Ida West was an active member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. She was a state committee member, the president of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, and an advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights. West was born on an Aboriginal reserve and was the second daughter of Ivy Victoria Albeana (Everett) and Henry Isaac Armstrong.
In the 1920s, the family moved to Killiecrankie, Flinders Island. West married Marcus Sydney West and had one daughter and two sons, one of whom is Darrell West (q.v.). After joining the union in the 1970s, she became politically active and went on to become president of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. As an activist, she was involved in the process and handing over of the title deeds to the Aboriginal Community of Wybalenna on Flinders Island on 18 April 1999.
West was named by the Mercury newspaper as one of the ten Tasmanians of the century on 1 November 1999. In 2002, she was both made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) and awarded NAIDOC National Female Elder of the Year. In 2003, she was recognised with a Special Achievement Award at the NAIDOC National Awards Ceremony in Hobart.
