Nelly Camfoo is an Elder and holds Djarada and Murrdu knowledge. She was born on Mainoru Station in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Most of her life has been spent working on or around the Mainoru Station. Her first job was as a goat herder on Mainoru Station while she was a little girl. Later she worked as a cook on stock camps, and as a ringer - roping and tying bullocks, branding, earmarking, and drafting.
Before World War Two started, Camfoo was made to work for the Army. She was shifted around the Northern Territory doing washing, cooking and ironing. By the end of her stint, she was getting quite homesick and was happy when they finally let her go home to Mainoru.
Nelly did not have citizen rights and she was not allowed to have a relationship with Tex Camfoo (q.v.), but eventually the Welfare Department gave permission for Nelly and Tex to get married, because they could not physically prevent them from seeing each other.
In 1966, the owner of Mainoru station died, and his daughter sold the station to pay the debts Mainoru had incurred. The new owners did not want non-working Indigenous people on the station, hence employment was only for short periods and when it was finished, the Aboriginal people had to move off Mainoru station. Nelly and Tex moved and found work around the Arnhem Lands.
In 1972, Nelly's husband and her brother received money to set up a cattle station, which was named Gulperan Pastoral Company. There were many conditions placed upon this Indigenous station, most of which were beyond the control of the Indigenous people trying to make it work. In the end the Gulperan Pastoral Company became bankrupt and was shut down.
In the1980s, Camfoo helped set up a women's centre. Camfoo and other women contributed money to help make meals. Due to their successful community work, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs gave them funding money. In 1992, she was selected to be on the inaugural Board of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (BAAPA), and she quickly became the Deputy Chairperson. While on the board she successfully advocated for a Women's Business Sub-Committee, which created an appropriate environment in BAAPA for women to speak about their sacred sites. On the International Woman's Day in 2006, Camfoo was placed on the Northern Territory's Department of the Chief Minister's Tribute list, which honours the achievements of Territorian women and their community work.
Nelly Camfoo is also related to Smiler Martin (q.v.).
Nelly and her husband Tex told their life stories to Gillian Cowlishaw, who collated and edited them into a book called Love against the Law : The Autobiographies of Tex and Nelly (2000).
