Catholic Diocese of Broome

Earlier this year the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Broome Campus of Notre Dame Professor Lyn Henderson-Yates asked me if I would be interested in moving to Broome to work with her and the other wonderful staff of the Campus. If I recall correctly my response was something like, “Does a one legged duck swim in circles!” After some discussion with the Vice Chancellor and others my wife Clare and I found ourselves on the inland road to Broome in early August. As we passed through the stunningly beautiful and ever changing landscapes, it became apparent to us that we had made a very good decision (it was certainly no hardship driving out of the blustery wet conditions in Perth in August to the hot clear blue skies of the Kimberley). The six weeks that we have been here so far have reinforced that view. The Broome Campus is on the threshold of a new era and it is very exciting for me to be invited to be a part of that growth and development. The campus exemplifies all that I have come to love about the University. A commitment to principles and values that are indivisibly bound to social justice and reconciliation is at the heart of everything we do. I am particularly impressed by the aspiration for excellence in Indigenous education across all our schools and the outstanding achievements of Nulungu, our Centre for Indigenous Studies.

Moving to Broome has also brought me closer to the communities of the East Kimberley where I’ve been living and working for two months of the year since 2006. The University hosts study abroad students from the US every year. As part of their program the students attend a cultural immersion program in the Kimberley where students are hosted by Traditional Owners on the Cape; learning about country and culture. This year is the tenth anniversary of the program delivered in partnership with Colin and Maria Morgan. Many hundreds of American students have been inspired by and in awe of the people, places and culture. In 2006, Maria Morgan commented to the then Dean of Arts and Sciences Professor Simon Adams, “This is a wonderful program... but where are all the non Indigenous Australian students? Where are they learning about their own country?” It was an excellent question and culminated in an invitation to Simon and me to meet with Traditional Owners in the East Kimberley. The result of that meeting is the Aboriginal Youth and Community Wellbeing Program. For two months every year I’ve travelled to East Kimberley communities with students from our Fremantle and Sydney campuses.

The program is about grass roots reconciliation based on authentic long term sustainable relationships. Traditional Owners were determined that our program focus on building relationships as the heart of a long term commitment to live and learn together. Focusing on the process of relationship building means that while we may not always know where we will end up we are confident that it will be a better place than it might otherwise be.

It is a gift to be able to bring the students of the University into a relationship with the young people in the community. I feel very honoured and privileged to be invited into the lives of remarkable people working to make a positive difference in the lives of young people in their community. In 2009, we were very proud to receive a national citation for excellence in student learning from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. The citation was for “authentic and compassionate approaches to cultural learning and engagement with remote Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia consistent with the University values and mission”. I am thrilled that the citation recognises both our work with Aboriginal communities and the fact that it is done in ways that honour the mission, values and spirit of the University.

Recently I returned to Perth for a meeting. That evening I phoned my wife from our Perth house which is being looked after by our daughter Kate. As the call came to a close I said, “I’m looking forward to getting home.” We both paused to think about what I had just said... it felt right and it felt good.