This paper explores the lives of three New South Wales Aboriginal women, mothers, artists and academics. It will identify the women’s success in academia as demonstrated by their pathways to education, employment, job satisfaction, commitment and leadership experiences. In addition, the challenges they have faced, together with balancing family and community commitments and the importance and influence of mentors who assisted them on their pathway to success will be discussed. They employ Aboriginal methodologies that privilege Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing utilising a yarning methodology which is a culturally appropriate conversational process of sharing stories to develop knowledge and educate younger generations. In this way, they generate new knowledge on what works and why for Aboriginal women in academia, identifying historical pathways and platforms to success, revealing common significant influences in order to uncover key drivers of success and aspects of cultural and social life, which have enabled them as Aboriginal women to succeed.
Introduction
As is customary in Aboriginal culture, we introduce ourselves and say from where we come. We utilise yarning as a method to discuss our lives in the challenging world of academia. We all have very diverse perspectives and experiences which enrich our teaching and research projects within our various higher education institutions.
I am
Janet Mooney
. I am the second child of Nancy Mooney (nee Ardler) and the first child to Raymond Mooney of Australian and Irish descent. My dad was one of eight kids with a gentle mother and an alcoholic father who did it tough through the Great Depression. My mother, one of eleven children, sadly lost their mum when she was nine. We are not entirely sure who mum’s mothers’ people were, but we know she was raised in La Perouse,
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Mum’s Dad was an Aboriginal Yuin man who managed the Slaughter House in Nowra and although he had eleven kids and no wife, he was able to keep his family together. My mother spent some time living at Wreck Bay Reserve
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after her mother passed. I remember going out to Wreck Bay visiting family – particularly Uncle Jock and Aunty Nelly – and wandering the pristine beaches. I also remember visiting family in La Perouse on occasions when living in Sydney. I have always known who I am and what community I came from, so it was not an issue for me growing up. As an educator, my first qualification was a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) followed by a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching (Visual Arts). In 1990, I moved into Higher Education as a lecturer at the University of Sydney, going on to complete my studies with a Master’s in Education in 2008 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2011. I am now a Professor and Leader of the Australian Centre for Indigenous Thriving in the Institute for Positive Psychology at the Australian Catholic University.
My name is
Lynette Riley
. I am from the Wiradjuri Nation – Dubbo
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and Gamilaroi Nation – Moree,
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both of these towns have large Aboriginal populations due to old Aboriginal Reserves and Missions. I am the eldest of six siblings. My mother was Delma Riley (nee: Wright) who grew up around Boggabilla and Toomelah.
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Mum’s mother Maude Wright (nee: Dunn) – Aboriginal families were forced to move around due to Protection Policies
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– spoke of Moree, Toomelah, Boggabilla and St George
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as her home areas, while mum’s father was Rueben (Ben) Wright. My father, Keith Riley, grew up around Dubbo and Wellington,
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while his mother Alma Riley (nee: Weldon) grew up around Dubbo and his father was Eric Riley from Dubbo and Wellington, I grew up in Dubbo with extended periods in Moree. I completed my High School Certificate (HSC) at Dubbo and went onto Teacher training at Armidale College of Advanced Education in 1975. I have worked across primary and high schools, in the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) sector, as an Aboriginal Development Manager and as a Campus Manager at Dubbo TAFE as the State Director for Aboriginal Programs. I have worked in two universities, the University of New England and currently at The University of Sydney, where I am a Senior Lecturer. I had my PhD conferred in May 2017.
My name is
Fabri Blacklock
and my mother Julie Prykaza was born in England and my father Ray Blacklock was born in Oberon in the Blue Mountains in NSW and my mob are the Nucoorilma/Ngarabal people from Tingha and Glen Innes
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and the Biripi people from Dingo Creek near Taree on the mid north coast, NSW. I also have Scottish ancestry from my great grandfather Arthur Blacklock, he married an Aboriginal woman, Eva Ross, who was from Glen Innes. My Pop Alex Blacklock married my Nan, Aileen Brown, whose parents were Frank Brown from Tingha and Millie Glover from Dingo Creek. My career began at the Powerhouse Museum when I was appointed as Assistant Curator of Koori (Aboriginal) History and Culture in 1999. I worked there until 2008 when I started my own company, Wirriimbi Designs to design public artworks and to facilitate art classes as well as community art projects. I then completed my PhD in 2014 and started working at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. I now work as a Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales Art and Design.
