CQUniversity Australia
 

Engaging Indigenous people within Higher Ed

CQUniversity's Office of Indigenous Engagement recently hosted a visit from the Oodgeroo Unit of Queensland University of Technology (QUT), at Rockhampton Campus.

Professor Anita Lee Hong, Director of the Oodgeroo Unit, and Lone Pearce, Project Officer, met with Office of Indigenous Engagement staff to discuss employment issues and best practice models for engaging Indigenous people within the higher education sector, including governance matters.

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Former prisoner re-joins community by degrees 

Published on 17 October, 2005 

The only thing stopping you in life is you. That's not just a platitude.

That's the firm belief of a man whose life is back on track after a youthful involvement in drugs and crime.

Kevin McNulty recently told his story to 3 Cabinet Ministers visiting for the launch of CQU's new Managing the Student Journey program, as a way of showing that lives can be turned around by education.

PhotoID:2446 A Koori who grew up in the outer western suburbs of Sydney, Kevin only went to high school until Grade 9.

He was badly hurt in a mining accident in 1981 and had 2 operations on his back.

"I became addicted to the pain killers ... I then got in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to heroin and also used speed and smoked yarndi," he said.

Kevin's link to drugs led to crime and he was sent to prison in 1993. It was when he was released into a Rockhampton halfway house that his life took a turn for the better.

The manager at the halfway house was doing the CQU STEPS (Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies) program and encouraged Kevin to get involved.

Kevin went on to complete STEPS, a BA and BA Honours at CQU before completing his Masters in Indigenous Social Policy at UTS. He conducted research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth across 6 communities in Central Queensland for Darumbal Community Youth Service.

He then started work with Education Queensland to write an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth strategy for Rockhampton education district.

Most recently, Kevin has been working as Senior Project Officer at the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy.

"I love my job as I get to engage and work closely in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of Central Queensland and other government agencies to develop strategies to help rectify the issues that impact on our people.".

This year has been a particularly positive one for Kevin as he was married in June. He is also also halfway through writing up a Phd thesis, which is to be titled 'The Big Con: Racism, Paternalism and Politics, the Rise and Fall of ATSIC'.