New South Wales

I am a proud Aboriginal man with my ancestors originating on Ngengi Wumirri land on the Daly River in the Northern Territory. I was lucky enough to grow up in Darwin where we’d spend most of our weekends goose shooting the swamps or up the Daly river chasing that big meter barramundi. I competed in many sports such as AFL, touch, rugby union, rugby league and athletics. This is where my love for sport began. With this love for sport I began studying sports and exercise science at JCU in Townsville. Mid-course I transferred to USC on the sunshine coast where I completed the degree.

My name is Melissa Kelly, a proud Bundjalung woman from Lismore with connections to Aniwan, Dunghutti and Gumbaynggirr. Currently in my second year studying a Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health) at Charles Sturt University.

I am an Aboriginal Mental Health Trainee working between the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and the Aboriginal Specialist Wellbeing Service on Dunghutti country. I am passionate about mental health and supporting Aboriginal people along their journey.

My name is Steven Cable and I am a proud Noongar Man with connection to Narrogin in Western Australia. Growing up I always envisioned myself working in healthcare to connect to local communities and be able to make a difference to as many lives as possible. I started my healthcare journey as a Physiotherapist working at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in New South Wales for four years and was able to meet some amazing people. After this I decided to begin the process of starting a career in Medicine. I am currently in my second year studying at the University of Sydney and looking forward to working in regional and rural settings when I am qualified.

My name is Laura Cauchi, and I am a proud mother to three young boys, a Registered Nurse and dedicated Medical student who has a passion for helping others. Growing up I was blessed enough to be raised in Western Sydney where I was emersed in both the Aboriginal and Maori culture which has given me an ongoing appreciation and respect to the connection family has in the provision of holistic healthcare.

Sarah Blackwell, a proud Wiradjuri woman, traces her familial roots from the Mudgee area to the Wellington region of New South Wales, deep into Wiradjuri country. Despite her immediate family residing in Mt Druitt, Sarah’s upbringing unfolded on Darug and Gundungurra country in Penrith and the lower Blue Mountains region. This rich cultural environment has profoundly shaped Sarah’s outlook and fuelled her unwavering dedication to serving Indigenous communities within her medical career.

I am a proud Gundungurra woman who has grown up on Palawa country, Tasmania. From a young age, I have had a deep interest in health and medicine, with my own experiences with illness sparking my curiosity, which has only developed deeper over the years. Due to health issues, I have followed an alternate path to be where I am today, however, my experiences have provided me with a wealth of knowledge and perspectives I am extremely grateful for.

I am a mature aged student with a background as a solicitor. Having been raised on an Aboriginal community and strongly encouraged by my uncles and aunts as an adolescent/teenager, I sought a career as a lawyer to help my people. My career included working as initially as an inhouse bank lawyer, then a lawyer in private practise, to a government lawyer in Queensland and work in Aboriginal community organisations, then to a government lawyer in the Northern Territory, then finally back to Aboriginal community organisations in NSW.

I am a Proud Wiradjuri Man descendant from my mother’s maternal line from the Forbes area of NSW. I currently live on Gadigal Country and continue connections with mob, for example, being an assisted coach to the Waterloo U13 Rugby League side that played in the 2023 Koori Knock and my son is a proud member of the Waverley College Walawaani Indigenous cultural group and player in the Koori Knock-out.

My name is Bianca Knight I am a proud Biripi woman and a second year Doctor of Medicine student at the University of Sydney. I completed my Undergraduate studies in Nursing at the University of Wollongong, and worked as an Indigenous Nursing Cadetship with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. I adored paediatric medicine and went on to work as a Registered Nurse in specialty areas including paediatric cardiology, neurology, and neonatology.

I am a Dunghutti woman from Kempsey on the Mid North Coast, NSW.   I was raised and still live in Kempsey.   In 2022 I completed the Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotions Social and Emotional Wellbeing.   I enjoyed returning to study as a mature aged student and was enthralled by the contend of the course, that I decided to continue on in 2023. to study the Masters in Public Health specialising in Health Promotions and Advocacy with an elective focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Climate Change and Public Health.