Australia Day Honours: Elder Dennis Jetta receives Order of Australia for service to Indigenous community

A Noongar Elder’s dedication and love for helping others in the community has been recognised in a big way, to the fanfare of the South West community. Australind-based Noongar Elder Dennis Jetta was among hundreds of Australians honoured on Australia Day, receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the Indigenous communities of the Bunbury region. During his appearance at the Shire of Harvey’s Australia Day breakfast in Australind on Thursday, many community members congratulated Mr Jetta on the achievement. Speaking to the South Western Times, Mr Jetta said he was still processing being recognised at a national level for the work he loves doing. “I feel really good because what I have been doing in the past in my job and living in the community, I’ve done things that I like doing and talking to people, I like that,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do when I got the letter from the Governor-General. “I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it because I love it. “I love the work that I’m doing.” Mr Jetta has been an active member in the South West community for many years from being a co-founder of the Noongar Employment and Enterprise Development Aboriginal Corporation and Noongar Property Holdings to being involved with the establishment of the WA Aboriginal Land & Sea Council, to serving as an executive and foundation member of the Greater Bunbury Council of Aboriginal Elders since 2000, to working as a chaplain at Bunbury Regional Prison for 30 years. Despite being retired, Mr Jetta said he still gets asked to officiate weddings and funerals to this day. He said he was quite proud of all the work he has done over the years because “I did what I wanted to do”. “I love doing things in the community and I love the people here,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best things that someone can do - doing something that you like doing.” Mr Jetta said some of his proudest work involved helping Indigenous people obtain employment for more than 30 years. “I was employed by the Department of Employment, Education and Training and I think I got about 180 people into employment, training and apprenticeships,” he said. “Some of them now have got their own houses and their own cars so that’s a reward in itself, seeing people come out from behind like that.” Mr Jetta said being rewarded with an Order of Australia Medal won’t stop him from continuing to help others in the community. “The work still keeps going, they’ll always come after me all the time,” he laughed. “I’ve got a wedding coming up and I do a lot of counselling as well so I continue to go out and see people that’s having a bit of trouble but I tell them that I’ve been there before and they can come out of it. “I just give them a bit of encouragement to put their lives in order too.”