Uncle Henry Atkinson

Uncle Henry Atkinson is a respected leader who has dedicated his life to protecting First Nations knowledge and culture. He is a retired professor, educator and author, who has fought for the recognition of First Nations sovereignty his entire life.

Uncle Henry was born and raised in Echuca, after his parents Frank and Louisa Atkinson left Cummeragunja Station in 1939. As a young child, Uncle Henry remembers segregated classrooms and experienced deep racism at school, but he stayed until the age of 14. He started his first full-time job after Christmas 1954.

Throughout his youth, Uncle Henry was a talented sportsman who played football and basketball and was widely known for his prowess on the football field. His endurance and athleticism brought him to the attention of the local Country Fire Authority (CFA), at a time when firefighter brigades would enter competitions against each other. Uncle Henry was a champion runner in the CFA Championships, from when he joined at 14 years old, all the way through to the 1980s. He continued to volunteer with the CFA for many years. He also joined Echuca and Moama Search and Rescue in 1958.

In 1967 at the age of 26, Uncle Henry married his wife Susan, and they have been together ever since. They are the proud parents of 3 daughters, and have 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

When the family was young, they moved to Upper Ferntree Gully in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs in 1968. Uncle Henry started with the General Electric (GE) company in 1968. He enjoyed a long and successful career with GE and became a general manager during the company’s expansion into Australia. The company often sent staff to university for training to receive higher qualifications. This was the start of Uncle Henry’s long relationship with Monash University.

He joined the Faculty of Education at Monash in 2003. Whilst there, Uncle Henry created new courses in First Nations history and culture for student teachers. He wanted to ensure that new teachers gained a deeper understanding of First Nations students and culture. For this work he was made a Professor of Education in 2006. To honour his legacy, and to support First Nations students into the future, Monash University created the Uncle Henry and Bernadette Atkinson Indigenous Scholarship. Uncle Henry went on to work with The University of Melbourne and Deakin University as an educator, Elder and mentor to many students over the years. His long commitment to raising awareness of First Nations history, culture and knowledge has supported many teachers, students and academics.

Alongside his dedication to schools and universities, Uncle Henry has been at the forefront of organisations established to further First Nations’ rights. He was part of the original Yorta Yorta native title claim. He was a founding member of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations, a confederation of First Nations from the southern part of the Murray-Darling Basin.

He was a director and committee member of the Opening The Doors Foundation, dedicated to educational opportunities for First Nations youth.

Uncle Henry also served on the Museums Victoria Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. His work with the CFA also continued for many decades. As a consultant, Uncle Henry helped develop the first Koori Inclusion Action Plan for the CFA. He narrated the short film The Culture of Fire which shared the connection between the CFA and the Koori community. Uncle Henry’s advocacy has always focused on deepening understanding and respect for First Nations culture and sovereignty.

Uncle Henry has also been part of the resurgence of possum skin cloak-making in Victoria. He was one of the Elders who helped restore this tradition and he took part in one of the largest cultural revival projects in Victoria. In 2006, the Possum Skin Cloak project made 35 new cloaks for Elders to wear in the First Nations ‘My Skin, My Life’ segment of the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Uncle Henry proudly represented his community in the ceremony, wearing his own possum skin cloak.

In 2022, Uncle Henry was awarded NAIDOC Elder by the Victorian NAIDOC committee.

For over 40 years, Uncle Henry has been committed to cultural revival. For decades he has worked on the repatriation of Ancestors that have been held in museums and collections in Melbourne, around Australia and across the world. Originally supported by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in the 1980s, Uncle Henry continued this work with Museums Victoria and the federal government’s international repatriation team. He has been committed to bringing the first Stolen Generations home, and to lay Ancestors to rest with dignity. Through his long dedication to bringing Ancestors home, Uncle Henry learned that the names and Country of many Ancestors have been lost. He has now worked with 3 Prime Ministers to advocate for a national resting place, to create a dignified home for those unprovenanced Ancestors who can be returned to Australia.

Uncle Henry has created a legacy in education and cultural advocacy and has led a lifetime of service. His service to the entire Victorian community through decades of commitment to the CFA shows a proud belief in the importance of standing together. Uncle Henry’s sense of humour reminds those around him to take the time to enjoy life and laugh together. His deep cultural knowledge and support of those doing cultural revival is recognised across Victoria. In 2010, Uncle Henry wrote a book chapter titled The Meanings and Values of Repatriation. In his own words, Uncle Henry says: “There is one thing that can never be stolen from our people and that is their spirit”.