NAIDOC awards to inspiring and talented health and wellness advocates

Congratulations to Dr Cheryl Kickett -Tucker who has been awarded the 2001 NAIDOC SCHOLAR OF THE YEAR.

At age 14, Cheryl Kickett-Tucker set herself three goals: to study at university, to travel, and to play basketball in America. By age 22, she had achieved all three.

Cheryl is the first Indigenous person to graduate with a PhD, from Edith Cowan University. Her thesis explored a group of urban Western Australian Aboriginal children’s sense of self by analysing their perspectives and experiences in school sport and physical education.

A passionate sportswoman, Cheryl played in junior and senior WA state basketball teams, and captained SBL Swan City Mustangs to three premiership wins. Cheryl has explained that ‘at school, sport was my outlet. It gave me vital life skills. I thought: am I a unique case, or can this happen with other Aboriginal kids? That motivated my doctorate.’ She has played a leading role in Western Australia in developing sport and recreation policies for Indigenous people including at risk Aboriginal students.

Cheryl is an inspiration and positive role model to her people, particularly young women and mothers, as she has undertaken high level academic studies while working and raising her children. She is constantly sought to speak publicly about how Aboriginal people can set goals and achieve them.

A member of the Noongah group, Cheryl was number five in a family of eight children raised single-handedly by their mother for many years. Five generations of her family have lived in the Swan Valley region. Her father was a mission child who was taken from his family to a mission close to Collie.

Cheryl is currently the Principal of the Koya Indigenous Research Group that conducts research, develops ideas, reviews strategies and prepares programs related to Indigenous peoples. Clients include both Indigenous and non-indigenous people.

Congratulations also to NAIDOC YOUTH OF THE YEAR Vanessa Elliot, who has been actively looking at health and wellness in her community. Vanessa is working as a Local Government Community Development Officer, and aims to improve the quality of life of youth in her local community of Halls Creek.

Vanessa has been a driving force in improving the future of local youths and is currently preparing a youth suicide prevention project for the Shire. She has also played a key role in establishing the Halls Creek Youth Advisory Council that has developed into the largest Youth Council in Western Australia. According to Vanessa ‘Halls Creek is only a grain of sand in comparison to the whole world, but you can interpret that grain of sand to be a diamond – it’s only what you make of it’.

In consultation with Argyle Diamond Mines she is undertaking an Indigenous skills audit program to enhance their Indigenous Employment strategies. She has also supervised the company’s literacy and numeracy tests for apprentice applicants led to local youths gaining apprenticeships.

Vanessa is an inspiration. She has achieved so much, successfully balancing study, work and motherhood.

Click here to view the profiles of other NAIDOC award winners.