1. Introduction to the Koori Centre
Vice-Chancellor's message
The University of Sydney has an outstanding international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research. It is a place that values its students, drawn as they are from across the country and across the world.
The Koori Centre on the Camperdown Campus, and Yooroang Garang on the Cumberland campus both provide outstanding support for students drawn from Australia’s first peoples. The staff of these units help students with everything from additional tutorial support, to advice on taking advantage of all the opportunities that the University has to offer.
More generally, the University has several scholarships for Indigenous students that can help you financially during your time at the University.
If you are thinking about a university course, do come and visit us, or make contact with either the Koori Centre or Yooroang Garang.
We are proud to count Charles Perkins, the first Indigenous Australian university graduate and an inspirational figure, amongst our alumni. Since his days at the University our community of Indigenous students has continued to grow, and we are keen to welcome you to the University.
I hope that you will see how intellectually rewarding, and fun, time spent as a student at Sydney can be!
Dr Michael Spence
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
Welcome from the Director
On behalf of the academic and administrative staff I welcome you to the Koori Centre.
In welcoming you I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the Country on which the University of Sydney and the Koori Centre stands: the Cadigal people of the Eora Nation.
The Koori Centre is fortunate to have many outstanding teachers, who have dedicated their careers to improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australian people. They keep abreast of educational practices for Indigenous learners, and strive to inform non-Indigenous people of the practices and principles of attitudinal change that will contribute towards a more cohesive community of Australians.
The Centre prides itself on its research-intensive culture and the teaching staff are highly regarded as academics with specialised knowledge in Aboriginal education and affairs.
Along with their close relationships with Indigenous Australian communities they are highly sought-after by local, state and federal committees for contributions to important policy development and practice.
Their involvement and commitment plays a significant role in providing opportunities for students to learn about new issues and developments.
The Koori Centre is blessed with friendly, helpful and committed administrative staff, who deal with the day to day operations of the Centre as well as providing support for staff and students. They are responsible for assisting prospective students and Indigenous and non-Indigenous students of the University.
Support includes administration of the Cadigal Special Entry Scheme; an Academic Skills Program; and the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme.
The Koori Centre is one of the largest Indigenous Australian centres in the country and has a long and distinguished history of promoting equity of access, improving participation and educational outcomes for students.
The Koori Centre provides policy advice, administrative services, and most importantly student support. In addition, our Indigenous Australian research library is accessible to all students.
The Koori Centre is a cultural haven for Indigenous Australian students, helping them find their place within the many faculties of the University. It also provides them with a computer lab and a common room where they can study, meet, or just relax and have a yarn.
I know you will enjoy studying at the University of Sydney and hope you utilise the abundant facilities, services and opportunities available to you. The Koori Centre is here to support Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students who are interested in Indigenous Australian Studies.
Enjoy your learning journey as it will be one that you will remember for the rest of your life. I wish you all the best with your study and in your future endeavours.
Janet Mooney
Director, Koori Centre
About the University
The University of Sydney is Australia’s oldest university. It was founded in 1850 on a hilltop in the land of the Cadigal people. Lake Northam, an important gathering place for the first people of the land, now forms the centrepiece of Victoria Park just outside the University gates.
Commencing studies with three professors and a little over 30 students in 1852, the University currently has more than 40,000 students and over 2200 teaching staff. University of Sydney graduates have distinguished themselves in all sectors of Australian society and throughout the world, and include several prominent Indigenous leaders and achievers.
Sydney has a strong involvement in the history of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. From the scholarship of early anthropologists, through student activism in the Freedom Rides of the 1960s and on into the present, as a leading educator and trainer of Indigenous professions, establishing one of the first identified courses in an Australian university.
The University of Sydney has a clear commitment to its strategic plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which features consultations with and participation by Indigenous Australians in all aspects of the University. Most importantly, the University is strongly dedicated to its goal of increasing the number of Indigenous Australian students studying at the University of Sydney.
Koori Centre
Our challenge is to continue to foster innovative educational activity. We will achieve our objectives by developing our teaching expertise through appropriate strategies and technological inputs, the expansion of our research activity, and increased student and community involvement and interaction.
Our Strategic Directions are designed to present our goals, related strategies and projected actions. In the pursuit of educational excellence we will continue to build partnerships, internally and externally to the University and with Aboriginal communities.
Our vision
To be a centre of excellence in Indigenous Australian higher education
Statement of commitment
To provide and promote high quality culturally appropriate and effective learning and teaching, research and support services
for Indigenous Australians
and the community
at the University of Sydney.
