News Archive

Perth-born Casey Kickett has always had a creative side. The Communication Studies and Indigenous Studies graduate realised during high school how much influence mainstream media has on how society views the world and the issues in it.

Now the part-time UWA Associate Lecturer and part-time film-maker is finding her own way to have a voice and influence the world around her.

“I never expected to go to university, and it was terrifying to come to UWA, completely out of my comfort zone.

“But as an Indigenous student the support I received was fantastic and made the transition much easier. It was like being welcomed by a new family,” she says.

Graduating in 2014, Casey returned to the School of Indigenous Studies in February this year to take on an Associate Lecturer role at just 24.

“I’ve had some amazing opportunities and this is certainly one of them. I teach a lot of first year students, some who have never actually met an Indigenous person before.

“I think my job is less about me standing at the front of a classroom talking, and more about helping them view things from a different perceptive using a variety of teaching approaches,” Casey says.

Casey brings her creativity to the classroom and believes it is important to have an inter-disciplinary approach.

“The future isn’t black and white. The days of having one job for life are over, and our young people need a wide set of skills.

“It is really important that graduates entering the workforce understand Indigenous culture and issues currently facing Indigenous people.

“They also need the ability to analyse what they currently know within the wider historical context and structures that influence their understanding of Indigenous peoples.

“We need to equip young people with this information and a new way of thinking about the world, because this has so much to offer in terms of innovative thinking,” she says.

While Casey initially intended to become a journalist, after the birth of her daughter in 2014 her career took a different path.

“I had planned to move over East for a journalism internship. But plans change and an opportunity arose to start freelance writing and directing films.

“Making documentaries provides a great platform for my voice to be heard, but also for my community to have a voice,” she says.

Casey’s first documentary will be released early next year and investigates how today’s generation has been impacted by the Stolen Generations.

“I believe that making documentaries is another form of journalism but with this platform I have more control in the message I want to convey.

“I hope my work, whether it’s the films I make or the teaching I do has a positive impact on the community, and can play some part in creating a more inclusive society.

“I want my daughter to grow up in a more accepting and inclusive world than what we currently have now.  Progress has been made but there is still work to be done,” Casey says.