Methodology
Mainstream non-Aboriginal methodologies dominate the way teaching and research is conducted in Australian universities and Aboriginal methods have long been deemed as unreliable and inauthentic for rigorous academic practices. Slowly, our ways of being, knowing and doing are being accepted for utilisation in teaching and research methodologies within Australian universities. We still have a long way to go to embed our knowledge and culture in mainstream university education, but Indigenist research is increasingly being utilised across the world to create understanding about our ways of being, knowing and doing. Wilson (2013) defines Indigenist research as ‘… necessary research that reflects an Indigenist view of reality, knowledge and the gaining of wisdom to shape the future of our communities …’ (p. 312). White (2010) contends that, ‘Indigenous researchers are preferring to use new approaches to framing Indigenous research which are an alternative to, and separate from the dominant or traditional research paradigms’ (p. 15). Wilson asserts that Indigenist research methods are crucial to the success of Indigenous communities and research partnerships that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal women. Fredricks (2008) research with other Aboriginal women contends that ‘… empowering and re-empowering practices for Aboriginal women can lead to improved health outcomes’ (p. 113). There is limited research that utilises Indigenist research methodologies in identifying Aboriginal women, who are caretakers and role models in our communities, which is reflected in the various nurturing and leadership roles we play as mothers, sisters, aunties and mentors within the wider community. If we are to have strong communities, we need strong women, and this is further emphasised by the 2018 National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee theme, ‘Because of her, we can!’.
Colonisation has contributed towards Aboriginal women experiencing severe trauma (Sherwood, 2013). Statistically, Aboriginal women have higher rates of mental and physical health issues, and higher experiences of domestic violence compared to non-Aboriginal women (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, 2018). By empowering Aboriginal women to yarn up (Walker, Fredericks, Mills, & Anderson, 2014), we are encouraged to talk about our experiences resulting in our voices being authorised as knowers and doers (Moreton-Robinson, 2013; Smith, 1999). In this way, we can help other Aboriginal women to aspire to attain higher degrees and set goals to become academics enabling them, too, to make a difference in our communities through self-determination in higher education.
We utilised yarning as an Indigenous methodology. As Martin (2016, p. 50) says, ‘yarning is a method that purposefully brings together a number of topics in a number of layers – or threads – for a particular purpose’. Yarning is the Aboriginal knowledge process we used to communicate our perspectives and experiences as Aboriginal women, mothers, artists and academics. Through utilising collaborative ‘yarning’, we are privileging Aboriginal women’s voices and experiences from a diversity of perspectives, places and temporalities, thus ensuring that Aboriginal oral heritage and knowledge is embedded in our education and knowledge systems. This is a form of Indigenist research that ensures that our stories, knowledge and experiences are told on our own terms. Fredricks (2008) argues that, ‘the telling of stories is one way for Aboriginal women to explore the way in which Aboriginal women think about their history and to identify the effects of the events on their lives’ (p. 21). Through our stories, we hope to inspire other Aboriginal women to achieve their goals in higher education.
‘Which way’: Early influences and challenges getting our education in early life
Janet’s
early primary and secondary years of education were quite patchy and scattered, with her parents moving frequently: I attended six primary schools – one of them being in Nowra to where we always returned. Sadly, Nowra was such a racist place when I was growing up. My secondary schooling consisted of one year in Rooty Hill High School and one in Milton Ulladulla High with me leaving at the end of year eight. Throughout this time, my family was my only support. Going to so many schools was very hard as in one school you could be doing well, but in the next school they could be way ahead of where your previous school was at. You were very vulnerable as you did not know if you would be able to understand the lessons and you stood out because you never had the right uniform and were shy with having to meet so many new people in each school. One thing it did do, though, was to strengthen my resolve, making me resilient and creating a strong bond with my family and my extended family with whom we kept in constant contact. I started working at 15 so prior to getting myself educated, I worked at many odd jobs – even teaching women to be carpenters at one point.
In her early 20s
Janet
met some amazing people: Some of my friends who had had disjointed education took themselves off to night school. At 23, I did the same. If I had not been lucky enough living in the Whitlam era,
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a time of free and equitable higher education for all, it would not have been possible. Once I decided to get myself educated, there was a real passion for learning, although at times it was a struggle as mum and dad lived so far away and had two small kids to support which meant that I was basically on my own in Sydney. Going to Art College was hard work but fun. Then, the University of Sydney to do my Grad Dip in Teaching was a real eye opener as there were so many people of real privilege, some of whom became my friends, although racism still occasionally raised its ugly head. Although the Aboriginal Study Grants Scheme (ABSTUDY) was available in those days, it was a bit ‘hit and miss’, I was told I could get a tutor and buy whatever I needed, and they would reimburse me. However, with no money, no contacts and no Aboriginal Unit in the University this was ‘pie in the sky’ help!
Lyn
had an extremely stable home and school life: I went to one public school – Dubbo North. I later found out that Aboriginal kids whose families had ‘Certificates of Exemption’
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went to this school and those who didn’t went to another school in Dubbo but went straight into OA Classes (classes are for kids with learning difficulties). At my school, we were able to get streamed into ‘A’ ‘B’ or OA Classes. I was always in the ‘A’ classes because I was a good reader and attended one high school – Dubbo High. My key supporters were always my family. They were only provided with a third-grade education but instilled in me the importance of gaining an education. They wanted me to gain skills to make a difference in education for all our people. Extreme poverty was an issue. Some weeks there was not much food. There was also a lot of racism at school, a lot of non-Aboriginal kids didn’t talk much to me and I only ever visited the homes of a couple of non-Aboriginal classmates. Luckily, I loved reading, school and learning. As no-one else had been through a public school – mum, dad or grand-parents, I had to ask neighbours what subjects like Geography meant. I had to decide early on all the key directions I had to take in life and education. Dad just said, ‘you decide’. It gave me resilience in my early life.
A key barrier for
Lyn
was some of the non-Aboriginal students at school: I remember getting top marks in an economics class and a non-Aboriginal student shouting that I must have cheated which was horrendous. I was asked – by extended family – to look after younger kids at school. This meant they would come to me at recess and lunch. In Years 11 and 12, where I was the only Aboriginal student, the other non-Aboriginal students didn’t like this. I got ostracised and wasn’t spoken to by the majority of non-Aboriginal students whilst I was in Years 11 and 12. It taught me to rely on myself. ABSTUDY was introduced the year I started high school and continued when I started Teacher’s College. I also made some incredible friendships whilst at Teachers College and that gave me a real sense of myself. Two key family incidences that were drivers of my learning: firstly, my grandfather Eric Riley, teaching me how to read, before I started school – that set me on the path of loving reading and learning. The second was my Pop Rueben Wright (Moree) telling me to never forget who I was and that my education was about helping our people. I took that to heart and was determined to make a difference.
Lyn
hadn’t really thought about culture or connection to community much as it just was there: I grew up in my traditional Country and we just did things. I never thought my life was different until I started Teachers College and mixed more with non-Aboriginal people. Over my life, I gave birth to four children but have raised seven children. I have been involved with family and Aboriginal friends in running Aboriginal Dance Groups, Cultural Camps, and Youth Cultural Events – constantly learning culture and teaching kids. My cultural practice has always been with my sisters, Diane and Christine. My Aboriginality drives me as I feel I was meant to be in education to improve systems. Now, I am finding myself by learning and practicing traditional Kangaroo cloak making.
Fabri’s
main supporters were her family: My family supported and encouraged me to achieve my goals in my education and to complete my PhD. Without family, I would not have been able to succeed in my early education as this set the foundations for future studies and undertaking a PhD. When I was in school, I was bad at maths and this affected my confidence. I also failed my HSC terribly but all I wanted to do was to study Aboriginal Studies and when I went to the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts, Communication majoring in Aboriginal Studies and Film and Video. I studied in the Aboriginal student centre Jumbana and was supported by Uncle Ken Canning. I received ABSTUDY so I was provided with a tutor, Terri Richardson, who was amazing and supported me and helped me to develop my academic research and writing skills. It was really challenging but I worked hard because I wanted to succeed so I didn’t give up even when I wanted to. My Dad encouraged me to work hard because he knew that the knowledge and skills I was learning was going to empower me to help my community and this was one of the main drivers for me to succeed in education. I also wanted to get a good job and be able to buy my own house which I did when I was only 24. Dad didn’t get a good education. He told me, ‘he was constantly fighting racism, so he became a footballer because people wanted to hang out with you if you could play footy’.
Fabri
was lucky because she was well supported in getting her university education: I started the year before the Howard
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government increased fees. This meant that I was able to access ABSTUDY and receive tutoring and without this support, I would not have been able to complete my studies. My PhD included oral histories with six of my Elders, I loved sitting around the camp fire listening to my Elders’ stories and being able to share their stories and the many barriers that they have faced, like being refused service in shops, being taunted at school and made to feel inferior in the community was a big factor in me pursuing my PhD. I wanted to be able to tell their stories, so the wider community can understand the challenges that my family faced and why Aboriginal history is important to tell.
