Colleen Hayward
Noongar Elder
Perth Region, WA
Noongar Elder, Colleen Hayward was born in Kalgoorlie to parents who were both teachers, her father being WA’s first Aboriginal teacher. When the family moved to Perth, they lived in a primarily non-Aboriginal suburb in accordance with the ‘Salt & Pepper’ government policy of the time, aimed at discouraging Aboriginal communities and instead dispersing Aboriginal families in government housing across various suburbs throughout the city.
It was also an era when schools could exclude Aboriginal students just on the basis of their Aboriginality. Fortunately, Colleen was able to attend the same primary school where her father taught. There were just two other Aboriginal families at the school. Years later at high school, Colleen and her sister would be the only Aboriginal students.
From high school, she followed her family’s passion for teaching and secured a place at a Teacher’s College where she was once again only one of two Aboriginal students. After graduating she took on her first teaching role at a country school, while her father was appointed as Western Australia’s first Aboriginal Principal. For Colleen, it was another confirmation that Aboriginal people could achieve anything.
After more than a decade teaching she began to expand her career. Initially she would work with the Teacher’s Union, then spent a period of time in the Aboriginal Issues unit of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody which she recognises was a life-changing experience and acknowledges that everything she’s done since then has been for and about others.
Her career continued to evolve as she stepped into increasingly challenging roles, as Deputy Chief of the Aboriginal Legal Service, then as the Acting Manager Western Australia of ATSIC, (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission), an organization established for the betterment of Aboriginal people.
She would head up the Kulunga Research Network, the Aboriginal maternal and child health research arm of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. From there she was pursued by Edith Cowan University to not only head up their Indigenous Unit but also to take on the role of Pro Vice Chancellor for Equity and Diversity.
Among her many achievements, she has been recognised with countless prestigious awards and acknowledgements for her long-standing work for and on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.
Colleen remains active and involved through her membership in a range of boards and advisory committees. Her love of sport is reflected in her Board appointment with the Fremantle Dockers Football Club. She is also one of the co-leaders of Danjoo Koorliny, an Aboriginal-led initiative working towards the respectful inclusion of Aboriginal people in WA’s 2029 bicentenary. Today she’s also an independent non-executive Director on the MinRes Board.
Artist: Russell James
Size: 152cm x 152cm
Medium: Canvas
Artist: Russell James
Size: 152cm x 152cm
Medium: Canvas