Dr Donna Ah Chee, Amin Fukhral, Dr Aunty Bilawara Lee and Prof Alan Cass at the 2024 Menzies Oration
Dr Donna Ah Chee, Amin Fukhral, Dr Aunty Bilawara Lee and Prof Alan Cass at the 2024 Menzies Oration
The Menzies medallion is awarded by the Menzies Board to individuals or groups who have made a considerable contribution to health, of relevance to the Northern Territory.
This year, the Board recognises Ms Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman for her outstanding dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people and communities across the Northern Territory.
For more than a decade, Ms Herdman has demonstrated deep commitment to learning, growth, and advocacy, working to ensure that Yolŋu and all Aboriginal people are meaningfully included in research and health initiatives that affect their lives. Her leadership reflects a balance of her knowledge and collaboration, bridging Yolŋu and Western ways of doing djäma (work) to improve health outcomes and influence systemic change.
Ms Herdman accepts the Menzies Medallion not as an individual honour, but as recognition of a collective journey shared with both Yolŋu and non-Yolŋu colleagues, mentors and communities who have guided and worked alongside her. Her work continues to inspire greater respect for Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing in health and research, and her voice remains a powerful advocate for inclusion, understanding and transformation in the Northern Territory and beyond.
Past medallion recipients:
- Dr Donna Ah Chee
- Professor Tricia Nagel and Patj Patj Janama Robert Mills
- Professor Joan Cunningham
- Professor Alex Brown
- Associate Professor Kelvin Kong
- Professor Peter d'Abbs
- Professor Paul Torzillo
- Professor Peter Morris
- Dr Christine Connors
- Dr Vicki Krause
- June Oscar AO
- Dr John Boffa
- Associate Professor Susan Sayers*
- Yalu' Marngithinyaraw Indigenous Corporation
- Ms Stephanie Bell
- Dr Valerie Asche*
- Ms Margaret Brewster
- Professor Bart Currie
- Father Frank LFlynn MSC AC*
- Mr Harry Giese AM MBE*
- Professor Michael Good
- Professor Richard Gye AO
- Dr John Hargrave AO MBE*
- Mrs Susan Hutton
- Professor David Kemp FAA*
- Professor John Mathews AM
- Dr Brian Reid
- Dr KS Sriprakash
* Deceased