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ISSUE NO. 22 APRIL 2009

Onemda Update

We hope that you all had good break over Christmas and are now settling into the New Year. It promises to be an exciting year for Onemda as we look forward to local and national initiatives aimed at 'Closing the Gap'. This summer we piloted an internship program for Indigenous tertiary students, and participated in the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia Summer School for Indigenous postgraduate students. We have also been busy planning for the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education conference to be hosted in Melbourne in December.

The Onemda program of community development, teaching and learning, and research was reviewed late last year by a team of external experts. The review was coordinated by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation. We are pleased to report that, after a two-day process where the review team met a range of Onemda program stakeholders, the reviewers gave positive feedback regarding our work. As we write, we are still negotiating the next steps with our core funders. We look forward to continuing the development of our program over the next five years.

There are a number of new challenges for Onemda. The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences will progressively shift to a graduate model over the next few years. This provides new challenges for how we approach the development of pathways for Aboriginal students into the health sciences and how we deliver curricula on Aboriginal health. However, we look forward to meeting these challenges and have already begun to develop strategies for this new context.

Contents Onemda Update 1Keynote Address at SheppARTon 2LIME Conference 2ASSA Summer School 3Feasibility Study 3CRCAH Publications 4CEITC Update & Training 5Onemda Interns 6-7Research Ethics 8Evaluating Health Programs 8Targets to Closing the Gap 9Dhungalla Kaella Oration 10Community Profile 10New Staff 11Onemda News 11Congratulations 11Koorie Heritage Trust Tour 11

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The Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) biennial conference, LIME Connection, is to be held in Melbourne from 2 to 4 December 2009. This year’s theme is Advancing Indigenous Health: Workforce Innovations.

The conference is an outcome of the LIME Network, a Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand project hosted by Onemda. The Network is dedicated to ensuring the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning of Indigenous health in medical education and curricula, as well as best practice in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous medical students.

The Lime Connection provides an opportunity for the quality review, professional development, networking, capacity-building and advocacy functions of the network to be actualised. It brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous medical educators, Indigenous health specialists, policy makers, and community members from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States of America to discuss innovative approaches in Indigenous medical education and the experiences of practitioners. It also aims to encourage and support collaboration within and between medical schools and to build multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral linkages. The LIME Connection also hosts the Limelight Awards that acknowledge and celebrate the many successes in Indigenous medical education.

A call for abstracts will be sent out shortly. For information and updates on the conference, please visit the Lime Network website at <www.limenetwork.net.au>.

Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME)

Conference

Keynote Address at SheppARTon FestivalIan Anderson gave a Keynote Address at the SheppARTon Festival on Monday 9 March hosted by the University’s School of Rural Health. Ian challenged the audience to consider the tragic state of Indigenous health in Australia and spoke of his vision for a way forward. This vision includes treating health in conjunction with education and that means investing in training Indigenous professionals. ‘Health is not something you can do to us, we have to take leadership’, Ian said.

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ASSA Summer School for Indigenous Postgraduate StudentsThe annual Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Summer School took place between 16 and 20 February 2009. This five-day residential program brings together Indigenous postgraduate students and their thesis supervisors with a faculty of senior Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics. The purpose of the Summer School is to provide students currently undertaking a postgraduate program with skills and mentoring to support the completion of their degree and further their careers. This year, eleven students and six supervisors attended.

Members of Onemda, including Ian Anderson, provided mentoring and support throughout the week, and others, such as Jane Freemantle, Jane Yule and Cristina Liley gave lectures or conducted specialist workshops.

The Summer School is hosted by the University's Centre for Indigenous Education and the Australian Indigenous Studies Program, as well as the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health and ASSA.

Feasibility Study for a Nationally Accessible Master of Public Health Program Specialising in Indigenous Health

This feasibility study regarding the development of a nationally accessible Master of Public Health (MPH) program specialising in Indigenous health responds to an identified need for more professionally qualified public health practitioners with a capacity to work effectively in Indigenous settings. The study examines the existing context of Indigenous public health education in Australia, the capacity of teaching programs in Indigenous health, and potential ways of structuring a MPH program specialising in Indigenous health.

The findings indicate the need for step-by-step development of a nationally accessible Indigenous public health specialist stream integrated as an option within existing MPH programs. This integrated program would be targeted toward the generic MPH student cohort, in parallel with the existing nationally accessible MPH for an Indigenous cohort at Deakin University and its exemplary learning environment for Indigenous students.

The study was prepared by the Public Health Education and Research Program (PHERP) Indigenous Public Health Capacity Development Project Reference Group. A full version can be downloaded in pdf format from the Onemda website at <http://www.onemda.unimelb.edu.au/publications/reports.html>.

ASSA Summer School students and faculty

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CRCAH Discussion Paper 6Research Priorities in Aboriginal Prisoner Health: Recommendations and Outcomes from the CRCAH Aboriginal Prisoner Health Industry Roundtable, November 2007 by Scott R. Davis and Jenny Brands

This paper documents the many different perspectives of those who participated in the CRCAH Aboriginal Prisoner Health

Industry Roundtable, held in Canberra on 28 November 2007. The purpose of this Roundtable was to identify research priorities in the areas of improving Aboriginal prisoner health and reducing recidivism. It was held by the CRCAH in partnership with the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). The Roundtable identified five key research priorities, as well as important issues on how Aboriginal prisoner health research should be undertaken.

CRCAH Discussion Paper 7The Role of Spirituality in Social and Emotional Wellbeing Initiatives: The Family Wellbeing Program at Yarrabah by Alexandra McEwan, Komla Tsey and the Empowerment Research Team

In the mid-1990s, Yarrabah experienced a series of suicides that traumatised many families and grieved the community. In the face of this, Yarrabah set about establishing a range of social and emotional wellbeing support strategies. One of these strategies involved exploring what contribution the Family Wellbeing (FWB) empowerment program might make to Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services’ newly established social health program. Together, Gurriny Yealamucka staff and the Empowerment Research Program conducted FWB program for a number of community groups.

As part of the project, some staff were trained as FWB facilitators. On completion, thirty-eight participants were interviewed to find out what they learned from the course. Spirituality emerged as an important but contested topic during these discussions. This paper documents further research into this aspect of the project.

CRCAH Discussion Paper 8Research Dancing: Reflections on the Relationships between University-based Researchers and Community-based Researchers at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services Aboriginal Corporation, Yarrabah by Kevin Mayo, Komla Tsey and the Empowerment Research Team

This paper examines and reflects upon the research relationships between university-based researchers and community-based researchers working in social health and empowerment programs with the Indigenous community of Yarrabah in northern Queensland. Such relationships have undergone significant reappraisal and change in the past decade, and, in the case of Yarrabah, are undergoing significant expansion. At Yarrabah, this has been a process whereby the community has set the research aganda and university researchers have facilitated the development of appropriate programs and the capacity of the community to administer and run these programs.

Full versions of these discussion papers can be downloaded in pdf format from the CRCAH website at <http://www.crcah.org.au/publications/index.html#cdps>. The latest annual report, pictured right, is also available from the CRCAH website.

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CEITC Delivers Tobacco Control Training Sessions Across AustraliaTo complement CEITC's Talkin’ Up Good Air (TUGA) resource kit, Dallas Young is conducting one-day workshops in locations around Australia. These workshops provide information about effective strategies for program development and implementation of tobacco control activities for Indigenous populations utilising the TUGA resource.

The workshop consists of three sessions;

• Session 1 – presentation of comprehensive information about tobacco control in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

• Session 2 – practical application of the TUGA resources with a facilitated group-based activity focusing on basic research skills.

• Session 3 – a facilitated activity encouraging workshop participants to develop, implement and evaluate tobacco control programs.

Participants are encouraged to make use of the TUGA workshop to think about and discuss tobacco control issues facing them in their workplace and community.

Staff from the Mount Isa Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service – Gidgee Healing – keenly participated in the January workshop and developed a client questionnaire and program plan from TUGA Sessions 2 & 3. Training has also taken place in Warrnambool, Cairns, Katherine, Darwin and Gove.

Copies of the TUGA resource can be ordered via our website at <www.ceitc.org.au>.

Gidgee Healing staff, Mount Isa

Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Tobacco Control UpdateSmoking is now recognised as the No. 1 risk factor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. With prevalence rates three times the rest of Australia, it is essential that tobacco control becomes a primary focus for all health professionals, policy makers, community leaders and community members.

The Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Tobacco Control (CEITC) has continued to build on its role as a national Indigenous tobacco control advocate through its latest activities highlighted by the launch of Indigenous Tobacco Control in Australia: Everybody’s Business in December 2008. This publication is the report of a CEITC Roundtable held with the support of the CRCAH in May 2008. The Roundtable brought together researchers, government and non-government agencies and members of the Aboriginal health workforce to develop a research agenda.

CEITC was also pleased to provide a Review of Evidence to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing which we hope will inform the Government in deciding how to address Indigenous peoples' high smoking prevalence rates as part of its Close the Gap measures.

Three new part-time members of staff have been welcomed by CEITC: Chris Joy, Terry James and Keagan James who, along with the return of Anke van der Sterren from maternity leave, will ensure that CEITC has a productive year.

All CEITC publications are available for free download from the CEITC website at <www.ceitc.org.au> or in hard copy by calling (03) 8344 0870.

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Kathryn MorrisHello, my name is Kathryn Morris. During the summer break I was employed as an intern through Onemda, learning the research side of developing a project and the various aspects of researching. On a personal note, I have just begun studying a Bachelor of Social Work degree at the Institute of

Koorie Education at Deakin University.

During my internship, I spent time at Onemda learning what goes on behind the scenes of putting together course structures. This helped me to understand the effort that goes into my studies and making all the resources available to me during my time at university. I was then based at the Centre for Indigenous Education (CIE) on campus where I was fortunate to work on a few of their important projects, such as the 2009 Summer School Program, the new Bachelor of Arts (BA) Extended Program, and the CIE Student Guide.

The new BA Extended Program was full of excitement because I was not just doing research, I was also involved in preparing information for the interview process, and organising a three-day trip for selected students to places that not only provided some cultural significance but also gave them a chance to bond and work together with their teachers.

Thanks to everyone at Onemda and the CIE for allowing me to be a part of their teams and providing me with knowledge and skills. Thank you also to Angela Clarke and Nicole Waddell for putting me in contact with other Indigenous social workers which gave me the chance to meet with them and gain insight to different areas involved within social work.

L-R: Dasha Newington, Kathryn Morris and Sarai Atkinson

Internship Students Experience Indigenous Research at Onemda Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, CRC for Aboriginal Health, and the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Employment Strategy partnered to develop a pilot internship program for Indigenous students from around Australia.

In its first year, the program gave three students studying Indigenous health and community development the opportunity to cultivate knowledge in, and experience of, real-world Indigenous research. The internship at Onemda ran over eight weeks, allowing the students to gain a working understanding of Onemda and other Indigenous units at the university in research, teaching and learning, community development, and knowledge exchange.

The idea of the program is to provide networking, mentoring and work opportunities, which other people might take for granted in their career development. The interns are provided with hands-on experience, and are paid for their work. Read some more about Dash, Kathryn and Sarai.

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Sarai AtkinsonThe first couple of days working at Onemda took me by surprise. I admit I found it a struggle, waking up and getting to work on time. At the end of my six weeks’ internship, I was used to the routine and had learned a lot, not only about Onemda’s work, but also about study opportunities at university and career possibilities in Indigenous health. I learned

especially how important it is to work with community when doing Indigenous health research.

But it wasn’t all books and research. I got the chance to watch The First Australians and to visit Coranderrk. There, I could not help but compare it to my traditional lands and the mission my Elders grew up on at Cummeragunja. Walking around Coranderrk cemetery, I found that my great-great-grandmother is buried there, something I didn’t know before.

I also had the privilege of participating in the 70th anniversary commemorative walk-off at Cummeragunja, which was an amazing experience because we were walking in honour of the first mass protest by Aboriginal people in Australian history. The protest involved Yorta Yorta people walking 85km from Cummeragunja to Daish’s Paddock in Mooroopna, in protest of the injustices they experienced on the mission.

More than 100 of us started this historic walk at 10pm but the fast pace of walking through the night meant that only a few of us did the whole walk, with people coming back to join us in the morning. At 11am we arrived at Daish’s Paddock and were applauded as we walked on to the grounds. This day was definitely one of my proudest as I walked with my great-uncle the whole way. It also gave me a small realisation of what my grandmother and great-grandparents were forced to do, to ensure I have the opportunities I enjoy today.

