Ruth Walker

Ruth Walker, known affectionately to family and community as Aunty Ruth grew up on the Wallaga Lake Mission, the youngest of 17 children (15 brothers and 1 sister). According to oral histories, she never attended formal school, in keeping with many children of her generation on the missions.

As a teenager, Ruth was sent to Sydney to work in a nursing home; she was never paid, a fate shared by many Aboriginal domestic workers. Her family later joined numerous unsuccessful efforts to make a claim for stolen wages.

In adulthood, Ruth married Donald Walker, and they had three children. Throughout her life she remained central to her extended family. Her grandchildren remember her as a loving, generous “nan” who supported the family travelling with them as they worked in sawmills around NSW and Victoria. She is also remembered for contributing her Waratah story to the ABC children’s Dreaming Series.

She became actively involved with Black politics, working closely with the Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Aboriginal Legal Service. She campaigned for Keith Smith as National Aboriginal Congress candidate for the South Coast, driving around in her own car to encourage others to vote. Her activism helped set the foundation for later land rights and community governance in the region.

In her later years, Ruth found spiritual companionship within the local Baháʼí Faith community. They supported her, loved her, and upon her death in her late 70s, even paid for her funeral. She is buried in Mogo.

Ruth Walker’s life from Wallaga Lake Mission to Mogo is a testament to the strength, resilience, and enduring commitment to family and Country that has characterised Yuin women across generations.