Lionel Mongta

Lionel Mongta was born in 1936 in Orbost, Victoria. His mother was Zeta Andy (born at Potato Point) and his father was Les Mongta from East Gippsland. His maternal grandfather, Bob Andy, was a respected Aboriginal tracker; his maternal grandmother, Mary Ellen Piety, was a midwife who worked on farms around Tilba Tilba.

In early childhood, Lionel was initially cared for by a nurse (“Nurse Smith”) due to his mother being unable to raise him following a tragic accident. At about age two, his aunt Elizabeth “Lizzie” Davis (née Andy) brought him to “the Pines,” a farm in Central Tilba, where he was re-united with his mother’s family.

Around 1942, at age six, Lionel moved to Moruya, to live with his grandmother’s extended family, the Brierleys and Davises. He spent his childhood shifting between Moruya (Garland Town) and Central Tilba, attending local schools such as Newstead and the Aboriginal school at Wallaga Lake.

From his teenage years, Lionel followed in his father’s footsteps by working as a sleeper-cutter. Over time, he developed deep and enduring ties to his ancestral country, frequently camping, fishing and gathering along the coast places such as Poole’s Point, Wallaga Lake, Potato Point, Corunna Lake, Brou Lake, and others.

In 2006, Lionel Mongta alongside Elder Mary Duroux played a central role in a historic land-rights milestone: he accepted the formal hand back of Gulaga National Park and Biamanga National Park to their traditional Aboriginal owners, the Yuin people.

Today, Lionel continues to live in Bodalla with his wife Mary, remaining a respected Elder dedicated to preserving and passing on cultural knowledge, connection to land, and traditional practices.