Early to mid-career
Janet
felt that getting a teaching qualification gave her lots of opportunities: On completion of my degree, I was one of only about 25 Aboriginal teachers in NSW. These were exciting times as support for Aboriginal education was a priority in the NSW Department of Education. I got to meet some amazing Aboriginal people, such as Lynette Riley, Kaye Price, and Linda Burney
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and many more particularly through being a member of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. Because of their friendships, their support and mentoring I truly began to believe in my ability to go on to do things way beyond the expectation of a Koori kid from Nowra.
Janet’s
early years working in academia were extremely difficult because of the heavy workloads: I worked in the Aboriginal Education Assistance Program when I started as a lecturer in 1990. I taught Aboriginal Art, Aboriginal Studies, Community Engagement and oversaw Counselling Studies. The University was reluctant to embrace Aboriginal Studies and Aboriginal Education, but we fought a good fight and over time the Koori Centre was born. It took its place within the institution, first as a teaching program within the Faculty of Education, incorporating a support centre for Aboriginal students and finally progressing to an Academic Teaching Unit with its own Academic Board. I managed the Koori Centre for 17 years. The Koori Centre was disbanded in 2012 without recognition or appreciation of the hard work that the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff had undertaken. This was one of the saddest events in the history of Aboriginal education in the University of Sydney and a huge mistake in my opinion. But this was the era when some Aboriginal people – in executive positions – decided that Aboriginal people did not need support within the university sector and tore down many of the Support and Academic Centres across Australia and moved the staff into mainstream.
Interestingly, it is the ones who bucked the trend like the University of Technology Sydney who are miles ahead of other institutions as they attract and support Aboriginal students and value their Aboriginal academics’ contribution to the academy. Professor Rhonda Craven – who was a colleague and supervised my PhD – had been trying to get me to leave the University of Sydney and work with her as a researcher for about 15 years finally rang me with a job offer too good to refuse. So, after 24 years at Sydney, I moved with her and her entire Centre to the Australian Catholic University to join the newly formed Institute for Positive Psychology and Education (IPPE).
For
Lyn
as an academic, there have been many influences: In Armidale as a student, lecturers gave me such support and helped me understand how the academic world works. They also taught me what has affected us as Aboriginal people, so I could understand and make sense of what had to be done – with many thanks to Anne-Katrin Eckermann and Myra Dunn. Close friends from my college days like Wendy Holland and Linda Burney kept the academic experience real. Academically, it was working with Janet Mooney that helped pull it all together. My PhD would not have been done without Janet and Rhonda Craven. They stuck with me through a divorce and two bouts of cancer – I was told by Janet, ‘failure is not an option’. Now at 60 years plus, I find that with my extensive experiences, I am considered an early career academic – I’m still laughing.
Lyn’s
connection to culture and communities are key drivers: I’ve only ever worked in identified positions (targeted positions for Aboriginal people) because I have wanted to work and give support for other Aboriginal people, so they in turn can make changes in their communities. Barriers are when systems and people who work outside these areas, don’t understand. When I do things that I love, like my Kangaroo Cloaks – other people want to know more which surprises me. When you are passionate, I think that is contagious and other people are genuinely interested, want to work with you and create stronger emotional and cultural ties. I discovered that whilst working to further Aboriginal education and being involved in innovation after innovation, it hasn’t necessarily been viewed as that by the wider academic world. In fact, because we haven’t followed or thought it necessary to write about what we have done, we have, in a sense, ‘cut our own throats’ as now in a non-Indigenous academic centre where all that counts, I haven’t got the academia behind me to prove my worth. I find that frightening and am now learning to approach academic life in a different way. I am enjoying getting to know some of my non-Aboriginal colleagues and working closely with them in new ways of learning, teaching and research.
Fabri
discusses her early career support: My career started at the Powerhouse Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences in Sydney – where I worked and was mentored by James Wilson-Miller and his partner Rhonda Craven who was a professor at the University of Western Sydney. Rhonda encouraged me to do a PhD and tell my family’s stories. This was something I had never considered, and I would never have contemplated studying for a higher degree without her support and encouragement as my mentor, supervisor and friend. My academic career began with a job offer from Professor Craven as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the newly established Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University. Here, I received mentoring from Professors Craven and Mooney and Associate Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker. I was supported and mentored in gaining two successful Australian Research Council (ARC) Indigenous Discovery grants in the one round and this was the first time I had applied for an ARC grant as an Early Career Researcher. So, to get two in one round was outstanding and really helped me to believe that I could achieve great things in academia. This also boosted my confidence as well as my academic research and writing skills. This established my research career as a stepping stone to my next position and promotion to Senior Lecturer at UNSW Art and Design where I am able to practice my passion of teaching art.
