Gavin Khan is currently a lecturer at The University of Adelaide in ...

Gavin Khan Belief in the Magicable to identify what’s cultural and what’s not, because that’s one of thethings that a lot of Aboriginal teachers and leaders struggle with. A lotof my learning has occurred as a result of being able to identify what’scultural and what’s not. This happens when you’re a new leader and you’redeveloping new understandings within a new context or situation. This issomething that is experienced by people regardless of gender or culture orbackground.It’s very rare to come across people who are willing and able to challengeor to offer another point of view, or who will ask those questions thathelp clarify things in your own mind. Sometimes you learn that you havemisread their meaning altogether. These are the experiences that a newleader has when they go into a new community or school because there isso much you don’t know and there’s often not a cohort of Aboriginal peoplewho have been in those leadership positions. You can’t get that uniqueperspective or feedback, and therefore learning and understanding thecultural norms can be a really difficult process. Females new to leadershipprobably went through this as well: “Am I being treated this way becauseI’m a female or simply because I’m a new leader?”Anyway, if I was to project myself ten years into the future I wouldhope I’ve still got my health, because statistically as an Aboriginal man itstarts to decline at my age. I hope I would have done some study but alsoto be back in schools and have that special contact as a leader workingwith communities. So rather than being a pure academic, I think I’d liketo have a balance between the two. I’ve got no aspirations to be the nextChief Executive or District Director or anything like that. It’s not aboutthe position for me, but the learning that I will have done. That is moreimportant for me.I hope I will still be living in Adelaide. I don’t think I’d be able to cope31