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Vinka Barunga is a fifth-year UWA medical student. She is currently on a 12-month placement in Derby where she divides her time between UWA’s Derby Rural Clinical School and the Derby Aboriginal Health Service.

This week, Vinka was the subject of a half-hour documentary Living Black: Kimberley Healing that aired on SBS One and NITV, and she also caught the attention of other media outlets including the popular website, Mamamia .

Derby, in the West Kimberley, is a town of around 5000 people. It is 200 kilometres to the nearest major centre and 10 kilometres to Mowanjum where Vinka was born and raised.

Vinka is from the Worora clan who, with the Ngarinyin and Wunumbai, endured many forced moves from the 1950s. Vinka saw first hand how history had impacted on her community, particularly in relation to poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, chronic ear infection and hearing problems. She grew up knowing she wanted to make a difference.

Vinka’s leaning toward medicine was natural from an early age and she told SBS that, ‘I was always that kid who wanted to put bandaids on and take someone’s temperature when they’re sick.’

Now at the age of twenty-eight, and after years of study in Perth, Vinka is back home in the Kimberley with friends and family and under the fine teaching supervision of former UWA medical graduate and Gija woman, Dr Catherine Engelke.

Vinka is already making a difference in her hometown. Working primarily with Indigenous patients as part of her placement, she is well on the way to becoming the first Aboriginal doctor from Derby. A positive influence to many of the patients and community members, Vinka hopes her presence will also inspire others to become doctors.

‘Having more Aboriginal people as doctors, it does more than helping their health. It empowers them.’

The full story on Vinka Barunga can be seen on Living Black .

Media references

Gabrielle Garrett (UWA School of Indigenous Studies)  (+61 8) 6488 2467

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716