Aunty Dale Chapman has spent a lifetime protecting culture, creating opportunities and lifting others up without ever seeking recognition.

The respected Yuwaalaraay and Kooma Elder has been named recipient of the 2026 Sunshine Coast NAIDOC Deadly Elder Award, recognising decades of cultural education, community leadership, First Nations food sovereignty, business mentoring and creating pathways for generations coming behind her.

For Aunty Dale, who has lived and worked on the Sunshine Coast for 50 years, the award is deeply personal. It represents far more than individual achievement.

"When my name was announced, I thought about my family, my ancestors and the Elders who came before me," she said.

"I thought about the people who raised me, guided me and taught me the importance of culture, hard work and looking after others."

You do not spend a lifetime doing this work for awards, she said. You do it because you believe in your people, your culture and creating opportunities for those who follow.

Through My Dilly Bag, Aunty Dale has spent more than 25 years sharing Australian native foods and demonstrating that Aboriginal food systems are inseparable from Country, culture and knowledge.

It brings people together, creates space for conversation and challenges the shallow understanding of native foods as simply another culinary trend.

"Bush foods are not simply ingredients or new flavours. They carry stories, seasonal knowledge, cultural practices and thousands of years of observation and connection to Country," she said.

Every workshop, cooking demonstration and cultural experience becomes an opportunity to talk about Country, history, sustainability and Aboriginal knowledge systems.

That work has also placed Aunty Dale at the centre of a bigger conversation about who owns, controls and benefits from First Nations knowledge.

As Australia's native food industry expands, she believes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must have genuine ownership and leadership across the supply chain.

That means more First Nations growers, harvesters, manufacturers, researchers, chefs, tourism operators and business owners, from production on Country through to branding, marketing and the final product reaching consumers.

It also means stronger protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, so Aboriginal knowledge is not extracted and commercialised while communities remain on the margins.

"For too long, Aboriginal knowledge has been valued while Aboriginal ownership has not always been valued in the same way," she said.

Aunty Dale has mentored entrepreneurs, shared her knowledge and created opportunities for Blak businesses to grow while remaining grounded in culture. Her contribution has strengthened individual businesses and the visibility of Aboriginal enterprise across the Sunshine Coast.

GATHAA First Nations Markets gives emerging businesses, artists, makers and entrepreneurs somewhere to test ideas, meet customers, build confidence and learn what it takes to grow.

The vision for a First Nations Tourism Precinct on the Sunshine Coast carries that ambition further, creating opportunities for First Nations entrepreneurs across tourism, food, retail, arts and cultural experiences.

Aunty Dale wants a future where First Nations people are not simply invited to participate in industries built around their culture, but have ownership, economic power and authority to shape them.

For an Elder who has spent 50 years on the Sunshine Coast, the greatest source of pride remains the young people coming through.

She sees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people embracing culture, starting businesses, pursuing education and stepping into leadership while remaining connected to the knowledge and values passed down by their Elders.

Her role, she says, is not to hold knowledge tightly, but to share it, create opportunities and help the next generation take things further.

"The legacy I hope to leave is one of opportunity, courage and generosity. I hope people remember that I created spaces where Aboriginal people felt welcomed, valued and able to grow," she said.

The award reflects the journey behind her work, including the Kabi Kabi families who welcomed and supported her during her decades on Country. For Aunty Dale, community is never separate from success; it is the foundation that makes change possible.

That legacy is already visible in the businesses she has supported, the cultural knowledge she has protected and the thousands of people who have encountered Aboriginal food systems through her work.

Her measure of success is not the award in her hands.

It is what remains in the hands of the next generation: stronger culture, stronger businesses, greater ownership and the confidence to walk forward knowing their knowledge was never lost.

It was always there. It was always theirs. And it is theirs to carry forward.