Benjamin Harris

I'm Benjamin Harris. I'm a proud Barkindji man from Lake Cargelligo My family is the Harrises, Johnsons, Kirbys, and Marks. So I'm an Admin Assistant at the Murrin Bridge Local Aboriginal Land Council. We cater to the Indigenous community and the Lake Cargelligo area as well.

When I left school, I did a traineeship, a Cert III in Admin. So I started at the central school in Year 7 and graduated in 2021.

So my dad was school captain in 2001, and then another guy Minya Harris was in 2011. And then I became school captain in 2021.

Was there any one person from mob who influenced you/helped you/inspired you to get to where you are today?

So I feel my cousins with their jobs that they do now. And also my nan Margaret Harris was a part of the Save the Children Foundation at Murrin Bridge.

So that was running For The Children, the preschool. That's what it first was called before the new preschool now.

Communication skills and, like, helping others and stuff like that.

Well I got to learn more about the business side of things. Like I didn't really learn that as much at school. So, when I left, it opened up a bit more to that field for me.

Yeah, finish school. Go all the way to year 12 'cause after you finish school, it will open up all these opportunities for you. Start a traineeship once you leave school. But, yeah, whichever field they wanna, you know, try a traineeship.

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Madison Morris

Madison Morris. I'm Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa mob. I'm a teacher's assistant. So mainly working with kids who need that support. Sort of more one-on-one support, so.

Work with primary students. So I'm in that K1-2 area and working with the infants a lot, so that's good.

I finished Year 12 here at Lake Cargelligo Central School, and then I started studying with C.I.T, and I'm still studying Cert III and IV in Education Support at the moment, so.

My Auntie Josie and my elder sister Kirsten. They're both Teacher Support Officers, so I think I sort of got it from them, wanting to work with kids and seeing how they do it, and it's just made me want to do it as well, so.

I'd say communication and teamwork and problem-solving skills is the main thing you need when working with kids. So, yeah, I'd say mainly those three.

It's just watching 'em grow and watching 'em learn, like, and knowing that you're the one helping 'em get to where they're gonna be in the future. It actually like makes my heart smile and seeing them achieve things that they've always wanted to just makes you proud. It's like you're a parent, but, like, being a teacher's aide, it's the same sort of thing, and you're just proud of them no matter what they do, so yeah.

Keep pushing through. Like don't just give up. Finish year 12. If you want to study, then study, but I wouldn't say study straight away. But if you want to follow my footsteps, then I'd be pretty honoured, honestly. But, yeah, follow your dreams, and do what you want to do.

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Codi Kirby

My name is Codi Kirby, and my mob is the Ngiyampaa mob. I'm a childhood educator, and I work with preschool-aged children, and it's just about empowering them and being able to be there and to help them develop and grow.

So I went through Year 12. Whilst in year 12, I did a traineeship in Teacher's Aide. I really enjoyed that, so, after school, I decided to do my certificate online, which then I did my Cert III, and then I was at the daycare, and then I got a job out at Murrin Bridge.

I think my Auntie Kel. She was a Director out at Murra Thinna Preschool. Yep, and I think just seeing her like thrive and do the best she can and go out there happy, yeah.

It means a lot. Just having like an impact on the early stages of their life, to grow, to learn, and just being like a face for the younger generation out there, just someone who they know, and yeah.

Having people that you know and that are comfortable with that will allow them to like grow and excel in a better environment rather than having people they don't know, like, and don't feel comfortable with.

I think teamwork, communication, always just being friendly, and having that positive outlook.

I think just do it. Like, get up every day, work hard, and just, yeah, have fun in doing so.

Makes you feel happy, proud, yeah. I think it just, I don't know, you get that warm, fuzzy feeling like we are doing something right. We're still here, and, yeah, like we're still here standing, yeah.