Meet some of our students
Brydee Barnett
Diploma in Education (Aboriginal)
I am a Gamilaroi mother of three and I was born at Quirindi, NSW in 1978. My family come from the Caroona area of north-western NSW. I am currently employed as CEO for the Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council and am studying my Diploma of Education (Aboriginal).
I decided to go to Sydney University because of its course offerings in Aboriginal languages. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do once I left school, and I didn’t want to have to move away just to get an education.
So after completing my HSC in 1996, I worked on the CDEP until I got an admin traineeship through Tamworth TAFE, where I have been working in various positions, including teaching for about 10 years. I have also worked as a Health Education Officer for the Area Health Service and as a Project Officer for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
After gaining Certificate 1 in Aboriginal Language, and doing some in-class tutoring and really enjoying it, I decided to further my skills and knowledge in education at Sydney University.
I was able to sit my entry exam locally which was also a plus for the course, as well as the fact that I only have to go away to Sydney for 1 week every six weeks or so. Travel and accommodation is organised through the Koori Centre and the staff have been really supportive. Even though I miss my babies heaps when I go away on study block, and sometimes the work can be quite challenging, I have had no regrets about my choice to study this course.
Once I gain my qualification I hope to do further research and develop programs and resources to be used in schools and communities, to empower the people to succeed in the system, as well as have the skills to challenge and change the system where it is found to be unjust.
Adam Ridgeway
Bachelor of Visual Arts
My name is Adam Ridgeway and I am Sydney College of the Arts studying my Bachelor of Visual Arts, Object Art and Design (Honours). After four years of study at Sydney I have found that it’s really not just about getting a degree, it's about finding out where you want to go and what you really enjoy in life.
Since I began my course in 2005 I have been able to engage with my Aboriginality and use my work as a means to express the concerns and issues that are effecting a new generation of Aboriginal people. I would never have thought that I would be exhibiting around Australia and internationally when I was at school but I guess it wouldn’t have meant as much to me if I known exactly what I wanted to do then.
I have been on the ITAS tuition scheme and it has been crucial to reaching, maintaing and pushing the results I have received. As a result my work has been exhibited in competitions such as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award in Darwin, the Gold Coast International Art Award and the 4th World International Ceramic Biennale in Korea to name a few.
The most important thing I have come to realise is that tutoring is not for people who are failing, it is for people who want to achieve and perform at a higher level than they currently are.
Being able to live at International House (an international college on campus) has enriched my whole university experience. My studies have been able to help me understand that as a new generation of Indigenous students we have to think whether a black or white approach is the way in which to catagorise ourselves.
We all come from so many different backgrounds and cultures and programs such as AIME are crucial in that they acknowledge the complex culture makeup of kids today and how important they are for the future understanding and interpretation of Aboriginal culture in Australia.
The most important thing about the Koori Centre for me is that they have been there at the university for me. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are studying or what your aspirations are, there is always someone there to talk to and to help you achieve whatever it is that you set out to do.
Suellyn Tighe
Master of Indigenous Languages Education
I am a 44-year-old Gamilaraay woman from Coonabarabran in north-western NSW. I am a mother of four proud young Gamilaraay men.
I view myself as a survivor of the education system from the 1970s and 1980s. I experienced education that was riddled with stereotypical views of intelligence, gender bias and racism. The situation I faced was: too smart to be black and too black to be smart. Am I bitter due to these experiences? The answer is emphatically NO. I consider myself all the stronger as an Aboriginal woman.
Despite negative experiences I have always been involved in and recognised the importance of education. I have worked as a tutor for Aboriginal students from year 3 to 12, Support Teacher Learning Difficulties (STLD), Disability Aid (deaf student), Year 12 Literacy and Numeracy Support, teachers aid (Special), Aboriginal Education Assistant and Aboriginal Community Liaison Student Support Officer for TAFE.
I began my tertiary education in the Koori Centre, University of Sydney at the age of 39 studying to become an Aboriginal Studies teacher. I completed the Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Aboriginal Studies) degree in 2007. However, my educational journey did not end there. I have continued on to post graduate study in the Masters of Indigenous Language Education course. This course will enable me to continue my language revitalisation efforts within my own language of Gamilaraay.
Entering into the educational arena at the University of Sydney has given me the confidence to pursue both personal and educational goals. I am a firm believer in the principle of leading by example and encourage others to follow their dreams.
My philosophy of life is 'DARE TO' – in Gamilaraay -miya. Dare to dream, dare to learn and dare to speak. So, get out there and dare to succeed.