One of those opportunities has been my time at Onemda, where I could share my experience with Onemda staff. I am confident that through my year as a student at the University of Melbourne, a lot of Onemda people will be there to help me in my studies. I certainly recommend the internship to other youth around the university and back in my community in Shepparton.

Dasha NewingtonMy name is Dasha (Dash) Newington and my people are the Arrernte of Central Australia. I am studying Medicine at the University of Sydney. Previously, I studied at TAFE, then completed a degree in counselling. I was never particularly good at school and still find myself surprised to be where I am now.

This summer holidays I travelled to Melbourne for four weeks to undertake an internship with Onemda. Here I met with people who are keen to support me throughout my medical education and later career.

I learnt about Indigenous health and how it is taught in universities. I discovered how research contributes to improving health outcomes for Indigenous people and also how important it is that this research incorporates Koori values and is based on Community involvement and control. I helped develop websites such as <www.limenetwork.net.au> and <www.indigenoushealthethics.net.au>. I also participated in projects that transfer research knowledge back to the Community to improve the strength, health and lives of Community members.

My time at Onemda also reinforced how desperately we need Koori doctors and health professionals. I encourage Indigenous people of all ages and life stages to consider a career in medicine or allied health. If there is one thing that the last four weeks has confirmed, it is that there are a great number of people who are willing to support you in reaching these goals.

Talkin’ Strong 8

An extremely narrow definition of ‘health’—that excludes everything except a person’s weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.—not only hides the value of excellent community-based and Aboriginal-led intervention programs, it also influences the type of reporting that organisations are required to make to their funding bodies (which, in turn, influences the type of funding that organisations receive). Part of the problem is a lack of good indicators of what Aboriginal community-controlled services actually do, measures of Aboriginal wellbeing, and a need to better understand and measure the social determinants of Aboriginal health. A challenge for researchers is to come up with these sorts of indicators and a way of communicating their importance to policy makers in Aboriginal health.

Research Ethicsby Kevin Rowley

When university researchers undertake a research project with Aboriginal people or organisations, they generally sign a project agreement with community representatives. These agreements normally cover things like the roles and responsibilities of the partners in the research, issues of data ownership and reporting, and other aspects of governance.

Projects also need to be cleared by a formally constituted Human Research Ethics Committee (like the one here at the University of Melbourne), which assesses whether the project is safe and consistent with the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). These guidelines describe what makes an ethical project: reciprocity, respect, equality, responsibility, survival and protection, and spirit and integrity.

These guidelines are not always applied when research is done outside the university system. For example, in at least one recent national survey the threat of fines for non-compliance were used to get people to participate (not a one-off fine, but a fine for every day they did not participate). It is quite possible that was standard practice. However, this practice would not be allowed if this survey was regulated through NHRMC ethical guidelines. The NHMRC guidelines were developed to protect Aboriginal people and communities from unethical research practice and are widely known and acknowledged. It is not acceptable for unethical research to be conducted by any organisation.

Evaluating Aboriginal Health Programsby Kevin Rowley

Everyone is looking for ‘evidence-based’ health programs to ‘Close the Gap’ in Indigenous health, and a lot of our current research work is about evaluating the effectiveness of programs that aim to improve Aboriginal health outcomes. However, there is another gap, and it is in understanding what is useful ‘evidence'. I often hear the comment along the lines of ‘yeah, that Indigenous health program might make people feel better, but what’s the evidence it improves anyone’s health?'. I know not everything that makes people feel good (like grog) is good for their health in the long-term, and some things that hurt at the time (like injections) are ultimately for the better. But often I hear that argument also applied to Aboriginal social or cultural events and programs. What definition of ‘health’ includes feeling miserable? How can having people feel good about themselves, their culture and their community be bad for health? Where is the 'love'? The National Aboriginal Health Strategy defined health as:

not just the physical well-being of the individual, but the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community. This is a whole-of-life view and it also includes the cyclical concept of life–death–life.

It’s a good definition. It is what many Aboriginal community-controlled organisations strive for in programs that address the many social, psychosocial, cultural and clinical influences on Aboriginal peoples’ health and wellbeing.

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In his first major speech as chair of the National Indigenous Health Equality Council, Ian Anderson said that developing and monitoring realistic national targets for Indigenous health is critical if we are to evaluate the impact of strategies that aim to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians permanently.

Addressing the Measuring Outcomes for Indigenous Australia session at the recent NatStats08 conference held in Melbourne, Ian said that targets should be evidence-based and outcome-focused. ‘In monitoring progress towards targets set by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), valid target setting will require methods that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound,’ he said.

Ian argued that the main contributors to the gap in life expectancy are non-communicable diseases and conditions such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

‘Significant opportunities for health gain exist through tobacco control programs and health promotion initiatives addressing obesity, but such programs need to be appropriately resourced,’ Ian said. ‘Increased capacity is required in the health system in delivering targeted primary health care, especially primary preventative services and health promotion, to Indigenous Australians,’ he added.

‘The health gap is not narrowing because, over the past 20 years, the causes have shifted from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases.’

The risk factors contributing most to ill health in Indigenous populations are tobacco and body mass. ‘The primary underlying reason for lower life expectancy is high death rates from chronic diseases in middle age, including cardiovascular disease, lung diseases, cancers, and diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of Indigenous people, responsible for more than a quarter of Indigenous deaths.’

Ian blames the growing profile of chronic disease on Indigenous disadvantage stemming from social determinants such as low unemployment, poor housing, lack of education, discrimination, social dislocation, and disempowerment.

There is, however, some cause for optimism. ‘Although there is currently no national Indigenous life expectancy trend data, the data that is available indicates that Indigenous life expectancy is improving, but off a very low base.’

The demographic context is that 'Closing the Gap' is still an enormous challenge as Indigenous mortality needs to fall by around 80 per cent to achieve parity of life expectancy with the Australian population. ‘To close the life expectancy gap would require future improvement in Indigenous mortality rates well beyond levels that have been achieved in recent years.’

COAG has set aggressive targets in Indigenous health and related social determinants, targets that include closing the life expectancy gap in a generation, halving child mortality gap in 10 years, and halving the literacy and numeracy gap.

To achieve these targets, COAG has established a reporting environment, which includes providing an annual 'Closing the Gap' report to Parliament, but Ian admits there is still much to achieve on appropriate monitoring, evaluation and reporting regimes.

The National Indigenous Health Equality Council was established by the Federal Government in mid-2008 to advise it on the development and monitoring of health-related goals and targets to support the Government’s commitments to closing the life expectancy gap.

Monitoring Realistic and Measurable

Targets Is the Key to Closing the

Health Gap

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Community ProfileSteven Kelly

My name is Steven Kelly. I’m a Nhanda Yamatji man and my mob come from Northampton (Mooni-mia) situated around 460 kms north of Perth in the mid-west of Western Australia.

I’m currently enrolled in a Master of Social Health degree at the University of Melbourne and am lucky enough to have

not one but two deadly supervisors in Dr Kevin Rowley and Dr Bill Genat. My topic of study is examining the perspectives of Koori men who are accessing dialysis treatment because of kidney failure. I’m into my second year in Melbourne and thoroughly enjoy being able to mix it up with the staff at Onemda who have been a great support and are always there to lend an ear and have a yarn with.

Prior to coming to Melbourne in February 2008, I lived in Darwin for several years where I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in anthropology. I then went on to complete an Honours year based on a comparative study of the Western biomedical model of health and traditional perspectives of health of the mob from the Top End. I’m currently employed on a part-time basis with the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne, where we are working on a project called ‘Improving Diabetes Care for Urban Indigenous Australians’. I’ve been working with the department since September 2008 and love getting out and meeting the local community mob based in Melbourne.

Finally, I’d like to add that I’ve just returned from the 2nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Research Forum held in Alice Springs. The gathering consisted of around 60 men from all over Australia and was empowering on so many levels. I’d like to thank the steering committee for organising such a deadly event and to all my brothers and uncles out there who attended the forum, thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I look forward to catching up and having a yarn with you all at next year’s gathering!

Steven can be contacted by telephone on (03) 8344 5523, or email at <kellysw@unimelb.edu.au>.

