Sharon Bird and Stephen Jones today extended their sincere condolences on the passing of much-loved local Aboriginal elder Aunty Agnes Donovan.

Aunty Agnes was a well-liked and well respected member of the local community and the Shellharbour Aboriginal Community Youth Association (SACYA) where she served as Chair for many years.

Aunty Agnes stood up for what she believed in and dedicated her life to closing the gap for Aboriginal people.

In her role at SACYA, she implemented a range of programs helping disadvantaged Aboriginal families and young people including the Alternate Learning Centre for disengaged Aboriginal high school students.

She has been a long standing member of Shellharbour Councils Aboriginal Advisory Committee and worked on Councils Aboriginal employment strategy which included the Cultural Heritage Management Assessment Toolkit. She also worked with the Bass Point Interpretive Centre Working Group.

We extend our most sincere condolences to her daughter Emma and sons Todd and PJ and the many grandchildren that she loved and doted on. We thank you for sharing her with us.