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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Matilda House presides at the first Welcome to Country

2008 (printed 2009)
Juno Gemes

inkjet print on paper, edition 1/1 (sheet: 68.5 cm x 76.5 cm, image: 50.5 cm x 59.4 cm)

Dr Matilda House (b. 1945) is a Canberra-based Ngambri/Wiradjuri Elder who has dedicated her life to the pursuit of social justice for Indigenous people. One of ten children, she was born on her mother's Country Wirrajah near Cowra, NSW, and then lived at Hollywood, the Aboriginal reserve outside Yass. After marrying at seventeen and having four children, she began working as a liaison officer at the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra, assisting Aboriginal people with health, education, welfare and employment. A tireless supporter of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy since its founding in 1972, she helped found the Aboriginal Legal Service in Queanbeyan in the 1980s. She had a key role in establishing the Australian National University's Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre in 1989, which provides support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. House served on the first ACT Heritage Council and contributed to the Bringing Them Home report into the Stolen Generations. Her contribution to her community was recognised by the ANU with the conferral of the Degree of Doctor of the University in 2017.

On the evening of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations on 12 February 2008, House became the first person to perform the Welcome to Country at Parliament House, Canberra. Juno Gemes captured the moment in this photograph.

Purchased 2009
© Juno Gemes/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Juno Gemes (age 64 in 2008)

Dr Matilda House (age 63 in 2008)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency