Professor Kathleen Clapham AM's father instilled in her a love for education.
It's this love that drove her dedication to academia.
She is the founding Director of the Ngarruwan Ngadjul: First People's Health and Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Wollongong and the university's Professor of Indigenous Health.
For years, Prof Clapham has supported the learning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students and improved the health of mob across the country, with her research focusing on service delivery in Indigenous community health organisations.
This work and dedication has seen her named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) as part of the King's Birthday Honours.
The title recognises her "".
A love for learning
Prof Clapham is an Illawarra local, raised by the ocean. But her Country is far-west NSW.
"My mum was from Brewarrina. She moved to Sydney when she was a young woman, where she met my Dad," she told NITV.
"When I was growing up we travelled frequently to Bre to visit my grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. These days I go back to Bre as much as I can.
"That's our Country."
She attended private school in the Illawarra, before pursuing anthropology at the University of Sydney.
"My dear old dad, who is 97 now, always pressed the importance of education on us seven kids," she said.
"Education was really important in our family ... so I did well in school, I got scholarships, and then went to Sydney University.
"I realised when I was studying how much I loved it and that I never wanted to leave."
She achieved a PhD in anthropology and began working in behavioural science at the university's Faculty of Health Science. It was this that led her to health.
She quickly became Head of the Aboriginal Education Centre in the School of Community Health.
There, she lobbied for and helped establish Yooroang Garang: School of Indigenous Health Studies - she was appointed Head of School.
She believes her start in anthropology gave her a unique perspective on health.
"Being able to see things more broadly made me realise that people's health and their lives depend on so many different factors," she said.
"There are all the social factors like education, housing, income support and support of children and families. There's so much work to be done in those areas.
"But also the cultural determinants of health, which we're talking more about these days."
She said the world is starting to understand the importance of culture in the health of Aboriginal people.
"They are crucial for Aboriginal people’s identity. It grows that sense of belonging, of being part of a community and helps us regain a sense of wholeness," she said.
As Aboriginal people we know how important culture is for our families, our kids, our communities and for ourselves as people.
Leading research across a spectrum of disciplines
Prof Clapham decided to move her career back home to Wollongong and with a strong team founded Ngarruwan Ngadjul.
Ngarruwan Ngadju is named in both Dharrawal and Dhurga languages. It means ‘the sea across long distances’ (Ngarruwan) and ‘freshwater’ (Ngadju) which pays homage to the cultural significance of the ocean to coastline communities.
In this role, she's worked across a vast variety of research from out-of-home care, drug and alcohol, trauma and mental health, housing and burn care.
“There is so much to do, I already work across so many different areas," she laughed.
"Opportunities arise and I see the potential to do something, to work in an area that is important and interesting and work with people that can make a difference.
"That has taken me to different areas and I've worked with some fantastic people. I am very lucky for that."
Now, her research is focused on ensuring Aboriginal community health organisations have the capacity to safely deliver services - and that the community can engage in research about them safely.
“I'm interested in working with community around developing community capacity for engaging in research," she explained.
"We're trying to develop ethical protocols and address that whole history.
"Research is still a dirty word in some Aboriginal communities but we're determined to make research work for community."
Ngarruwan Ngadju is an Indigenous-led health and wellbeing research centre located within the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences at the University of Wollongong. Credit: University of Wollongong
“Self-determination in communities is obviously about having a voice, having a say and being respected. It’s about having the potential to have some control over the decisions that influence your life," she said.
“It's about communities not being patronised by decisions made remotely, without engagement and authentic consultation
“Also increasingly, it’s about having control over the data that does end up informing the policies and services that communities receive."
She believes there's still a way to go.
“I see the struggle for self-determination and those small wins. But I don't think we're there yet," she said.
“I don’t want to be negative about it. There is a lot of great stuff happening and I see where people are able to exercise self-determination. But we’ve had to fight, sometimes gains are made, but sometimes we go backwards.
“It’s a cliché, but it has made us resilient."
Reflecting on her career, Prof Clapham remains modest.
"I'm aware of the benefits and privileges my parents provided to me and I know that has enabled me to do what I do and to give back," she said.
"When I do this work I always think about Indigenous ways of doing and being, particularly in research, doing things differently, our way, for us.
"I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had and I'm happy to always share that with people who want to learn."
