our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,

A product of great mentors who have believed and invested in me, providing many and varied  opportunities that I have and continue to embrace throughout life’s rich journey.

Born in Gunnedah, NSW to a Registered Nurse Mother and Father with many skills - I eventually discovered a heritage of an Irish Immigrant (humerous I was born on St Patrick’s Day) and of Aboriginal ancestry of the Kamillaroi people of the Walgett region of NW NSW. Sadly this heritge was actively hidden as a legacy of Australia’s history of the time and has prevented my reconnection with my family as a result of government policy and my families resilience in protecting us from these policies of the time. Nonethless this heritage and spirituality remains a strong and determined part of my truth and strive to advocate for First Nations Australians.

Lived experience of witnessing the travesty of individual's and families living a lie through Australia's Stolen Generation era and beyond has me committed to truth telling and honouring the legacy of my family who were denied their cultural heritage and family connections to survive this harsh period in our Nation's history. I honour the love and commitment of my Grandmother in her sacrifice whilst she still saw the intense value of embedding in me a core commitment to community service and leadership. 

My early career as a sailor joining the Royal Australian Navy aged 15, partly because a school teacher advised it was best I leave school as I would not amount to anything and best I went to work at the local BHP, years later realising he was going through a marriage breakdown - highlighting the strength of our words can be powerful and unintended - these lessons resonate loud and strong for me…

A subsequent career in Pre-hospital care from the centre of Sydney to the Centre of Australia has given me breadth of experience both in health and social aspects of our great Nation.

My career into medicine has given me  many opportunities and growth in leadership and benefits in respect of cultural reconnection.

Having left school aged 15 and now a Professor at multiple Universities amongst many other appointments,  I realise the strength in mentoring, from that of my Aboriginal Grandmother, for the guidance and strength of Uncle Jimmy Little  teaching me the wisdom that gentleness did not reflect weakness, Djambawa Marawili (my Wawa - Yolngu adopted Brother) to so many other strong and influential leaders that have recognised value in me and made an investment. Continuing this legacy investing in others is the lesson that is one of my core values.

Each of our adventures begins with one step - embrace the opportunities that greet you and make the best of these - never forgetting where you come from and the opportunity to make the world a better place as a result of the decisions we make each and every day….

Solutions can be complex and alter depending on the circumstance, however, the one constant I have learned along the way is the common denominator of Good People doing good things… I am surrounded by Good People - despite the circumstances in which we find ourselves, may we all continue to embrace the opportunity of doing good things!