She appealed this decision but it was not overturned.

Initially after losing her job Gaffney stayed on Waiben and took a job in the kitchen of a local hotel but soon after, in 1963, took a role as a hospital matron at Yarrabah. On 8 July 1967 she married Anthony Gaffney, who had moved with her from Waiben, in nearby Cairns and together they had one child. They moved around regularly, following Gaffney's work and spent some time together in the Northern Territory.

Post nursing career In 1980 Gaffney began working for Aboriginal Hostels Ltd and, in this role, helped to establish and run the Jumula Dubbins Aboriginal Hostel. At the hostel she assisted in providing accommodation and also hosted community events and workshops. She also became a public advocate from her community and wrote letters to the editor to the Torres News showing her support for her community alongside demanding change. She also advocated for change in this field and asked that the government to pay Torres Strait Islander people directly; before this time lump sum cheques had been paid to other government departments to administer rather than to individuals.

In the early 1980s Gaffney was also an active member of the Island Coordinating Council and was a member of the Queensland Advisory Council for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In 1985 she was instrumental in establishing the Torres Strait Islander Media Association and, also in 1985, attended the United Nations World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1997, when a new community health centre was opened, she returned to healthcare and became its manager until her retirement in 2000.

In 2006 Gaffney published Mura solwata kosker: We Saltwater Women

Gaffney died on 13 October 2007 and her obituary stated:

Publications

Somebody Now: The autobiography of Ellie Gaffney, a woman of the Torres Strait (1989). Determination to Succeed (2005), appears in: In Our Own Right : Black Australian Nurses' Stories 2005; (p. 98-102). The Learning Time (2024) (an autobiography extract) appears in: Growing Up Torres Strait Islander in Australia; (p. 121-126).