Kia Brown
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
My name is Kia Brown and I am a descendent of the Garawa people of north-east Arnhem Land. When I was at school I never thought I had what it took to get into university, so I dropped out after finishing Year 10. After a few years working dead end jobs, I realised that the only thing that was standing in my way was me.
So, I enrolled in TAFE and am proud to say that I received my HSC last year, aged 21. Not knowing anything about how to get in to university and how the whole selection process worked, I went into the Koori Centre and the staff were extremely helpful, pointing me in the right direction.
I have always wanted to work with Australian native animals and I decided that the best way to achieve this is to become a vet. Thanks to the help of everyone at the Koori Centre, I am now in the first year of my Veterinary Science degree.
I found the first semester a bit overwhelming, as Vet Science is a full-time, five-day-a-week course, and I also travel an hour each way to uni everyday. But now that I have settled in to the workload, I am finding this semester a lot easier to cope with. Through the Koori Centre, I have also met many other Indigenous students in the same situation as me, starting uni a bit later than most. It's great to be surrounded by people from a similar background who understand what you are going through.
My message to anyone who dreams of doing something that has always seemed out of reach, is that believing in yourself is half the battle. Once you believe you can do it, anything is possible.
Kristy Kennedy
Bachelor of Laws
My name is Kristy Kennedy, I am 25 years old, and I am from the Barkinji (north-west NSW) and Ngarrendjeri (Coast of SA) Nations. I was born and raised in Bourke where I did most of my schooling, before attending boarding school at St Scholastica’s College in Glebe, where I completed my HSC.
My mother insisted that I return to Bourke for 12 months, and during this time I worked as an Aboriginal Teacher’s Aide at my old primary school. Upon entering university, I enrolled for a Combined Bachelor of Arts/Law through the Koori Centre’s Cadigal Program.
I lived on campus at the Women’s College for the first few years, then I moved into private accommodation while I worked for the NSW Attorney General’s Department and studied part-time.
In 2006, I completed a Winter Clerkship with a large corporate law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson, and at the end of 2006, I commenced a cadetship with the firm under the National Indigenous Cadetship Program.
The cadetship involves me working full-time during my summer vacation (12 weeks) at Allens Arthur Robinson, and receiving a study allowance during Semester 1 and 2 of the University calendar.
I recently graduated from my Bachelor of Arts with a major in Aboriginal Studies, and I am now completing my Bachelor of Law. I have returned to live at the Women’s College and am enjoying the opportunity to return to full-time study without financial pressure to engage in employment that is not essential to my study.
I'm very fortunate that during my study I received tremendous support from family and friends, the Koori Centre, the Women’s College, the University of Sydney Law Faculty, and from legal professionals who act as my mentors.
University is a wonderful environment in which to be challenged academically, but it also provides you with essential life skills to cope with the wider experiences that all students face upon entering the work force as graduates. I have struggled through my studies for personal and financial reasons, but due to the wonderful support that I received, I have been able to continue studying, with the goal of completion of my Bachelor of Law now in sight. On completion of my Bachelor of Law, I will endeavour to enter the legal profession.
I encourage any student to consider opportunities that are presented to them, including tertiary study. Attending university was not something that I really thought about, but now that I reflect back on when I first enrolled I can appreciate all of my experiences, and the opportunities that university has presented me – opportunities that I had never dreamed of.
Daniel Dalby
Bachelor in Education (Secondary: Aboriginal Studies)
My name is Daniel Dalby. I am from Coffs Harbour on the mid-North Coast of New South Wales and I am a Bundjalung man. At the moment I am studying in my fourth year of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Aboriginal Studies) at the University of Sydney.
I decided to go to uni after meeting one of the academic staff from the Koori Centre who was visiting the Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation. They encouraged me to follow my dream to become a teacher.
Studying has been a real challenge, especially with all the hard work you have to do, but I'm determined to see it through. The bonus of doing my Education degree through block- mode is that I can spend most of my time in my community and make three trips to Sydney each semester.
I realise I can be posted just about anywhere in New South Wales once I finish my degree and remote areas of the state need teachers more than most, but I hope that one day I will be able to teach in my own community. Teaching is a great way to inspire young people and I think that other Indigenous men should become involved in teaching, to inspire us and to give us more role models.
I am a strong believer in the power of education. Education can unlock doors to future prospects for Indigenous people. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, all you need is commitment and determination. You can achieve whatever your heart desires with these two things.
I recommend to anyone who is interested in becoming a teacher that they get in touch with the Koori Centre. The Centre is a very supportive environment and staff are more than willing to help in any way they can. The Koori Centre has made my whole experience at University much more enjoyable and rewarding.