User:Kbebendorf/Anka Makovec

Anka Makovec
Anka (Katharina) Makovec was a Slovenia-Australian artist, ecologist and activist *3rd August 1938 in Ročinj, Slovenia, died 16th February 2017 in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia. Most known for her artistic and activist work with the Aboriginal community in Tasmania, she advocated for the desecration of the First Nations People's ancestral lands and contributed to their acceptance on the World Heritage Listing.

Immigration to and early years in Australia
Born into a working-class family in the Julian Alps just before outbreak of World War II, she spent most of her childhood on crutches resulting from a bone disease. Her first contact with the English language was through the American Occupying Forces which freed her homeland. But it was not until, according to her own retelling, she watched the the Australian film "The Overlanders" that she felt inspired to learn the language in order to one day visit Australia. With the help of a Slovenian pen friend who worked near Cooma, NSW, Australia, she was able to get passage to Sydney from Genoa in 1962 at the age of 24.

Life in Australia, artistic formation
What was initially meant to be a few years of travel soon turned into her permanent place of residency as she eventually married an Australian man, gained citizenship and gave birth to two daughters. She established herself in Sydney, joining the Saturday Centre of Pros and Poetry (SCOPP), where she first came into contact with Aboriginal artists. Makovec herself reflects upon this time as extremely formative in both Aboriginal art and activism in support of the First Nations People's community. Joined by her elder daughter, Makovec was able to join three "Earth Expeditions" to Cape York, Northern Queensland.

Life in Tasmania and activism
In 1981, Makovec and her family moved to Tasmania, where she became active in the "Battle for the Franklin",a movement opposing the construction of a dam on the Gordon River and one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.

Makovec opened the Wilderness Soc. Centre in Strahan, on the West coast of Tasmania, providing accommodation to First Nations activists, who eventually achieved their acceptance on World Heritage Listing. Additionally, she also taught art at schools in order to preserve the traditions of the "Dot and Line" art technique.

Further sources Slovenian Newspaper article

Documentary featuring Anka Makovec