Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.

Community members are in mourning after the passing of Yaegl Elder and beloved First Nations activist Joyce Clague late last week aged 85.

Ms Clague was a trail-blazing advocate of Aboriginal and women's rights throughout her life, and served as an advisor to a number of NSW governments.

She was born in Maclean in New South Wales, grew up on Ulgundahi Island in the Clarence River.

Ms Clague learned her language and culture in her childhood because a degree of isolation deterred forced assimilation.

She later travelled to Sydney to study nursing. Ms Clague was determined to work in health care after her mother died of pneumonia, having been denied entry to a local hospital because of racist segregation practices.

She returned to Country after the death of an Aunt, and met members of the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship (AAF), which began her journey of advocacy and activism.

Ms Clague returned to Sydney and worked tirelessly to defend and advance the rights of Indigenous people.

In 1966, she became the first Indigenous person to represent Australia at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Conference - in India.

The following year Ms Clague campaigned for Constitutional change in the 1967 referendum.

In the 1970s, she travelled throughout Africa, Europe, and the United States as a Commissioner of the World Council of Churches program to combat racism.

In 1977 she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her work as a civil rights activist.

Ms Clague continued her work on many fronts, and in 1996, with Aunty Della Walker, began the landmark Yaegl native title claim, ultimately leading to the 2017 recognition of native title over 90 kilometres of coast and sea, the first of its kind in New South Wales.

In an interview in later life, she said: "You've got to have the fire in your belly, it's important, if I didn't have that fire in my belly, I wouldn't have got things done."

For many decades her husband Colin was a steadfast ally and partner in her important work.

Ms Clague, at age 84, campaigned for a Yes vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum last year.

She is survived by Colin and their four daughters.