Elsie Heiss

Elsie Heiss, also known as Aunty Elsie, is an Indigenous Australian, a Wiradjuri elder and a Catholic religious leader. She has led Aboriginal Catholic Ministry programs for over three decades and was NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year in 2009.

Early life and education Elsie Heiss (née Williams) was born at Erambie Mission in Cowra, New South Wales. Her people, including her father James and her mother Amy, are of the Wiradjuri nation. Heiss spent most of her childhood on Wiradjuri country particularly around Griffith and Cowra in central New South Wales. Her upbringing was shaped by her aboriginal heritage, history and identity, as well as by the Catholic Church, which has been a continual influence throughout her life.

In her late teens, Heiss moved to Sydney, where she met and later married her husband Josef (Joe) Heiss.

After deciding to further her education, Heiss completed a full-time TAFE course in 1989, achieving the highest marks for that year.

Heiss has built bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities at hundreds of events, speaking on topics as Aboriginal spirituality, the Stolen Generations, Reconciliation and justice.

A plaque erected at the Reconciliation Church in December 2013 acknowledges Heiss's contribution as founding member of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry.

Heiss was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 2018 for her efforts in promoting an appreciation of Christian spirituality within an Aboriginal context.

Select publications Heiss, Elsie. Keep Rekindling that Koori Flame (2003) In: Steppin' Out and Speakin' up. Millers Point, N.S.W: Older Women's Network NSW. pp. 211–222.