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Colin Appo

My name is Colin Appo. My family and mob are from the Tweed area. They are the Dodds, Williams, Slockies, and Appos. My role in the department is the Aboriginal Education Strategic Delivery Officer. In that role, I work with schools to support teachers, principals, all staff in the space of Aboriginal Education.

So my pathway coming into this role, was a quite long pathway, I suppose. I started off as an Aboriginal Education Assistant at a local high school. That school had around about 150 Aboriginal students in that school. From there, I did about six years in that role. From there, I became the Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, and that covered an area from Tweed Heads down to Ballina, and that was working with communities, families, and students engaged in school. From there, I completed my degree, and became a secondary high school teacher in History and Geography, and Aboriginal Studies. And I did that for a few years, until then this opportunity came along, which, I'm really proud to be in.

I've had a lot of people inspire me to do the work I do. My family have historically been, and involved in lots of roles. One particular uncle of mine had a role down at AITSIS in Canberra. So when he finished school, he went straight to Canberra from Tweed Heads. So for me, I think, I think there was a bit of a responsibility there, for members of our family to work with community to support our people. And that's really what's been the driving, I guess, factor for me, to work in this space, to continue to work with Aboriginal people, and support the people we work with to better understand, you know, where we need to be as a people as well.

The main employability skills I feel are important, are communication. Communication is key in every job, I believe. I think an attention to detail is also critical in understanding what's happening in your role, and how best to perform the roles and functions of what you do. Also to having an ability to be approached by people, I think that's really important. A personality that, that understands the complexities of life, and, you know, the challenges that people face is really important in this role. And also understanding some of those historical issues too, when we talk about schooling and education. For me, they're really important assets for people to have.

If I was to give anyone any advice, who wanted to work in this space, it would be a couple of personal things around staying true to yourself, staying true to your family. Remembering the work you do is important. Also too, remembering to have that attention to detail, knowing your job, knowing what you're supposed to do, and knowing also too, that the job satisfaction doesn't happen every day. That's something you need to be patient with. It's the long, it's the long haul. But, typically I think, you know, any advice would be to, you know, this is where, this is where the action is. It's gonna be challenging, and that's, that's the best part of it. So hang in there. It's all about resilience, and it's also too about remembering there's other people too, you can talk to, and communicate with, if that's family or friends, or colleagues. And I think that's really important to have. So come join this space.

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Glen Rhodes

Glen Rhodes

My name's Glen Rhodes. My mob is Bundjalung/Gumbaynggirr, and Ngunnawal/Widjabal Wia-bal is my clan group. My job title is Aboriginal Language and Culture Officer. So my role description and my main focus is to support schools, develop teaching learning programs, and to support them, community and Aboriginal people to become language educators and provide the language around associated with teaching and learning.

My pathway was completing Year 12 at Lismore High, and then I did bits and pieces of clerical work across, you know, New South Wales, and then I began work as a childcare assistant at Wunanbiri Preschool in Surry Hills, and that was my first taste of education. I then applied for a job at Albert Park Public School as the Aboriginal Education Assistant Aboriginal Teachers Aide back then and was successful, and I suppose that opened my learning up. I found passion in education, and I continued in that role, and I completed my teacher training over a few years on block release mode, completed a Bachelor of Teaching, and then I began my journey in many schools working in casual roles and then finally got permanency within the Department of Education in 1998.

The people that inspired me were my parents. My mum was an Aboriginal Education Officer, the first in the Northern Rivers right back in 1974, appointed to Coraki Public School. My dad worked as a railway fettler in Lismore, so we grew up in Lismore and spent many times back and forward to my community at Cabbage Tree Island. So they had a big influence on what I did in my life and why I wanted to be where I am today.

The skills that people would need to succeed in this type of role is teamwork, working partnerships, working together, consulting, but also have respect for others and their own personal journeys and joining strongly in partnerships and forming great networks.

The advice I would give our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is be themselves, give their personal best, and aim for success because everyone can be successful in whatever they choose to do.

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