The Northern Territory Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet advises a State Funeral for Dr Margaret Kemarre (MK) Turner OAM, will be held at 10am on Thursday 17 August 2023 at Atherreyurre (Telegraph Station) in Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
Dr Turner was a prominent Aboriginal Elder known for her remarkable contributions to Aboriginal education, cultural preservation, and community empowerment. In recognition of her tireless efforts, Dr Turner was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1997 for service to the Aboriginal community of Central Australia, particularly through preserving language and culture, and interpreting.
Dr Turner's legacy also earned her an Honorary Doctorate from the Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in 2022 for her lifelong commitment to preserving Aboriginal cultures and languages, especially in Central Australia. In the same year, she was named Elder of the Year at the Mparntwe NAIDOC Celebrations.
As a mark of mourning and respect, the Australian National Flag should be flown at half-mast all day on Thursday 17 August 2023 in the Northern Territory only from all buildings and establishments occupied by Australian Government departments and affiliated agencies. Other organisations are welcome to participate.
- When flying the Australian National Flag with other flags, all flags in the set should be flown at half-mast.
- If a set of flags includes the flags of other nations, it would be appropriate to seek permission from the diplomatic representatives of that nation to half-mast their flag.
- An acceptable half-mast position would be when the top of the flag is a third of the distance down from the top of the flagpole.
- Information on flag protocol is available on the Department's website.
Your assistance is appreciated.
Commonwealth Flag Officer