Wakka Wakka elder Eric Law AM has been recognised for his life spent teaching others, receiving a national award from Australia’s Catholic community.
Mr Law was named one of three recipients of the Australian Catholic Elder of the Year award during NAIDOC Week 2025, traveling to Brisbane’s St Stephen’s Cathedral on Sunday 6 July to take ownership of the accolade.
The day’s ceremony, led by Archbishop Mark Coleridge of the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, recognised the Cherbourg elder for his longstanding work as a teacher across Queensland.
Mr Law taught at Murgon’s St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School for over 20 years, incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material into the curriculum.
He has also lent his expertise to the Queensland Catholic Education Commission’s Aboriginal education council for around four years.
“I’ve been born to be a teacher, and I love teaching people – whether it’s young, old, or whatever,” Mr Law said of his career.
“I always see the Catholic sector as being one that most of our young people and communities can easily relate to,” he went on to explain.
“Our spirituality is more or less the same, and I think there is compassion in that sector for some of our troubled young people. That’s why I’ve always offered to help in that sector.
“I used to teach a couple of young whitefellas who still remember all the things I spoke about, including respect. It just makes me feel so good that somebody is listening,” Mr Law added.
He said that being named as Australian Catholic Elder of the Year came as a sudden, but welcome shock.
“It blew me away,” Mr Law said.
“I didn’t think anybody was interested in what I’m doing.
“I’m very humbled and happy to be given that award,” he said.
“It means a lot to me, because I did a lot of teaching in the Catholic sector and still do a lot of work with the archdiocese in Brisbane.”
