Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students

Paola Balla is a Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara woman of the Day and Egan families, and also of Italian and Chinese migrant blood. Paola is an artist, curator, speaker, educator and community arts worker.

She was an inaugural graduate of VU’s Nyerna Studies program in 2001, has a Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Community Cultural Development (VCA), and recently enrolled as a PhD researcher at VU. Paola is the first recipient of the Lisa Bellear Indigenous Research Scholarship. Paola has also been a lecturer at Moondani Balluk, and a senior curator in the First Peoples exhibition at Melbourne Museum.

During 2015, Paola was Artist in Residence at Moondani Balluk. She created site-specific works and writings from research into trans-generational trauma/colonial injury, impacts on Aboriginal women and their place in contemporary art.

"We are Wiradjuri sisters who have graduated with double degrees from VU’s Bachelor of Arts (Honours) as well as its Bachelor of Arts (Kyinandoo). We all received first class Honours for our theses."

"We are Research Officers at VU’s Moondani Balluk Academic Unit; we continue working together on projects that include working with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service related to the Royal Commission’s investigation into child abuse in institutions, as well as working on many other indigenous research projects across Victoria University. We wish to go on to further our education with postgraduate studies."

"Our father was our inspiration for our Honours thesis, we were able to use this platform to record and highlight our father’s story. It is important that we as Aboriginal people tell our stories our way."

Read more about the Lyons sisters.

"I am from Wilcannia, NSW. Bakandji river people. I had been enquiring for over two years and waited patiently for an indigenous course to start at VU. After completing Mumgu-Dhal Tyama-Tiyt through TAFE I have gone on to study a higher education degree, studying a Bachelor of Arts (Kyinandoo)."

"I was excited. I stuck it out; I was raised to finish something I started. I have a lot of professional people in my family. So I knew I had great support."

"After completing my Bachelor of Arts (Kyinandoo) I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 2017 to continue my journey. As a part of my Honours coursework, my written thesis covered the language, lores and rules of the Bakandji people."

"I also included a creative aspect to my thesis, with my artwork detailing stories and rich cultural knowledge passed down to me by my Mother, which were a part of the creative aspects of my thesis. This art was displayed at an exhibition at the Footscray Community Arts Centre and contributed towards my assessment."

"My mother was the keeper of all the knowledge and was my inspiration for writing my thesis."

"I am considering continuing into a Masters or possibly writing my own book based on my Mother, which will expand what I covered in my thesis."

"I thoroughly enjoyed my studies in Honours and I would sincerely encourage other students to go forward and continue studies where possible, never let anything hold you back."

"Education is the key to your future, as my Mother used to say, through education the world is your oyster."

Werte (means hello in Arrerente) my name is Kath Apma (Penangke) Travis I am a proud Imarnte woman of the Arrernte people of Central Australia and a stolen generation survivor.

I fell into attending Uni by accident. I had never been to Uni before, nor did I think I could do so. A chance meeting with the Director Karen Jackson (KJ) of Moondani Balluk Academic Unit gave me the opportunity to explain my family research and share my story – one I thought I would like to write a book about. I had a story, so why not share it?

I began the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 2018 part-time, as I work full-time for the Department of Justice and Community Safety. From the onset I decided to complete the course creatively. This meant I could do a creative piece of work complemented with an exegesis (a mini thesis). My exegesis was titled 'Child stealing, family, intergenerational trauma & The Black Headed Snake' and my creative work was a family her-storical biography.

My first three weeks were horrendous. It was like learning a new language. The words and terminology were difficult to understand; classes were in a large theatrette, and only a handful of students – who were all as young as my own children. Many visits were needed to Moondani Balluk Academic Centre for support, none more so than one in my third week, when all I could do was cry – challenged about whether I was even capable of undertaking this ginormous task. The support was amazing and on-going. In my second year I had a supervisor, the amazing Tony Birch. The door was always open when I ran into a trouble spot, or had a question about my research or writing. He consistently allowed my paper to be my own work and steered me in the right direction whenever he thought I needed it; but most importantly he was invested in the story and he believed in me.

I had many experiences along the way that included five years of research and two years writing a book. Researching the history of my family has taken to me to many places in two Territories and three States. I have met some amazing people, some of whom have become lifelong friends. I’ve been to more cemeteries, museums and State libraries than I can recall. I’ve handled historical diaries, read newspaper clippings, learnt about Trove and National Archives. I’ve met authors, historians and researchers I even presented at the National Historical Association Conference in Canberra as a non-academic – I think I am an academic now though! I’ve been to lectures and book launches.

My book is titled Minnie, Mum and Me - the Black Headed Snake. It is a deeply personal story and I wrote it for my family. To be honest I didn’t think anyone outside of family would be interested – I have since changed my mind. Our story is one that has significance for the history of this country. It is complex and untold; it is also personal and political and tells of the forcible child removal through race-based Government policies, and includes how we five women in my family over three generations were enslaved and put into institutions or adopted to non-Aboriginal families. The book was created as a family cultural artefact.

I have gained a stronger understanding of white frontier violence, the dispossession of ancestral lands, child removal and institutionalisation and adoption. I received A1 Honours results – deadly for a first-time Uni student. I loved the experience of researching with support, learning in an academic way and to having the ability to talk the truth, to have my voice heard where it hadn’t been heard before.

I have now been awarded the Lisa Bellear Academic Scholarship to complete my PhD that will extend from my Honours work. This new journey of study will allow to me further research and identify new and innovative evidenced-based methods to regenerate new songlines based on Aboriginal traditions that address intergenerational trauma through healing practices.

I will draw on my own lived experiences and personal narrative, archival sources and interviews and seek to work with a range of First Peoples who may want to engage in the creation of family and community artefacts. Bring on 2020.