Millie fights for women’s rights

Ms Ingram was awarded the honour last Monday for her tireless work with Aboriginal women in the Redfern/Waterloo area for more than 50 years.

“It’s wonderful and pretty humbling because of all of the beautiful women out there that I know who work really hard at a community level, so it really is an honour,” she said.

She has also worked with women across the board including being an integral part of starting the women housing program in the 1980’s and working with females in the jail system to help change their pathways.

Ms Ingram’s eyes were opened to plights of the Aboriginal people when she moved to Redfern from the Central Coast in 1958.

“It has improved but that’s primarily from the fight that Aboriginal people have put up and I’m afraid at this piece of time in history we are going backwards, which is a shame,” she said. “I see there is a big thrust toward mainstreaming - it has never worked in the past and it will never work again - as a matter of fact it is disastrous.”

She said the answer was for local women who know about the issues to put proposals forward to the government.

“We have to keep struggling to say that we need special consideration for programs that we know how to deliver at the coal face rather than waiting for it to get to bureaucracy,” Ms Ingram said.

At 69 years old, Ms Ingram said would not give up because there was still a very long way to go.

“I’ve told my daughter and grand daughter to do the same as I do when I go.” she said.

Photo: Erin Byrne - NSW Premier & Heffron MP Kristina Keneally presented the Heffron Woman of the Year Award to Millie Ingram.

Source: http://southern-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/millie-fights-for-womens-rights/