Reginald Dodd OAM

Reginald Dodd is a proud Arabunna Elder from Marree, South Australia. At various stages of his life he has been a stockman, a train inspector, a heritage officer, a photographer, a singer and a tour guide. He also co-wrote ‘Talking Sideways’ with Malcolm Mackinnon. The book is a history of Finniss Springs in South Australia’s Lake Eyre and Reg’s time growing up there.

Reg has a long history of volunteering for organisations that seek equal access to quality services for his community. He is also the founder of ‘Lawyers for the Arabunna Marree People (LAMP)’, has been the Chair of the ‘Arabunna Peoples Committee’ since 1996 and was the President of the ‘Marree and District Progress Association’.

For the last 25 years Reg has devoted his time to helping bridge the gap through cross culture tours. He is the founder of Arabunna Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Heritage Museum’s ‘Cultural Immersion Tour’.

Reg’s service to the Indigenous community of Marree has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia.

“I was surprised and honoured that people nominated me out of respect for what I have achieved. You don't expect to be awarded for what you do but I appreciate the nomination”

Following the announcement of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, Reg was able to share the news of his award with his family. They were extremely proud that his achievements are being acknowledged.

In 2019, Reg was awarded South Australia’s Senior Australian of the year.

Reg feels it is important to recognise people’s contributions to society, he believes it helps raise awareness for issues that Australians are facing and highlights peoples achievements.

Reg was recognised through the Order of Australia because he has made an extraordinary impact on the Marree community. His appointment was made possible because someone in his community nominated him for recognition – to nominate someone from your community, click here.