NGADJU elder and Church of Christ pastor Sonny Graham passed away on November 16. He was 86 years old and the eldest of 12 children.
He is survived by his wife Fran, daughters Gaye and Rhonda, grand children, sister Yvonne Green and brother Harold Graham who wrote: “on behalf of the family we thank you Sonny for being a beautiful father, grandfather and brother”.
Mrs Green contributed these memories of her brother, who she said loved the Ngadju language.
“Education was very important to him,” she wrote.
“He loved telling jokes and writing stories about his family.
“He loved doing art, singing and playing the guitar.”
Mrs Green said Christian work was her brother’s “number one” focus.
“Then is love for his family, wife, children and grandchildren,” she wrote.
“Sonny’s knowledge of his Ngadju language and culture was enormous.”
Sonny Graham’s funeral was in at Bay of Isles Church and the Esperance cemetary on Thursday, December 19.
Sonny Graham’s friend and colleague Avon Moyle contributed these memories. —Ed.
AVON MOYLE
Sonny Graham was the oldest Ngadju Elder, born on Balladonia Station, 200 kms east of Norseman along the Nullabor Highway where his parents lived and worked. Because they wanted their children to gain an education, they brought Sonny and his brother, their two oldest children into Norseman Mission.
They were always a close family and the parents kept in close touch when they moved into Norseman.
Sonny was an amazing man who, with one other teenager living at Norseman Mission, was the first student from the Mission to go into the high school in town and did very well in his studies and his sport which he continued on for many years. He committed his life to the Lord at the age of 14, and in 1958 at the age of 19, he commenced a four-year theological course at the Churches of Christ Glen Iris Bible College in Victoria, a long way from his home and the support of his Ngadju family and culture.
Many WA students at that time formed close friendships with Sonny and he appreciated their continuing friendships over the subsequent years.
After their marriage in 1965, Sonny and Francis commenced fulltime missionary service together with the Churches of Christ Federal Aborigines Board (later ACCIM) at Norseman Mission and Sonny was the Superintendent at the Mission from 1973 to 1980. Following their move to Esperance for seven years in his role as Pastor of the Esperance Church of Christ meeting at Fairhaven Hostel, Sonny and Frances moved to Port Hedland for seven years where Sonny was the Pastor of the ACCIM church there and he concentrated on prayer and prepared one of the young men for leadership in the church.
During these years, at the same time Sonny was also appointed as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the Education Department and commenced Post Graduate studies in “Language Other than English” at the Notre Dame University campus in Broome.
With Sonny’s income from the Education Department, they decided to continue with ACCIM without their salary component.
On their return to Esperance in 1995, Sonny continued as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer in the High School and at least one Primary School until he retired in 2008 (later he established a language centre at the Norseman High School).
During this period he was also involved in many areas of ministry amongst the local people and from then until 2010, he and Frances travelled the 400km round trip to Norseman every fortnight spending time with the local people there and taking services. He was also the Chaplain at the Wongutha CAPS School for Aboriginal high school students from across the state for high schooling and further training, and Frances was the nurse at Wongutha responsible for the health of up to 60 students.
From a young man, Sonny was well known amongst the Australian Churches of Christ as he travelled speaking in churches, attended conferences, welcomed the hundreds of travellers passing through Norseman Mission, and also as a Board Member of ACCIM and one of the original Board Members of the Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship.
In 2008 at the Churches of Christ World Convention in Nashville, USA, Sonny and Frances received an award for their missionary service with Churches of Christ.
Sonny was given the honour of leading the Australian delegation into the opening ceremony of the Convention.
What a life — what a legacy he has left his family and community, his friends, and Churches of Christ in Australia.
Avon Moyle was a Church of Christ minister friend and colleague of the late Mr Graham.
