Vale Trish Crossin AM

_{Pictured L-R: Milpa, Trish Crossin (2011)}

Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit notes with sadness the recent passing of Patricia (Trish) Crossin AM.

Trish served on the Minum Barreng Advisory Board from 2016 to 2022. She was an enthusiastic and wise contributor to the Board and remained a good friend and trusted contact for Minum Barreng after 2022.

Professor Hugh Taylor, Director of the Indigenous Eye Health Unit from establishment in 2008 ‘til his retirement in 2022, shares some memories of Trish, ‘I first heard of Trish when as a Senator she was asking difficult questions about the government’s failure to implement most of the recommendations to improve Indigenous eye health that had been made in my 1997 report to Dr Michael Wooldridge, the health minister. She was particularly interested in trachoma and also the eye problems with diabetes.

Over time I had the great opportunity to meet her and talk with her about what we were trying to achieve. She stood out as a very strong supporter for Indigenous health and for the work on their eye health.

_{Pictured L-R: Trish Crossin, Milpa, Greg Hunt, Hugh Taylor (2018)}

Once she left the Senate, I was delighted to have her as a member of the IEHU’s Advisory Board. Her breadth of experience, her wide-ranging contacts, and her passion for Indigenous health enabled her to make so many contributions to the work to improve Indigenous eye health and to Close the Gap for Vision.

We remember her with great affection and respect.’

Trish was born in Melbourne, trained as a teacher and worked in remote communities in the Northern Territory. She later became an education union official and, in 1998, the first woman from the Northern Territory elected to federal parliament. She served as a Senator for the Northern Territory from 1998 to 2013.

Trish was generous in sharing her knowledge and experience and happy to get involved personally to solve problems. She was a passionate advocate for the NT and understood remote communities and the educational landscape.

Minum Barreng offers sincere condolences to Trish’s family and our thanks in recognition of her important contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health.