INDIGENOUS STORYBOOK

campus space they are studying and working at, and
the Country they find themselves on. As a Nyoongar
man, when I travel, I don’t expect to see my Country
replicated so I feel that I should recognise, learn about
and pay homage to the Country that I am visiting,
and share my own cultural knowledge, respectfully,
wherever I am.
Tall trees of the south
Turtles from the west
we were in the final stages of finishing it. She was
in deep distress and ready to walk away from her
degree. So I brought her outside to show her what
we were doing with the stones. I said to her, “When
you graduate, your name will be on that stone.” She
started crying and hugging me and I asked her to
come and check it out in a few days when it was
completely finished, so she brought her kids back
and they all had a discussion. What came out of that
discussion was the idea that all three family members’
names could be on these stones together in the
future. And that was the clincher; she completed
her upcoming exam, received a distinction in that
corresponding unit and walked across the stage in
September 2015 as a graduate nurse.
I often share that story with potential students,
particularly the Follow the Dream kids who come
through. Today, two of her children are enrolled at
university. This is just a remarkable story and one of
the many reasons why Kurongkurl Katitjin and all of
its initiatives is a vital Centre and resource for our
Indigenous students.
And since that day…
although we have achieved an exponential amount
in the last decade, there is always more to do and
we have many plans to develop our services at each
of our three campuses in the future. I came up with
the idea to provide interpretive opportunities for all
of our students and staff to learn more about the
At our Joondalup campus we have a Wandjoo/
Welcome cultural reflection space which is a bilingual
entry statement at one of the main entry points
onto the campus. Additionally, a newly opened
building incorporating several cultural elements
from the Joondalup area, called Ngoolark (Ngoolark
is a Nyoongar name for the Carnaby’s White Tail
Black Cockatoo) can also be found. Ngoolark has
recently been shortlisted as a finalist in the World
Architectural Awards. The impetus behind these
cultural reflective spaces comes off the back of the
success of our Rock Solid Foundations at Mount
Lawley, and the Kurongkurl Katitjin building itself.
I am aiming to get six cultural reflective spaces at
Joondalup campus online; the first two are here and
another will be completed over the summer holidays
with the rest to come in the future.
Rock solid foundations
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