AMA Awards the Ross Ingram Memorial Essay Award

The $5000 prize is donated by the Australasian Medical Publishing Company, publisher of The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA).

The essay competition is open to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who are undertaking work, study or research in Indigenous Health.

The competition was named in memory of Dr Ross Ingram, a young Aboriginal GP who worked in Leeton NSW until his premature death from heart disease in 2003.

Ross Ingram typified the plight of so many Indigenous Australians - while seeking to improve the health of his people he fell victim to the very forces he was working against.

This year's winner, Geoffrey Angeles, is a Kungarakan (or paperbark) man on his grandfather's side and a Gurindji on his grandmother's.

He has travelled to many parts of Australia and overseas in his capacity as an Indigenous Research Officer at the Menzies School of Health Research.

He's also well known in the Top End for his passion for fishing, and preparing "bush tucker" on the ABC's Indigenous arts program Message Stick.

Given this background it's not surprising that Geoffrey's winning essay, Fish traps - a significant part of our health and wellbeing, is all about fishing and food.

It tells the story of a traditional local fishing method that has now been outlawed, and relates the loss of traditions like fish trapping to the high levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, delinquency, substance abuse and other health problems in his community.

He writes that, "If we were to turn back the clock, or gather data from yesterday, the answer or solution to many of today's chronic ailments may lie in waiting".

The AMA and the MJA congratulate Geoffrey for winning this important award.

27 May 2005

CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761

Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306

Geoffrey Angeles (08) 8922 8114 / (0419) 684 822