Dhungalla Kaella OrationThe Dhungalla Kaella Oration Series presents its inaugural oration ‘Defining Shepparton’ featuring Dr Jimmy Little, AO and Professor Carmen Lawrence.

The oration is being organised through a partnership that includes the University of Melbourne and the Rumbalara Football Netball Club.

This is part of a five-year program with themes that include culture, climate change, health and society, economy and regional development and legal issues. The oration series will be developed around a local program of events designed to build bridges within the greater Goulburn Valley communities and promote Aboriginal cultural and economic development.

The inaugural oration will take place on Wednesday, 20 May 2009, at 7pm, at the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, Harder Auditorium, Fryers Street, Shepparton. It is free, but bookings are essential.

Please book before 15 April with Ms Naomi Amos at the University of Melbourne’s Goulburn Valley Partnerships office on (03) 5823 6600 or email her at <namos@unimelb.edu.au>.

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New Staff...

Bradley FirebraceBrad is at Onemda working on the Heart Health project, communicating its research outcomes. He is originally from Shepparton, where he was with the project for a few years before moving to Melbourne. Brad has also worked at the Rumbalara Football Netball Club doing project work on the Healthy Lifestyles and Hungry for Victory programs. His role at Onemda also includes working with the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Tobacco Control. Brad is a graduate of the Academy of Sport, Health and Education at the University of Melbourne in Shepparton, and has played senior football at Rumbalara for the past nine years. He can be contacted by email at <bradleyf@unimelb.edu.au>.

Bree HeffernanBree is working as a Research Assistant on the ARC-funded Aboriginal Child Mortality Study. She joins Jane Freemantle in the early stages of the 5-year project, which will build a mortality profile of Victoria’s Aboriginal (and non-Aboriginal) children

1998–2008. The project will address the lack of data to describe Aboriginal health in Victoria, especially child health. The project will be undertaken in partnership with VACCHO. Previously, Bree was at the Koori Human Services Unit, Department of Human Services, where she was involved in developing strategies to improve the accuracy of Indigenous identification in hospital, birth and death datasets, and the analysis and reporting of information on the health status of Victoria’s Aboriginal population. Bree is also studying toward a Master in Public Health and has an ongoing interest in the performing arts. She can be contacted at <breeh@unimelb.edu.au>.

Congratulations...to Paul Stewart and Laura Thompson on the birth of baby boy Marley Jack (see picture) born on Friday 13 February at 11.55pm just 5 minutes before Valentine's Day at the Mercy Hospital, weighing 8lb 4oz. A little brother to Rose and Soul.

To Johanna Monk and Ewan Burke on the arrival of their baby girl, Sylvia Janet born on Tuesday, 24 February 2009 weighing 7lb 7oz. Sister to Alex and Ian, who are sadly missed. Johanna will be on leave until February 2010.

Walkin’ Birrarung (Yarra) River Cultural TourOn 16 December, before our Christmas lunch, Onemda staff had the privilege of going on the Birrarung (Yarra) walk. Fay Ball, from the Koorie Heritage Trust, was our guide, and her engaging presentation brought to life ‘the memory that now lies beneath our urban existence’.

We walked with Fay from Enterprize Park to the Princes Bridge, being shown sites of significance to the Kulin people, and learning about a small but important part of Kulin history and of the colonial history of Melbourne. It was a moving experience for us all, and we would like to thank Fay and the Trust for providing us with new insights into our history and our city.

The walk is a regular feature of the Trust’s education program. For more information: Koorie Heritage Trust Inc. Cultural Centre295 King Street (cnr Lt Lonsdale Street)Melbourne 3000T: (03) 8622 2600F: (03) 9602 4333E: education@koorieheritagetrust.comW: http://www.koorieheritagetrust.com/education

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Onemda VicHealth Koori Health UnitCentre for Health and SocietyMelbourne School of Population HealthLevel 4, 207 Bouverie StreetThe University of MelbourneVictoria 3010 AUSTRALIATel: + 61 3 8344 0813Fax: +61 3 8344 0824Web: www.onemda.unimelb.edu.auEmail: onemda-info@unimelb.edu.auMelways Map Reference: 2B D8