In October 2023, Murawin CEO and co-founder Carol Vale had the honour of delivering the 2023 Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture at the Oorala Centre in the University of New England.
As the eldest grandson of prominent Armidale figure “King Bobby”, Frank was a revered member of the Armidale community and a fierce advocate for his people. He has left behind him a large kinship network, which Carol is a part of, that showed out in force for the lecture, demonstrating the strength of the generational connection to Grandfather Frank and “Granny” Archibald that is still present in Armidale.
Since 1986, the annual lecture series has provided a living memorial to Grandfather Frank, his passionate advocacy for his people and his dedication to education. Each year the lecture is given by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers who are leaders in their field and has included Dr Jackie Huggins, Noel Pearson, the late Charles Perkins, Senator Aden Ridgeway, Rachael Maza Long and Dr Ray Kelly, another of his great grandchildren.
Pictured: Carol Vale, Carol’s father Uncle Dick Vale & Dr Colin Ahoy, Oorala Centre – Credit: UNE
It was an extra special moment for Carol to present the 2023 lecture because not only was it a great recognition of her professional accomplishments, but even more so, it was a personal, full circle family achievement and a continuation of the legacy set out by her great grandfather Frank Archibald.
As a great granddaughter of Frank, Carol was able to return to her hometown and deliver her lecture to a room packed with family and community, at the very university she dreamed of attending as a child (and later did). Through honest, heartfelt and authentic sharing of her own journey, Carol spoke at length about the power of business to transform the lives of Indigenous women, their families and their communities and the need for investment, support and empowerment of the Indigenous Women’s Business Sector. In her talk, Carol highlighted the sad fact, that year after year we see the Government’s failure to meet the majority of the Closing the Gap targets and through this lecture, Carol makes a case that it is through self-determination, economic independence and empowerment, that we will see real results in Closing the Gap.
Since its inception, the lecture has celebrated and commemorated Frank Archibald, his life, his standing in the community and his love and commitment to education, both formal and cultural. As can be seen through Carol’s lecture and way of doing business, his legacy has trickled down, instilling in each generation, the importance of education, the necessity of continued cultural connection and the vitality of intercultural collaboration and understanding.
2024 Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture
This year’s lecture will be held on September 19th at the Oorala Centre at UNE and the speaker has just been announced as none other than the incredible Stan Grant. So make sure it is in your calendar to attend: https://www.visitarmidale.com.au/event/2024-frank-archibald-memorial-lecture
If you want to read more about Frank Archibald and view other Frank Archibald Memorial Lectures, visit: https://www.une.edu.au/info-for/indigenous-matters/oorala/whats-on/frank-archibald-memorial-lecture-series/frank-archibald