Fabri
overcame many challenges in her early career: The heavy workload required, my family commitments, my Dad being diagnosed with a terminal illness and becoming a single mother with two young boys were difficult. But the support I received from my supervisors and mentors, Professors Mooney and Craven, was what got me through these challenges. That’s why it’s so important to have really good mentors who will support you through not only your professional life but also your personal life and who have an understanding of some of the challenges that Aboriginal people face in our daily lives. I have surrounded myself with people and family who have supported me on my journey. I strive every day to achieve change within the Aboriginal community through the work that I do because I strongly believe that teaching and research in universities can make a big impact for Aboriginal people as well as educate non-Aboriginal people about our culture and knowledge.
Fabri
really believes it is important to set goals and discuss how you will achieve these with your mentors and family and set a clear pathway to how you will achieve these goals: My motivation is to be a Professor and every time I achieve one of my smaller goals on this pathway, I know I am one step closer. My culture, community and most importantly, my family’s experiences as Aboriginal people were the motivating factors for me to pursue a career in academia. I strongly believe that the teaching and research that I conduct can make a big difference to the lives of Aboriginal people. Also, through embedding Indigenist research methods into my teaching and research philosophies, I can educate the wider community about Aboriginal history and culture.
In concluding: We look to the future
Janet
is getting close to the end of her career: Working as a researcher in IPPE and leading the Australian Centre for Indigenous Thriving (ACIT) has been an awesome experience and an exciting way to wind down a career. Currently, we are applying for an ARC Centre of Excellence, Australia’s premier research grant, in order to create a Centre of Excellence for Thriving Indigenous Futures. We want to bring together the best Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal academics, new generation researchers, government, industry partners and stakeholders with a shared commitment to ensure Indigenous children and youth can be successful learners and leaders in 21st century Australia. It is a noble challenge and high time that the best people were brought together with one vision, rather than working in small pockets across Australia. As our Expression of Interest is submitted this week, we await the outcome not only of the grant but also for my future as at 64, I am looking to hand-over the reins to the very capable young Aboriginal academics who are coming through. It is via them and building the number of Aboriginal academics that we can make and sustain our futures. I have had a fantastic experience working in academia as it is a place where you can make and exert real change.
Lyn
sees working in mainstream academia as a challenge as she has some philosophical issues: I joined the University to work specifically with Aboriginal students. The program of study closed due to, so called, economic imperatives and mainstreaming. Now, I am left working mainly with non-Aboriginal students. I am no longer helping other Aboriginal people learn how to become professionals, how to work within these western systems and how to create change for their own families and communities. It has left me feeling drained with a constant process of challenging racism and stereotypes – which is not understood and appreciated. Non-Aboriginal academics do not face these dilemmas in their work careers, and it has left a void in me and I am questioning my worth and role in this western academy. I find it particularly, draining the requirement to ‘publish or perish’ attitude and not being recognised and valued for my Aboriginal input. I am also tired of non-Aboriginal people who put one toe into the Aboriginal arena – get kudos and are celebrated for that effort – suddenly being given Associate Professor positions and then coming and asking me for help to do their jobs. Despite working in the field for over 40 years, I am not able to access the same fast career tracks that non-Indigenous people appear to get. I find the whole thing demeaning. I have been doing this work my whole life and it only seems to get recognised as worthwhile, within the system when non-Aboriginal people get involved – and they get higher positions because they are now working in Aboriginal education. Still, I am trying not to be bitter or cynical with the in-favour and out-of-favour approach to the support for Aboriginal education in the higher education sector.
Fabri
suggests we still have a long way to go with improving Aboriginal education: I think we need better mentoring opportunities, positive role models, support from family and community and a move away from a deficit model. We need authorities to listen to us and act on our advice when we tell them what we need and how to change the system for the betterment of Aboriginal people. If we are to succeed, we need more people in executive positions in academia because these positions are able to make policy changes. Whilst the majority of the students I teach are non-Aboriginal, I embed Aboriginal perspectives into all my courses because I strongly believe ‘Aboriginal Education is Everybody’s Business’ and we need to educate the wider community. I feel I am also able to make a real change with my research projects that employ Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing and I do feel I am making some impact within the academy. Jealousy and shame are big factors in the Aboriginal community that discourage Aboriginal people from achieving their goals. We need to support our younger generations and not impose shame on our young people. We also need to celebrate successful Aboriginal people rather than being jealous because they have done well in the lives and careers. Everyone deserves love and support to achieve their goals and make a difference.
