News Archive

It's been a momentous few months for Winthrop Professor Jill Milroy, Dean of the School of Indigenous Studies.

On Australia Day, Professor Milroy was appointed a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia "for service to the community through the promotion and development of Indigenous education".

And in September last year, the School celebrated its 21st anniversary with a party attended by current and former staff and students, as well as the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson, and Chancellor, Dr Michael Chaney.

Professor Milroy is modest both about her Australia Day recognition and the spectacular success of the School, which has enabled more than 250 Aboriginal students to complete undergraduate and postgraduate studies and then go back into their communities as role models and agents for positive change.

She insists that none of these achievements would have been possible without the support of the School which, she said, is "a family and a community within the campus".

"As in Aboriginal society, in which everyone is valued and listening to others is important, everyone in the School has a different role, an important part to play," she said. "Everyone has a stake in the School and everyone has a say. We make decisions together, and they're better decisions as they're reached through discussion.

"If you've been working with other people for a long time, they back you up if you've had a bad day and they give you good criticism if you're going off-track.

"The students, who come from as far away as the Kimberley and the Pilbara, feel that they're part of the family too and they benefit from having a range of Aboriginal people responding to them."

Professor Milroy said the School initiated early contact with prospective students, bringing them to campus for a Year 8 Discovery Day and then following up with camps for Years 9, 10, 11 and 12.

"We introduce them to the University, ensure they feel comfortable here, and reinforce the knowledge that they will be accepted as students," she said. "The other Faculties are also very supportive and make the students feel welcome.

"Education gives Aboriginal people choice, particularly young people. It enables them to do whatever they want to do while still being Aboriginal while they are doing it.

"By getting Aboriginal people into the professions we can best influence and make long-term, sustainable change in Aboriginal communities. For example, we can change the legal system by getting qualified lawyers out there to influence change. And Aboriginal doctors are having a huge influence on Aboriginal communities."

Along with the School, Professor Milroy's family includes "two strong women" - her mother, Gladys Milroy, and her grandmother, Daisy Milroy from the Palyku people of the east Pilbara, a group with which Professor Milroy identifies culturally.

"Nan and Mum wanted us to be happy. And they had a strong sense of wanting to change thing for the better." she said.

Published in UWA News , 7 March 2011