WHO WE ARE

I am an Anaiwan person who grew up on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, and moved on to Wurundjeri Country in late-2017. I have been very lucky to learn to be an educator from Elders from Ngunnawal, Ngambri, Wiradjuri, Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gamilaraay and many other Countries.

Iwata Education Aboriginal Corporation was started in 2024 when I separated my passions of education and pre-hospital care into two separate Aboriginal Corporations. Iwata Education is focused on the contracting work I have done over the last 7 years, while adding support for other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators.

My work background consists of logistics, assets management, procurement, building project management, and fleet management in a Federal Government agency for 6 years and 7 years in RTOs in first aid, Indigenous education, leadership, mentoring, governance, and self-development. I currently work part-time as the Manager, Indigenous Learning & Teaching at RMIT College of Vocational Education. This role is focused on supporting vocational education learning and teaching staff to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, perspectives, cultures, and teaching practices into their courses. I also am the Managing Director of Deadly Sports Plus Aboriginal Corporation which is the only non-profit Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation dedicated to delivering high-quality Event First Aid Services and comprehensive First Aid Training programs across various regions in Australia.

I was awarded an Associate Fellow (Indigenous Knowledges) of the Higher Education Academy and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 2023 to recognise my effective integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into higher education courses at RMIT  and Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC). I have also recently been offered a position in the Australian Education Research Organisation’s First Nations Expert Reference Group, which is a group of 120 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators to guide research, shape policy, and promote effective educational practices tailored to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.   

I am passionate about supporting Indigenous Education in all aspects I can. I have undertaken 13 different qualifications across vocational and higher education throughout my career. There is a distinct lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators at all levels, which results in a lack of culturally safe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content within courses. I want to change this! We need to have support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have meaningful and well paying careers within education. I also want to support organisations the best I can to ensure culturally safe content is being taught.