The wife of late Greek Australian Alick Jackomos, prominent community worker Merle Robertha Jackomos OAM passed away last month on 2 April, aged 89.

Born on 13 June, 1929, Merle, a Yorta Yorta elder, grew up near Echuca at Cummeragunja Mission.

On Monday, the couple’s daughter Esmai Manahan paid tribute to her late mother in an article published in The Age, outlining Merle’s life’s work, noting that from very early on, she had a political outlook.

Merle was among those who took part in the famous walk-off from Cummeragunja in 1939, when Aboriginal people crossed into Victoria to appeal against the appalling living conditions on the station, the management of it and the restrictions placed on their movement. She later returned to Cummeragunja however, where she joined her grandfather. Together they ensured the mission was not closed and sold off by the NSW Government, and as a result helped maintain native title to the land, explained Esmai.

She went on to write that family and community were central to everything her mother did, along with her father Jackomos, whom Merle married in 1951. The couple had three children, Esmai, Andrew and Michael – and like their parents have gone on to make a significant contribution to the Aboriginal community.

Along with their three children, Merle and Alick had 16 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

“Merle was deeply saddened by the death of her soul mate Alick in 1999,” wrote Esmai.

“Merle and Alick were as Professor Kerry Arabena described in the 2015 Alick and Merle Jackomos Oration, ‘architects of social justice’. They believed in creating structures which would support, sustain and empower Aboriginal people and they worked tirelessly to do so.”

Merle was highly involved with the Aborigines Advancement League of Victoria, for which she became president and a life member. She and her husband were both members of the federal council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI), and actively took part in the campaign around the 1967 referendum.

The co-founder and vice-president of the National Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Council, Merle helped lobby to establish many services for Aboriginal people.

In 1972, she was elected to the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Council, and was later appointed a director of Aboriginal Hostels Ltd. In 1981, Merle was elected to the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC), and in 1977, together with other Aboriginal people, represented Australia at the FESTAC festival in Nigeria.

Merle was recognised for her work in 1987, when she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to Aboriginal welfare. She was also a recipient of the 2011 Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll, while most recently, Monash University named Jackomos Hall in honour and recognition of her service.