Julie Ballangarry

I’m a proud Gumbaynggirr woman, and my commitment to reconciliation has been with me for as long as I can remember. My father was my first role model, a strong Aboriginal man, proud of who we are and where we come from. As a child, I watched him share our culture with non-Indigenous people to bridge gaps and build understanding. He wanted a better, shared future. I remember him coming to my school, speaking in my SOSE classes, telling the truth about our history, his experiences with government policies, and what it was like growing up in Australia from 1948 onwards.

Those moments shaped me. Later, working in the community sector and as a teacher, I saw how the impacts of colonisation were still felt every day. I also saw how easy it was for institutions to lean on symbolic gestures while avoiding the hard work of truth-telling or structural reform. That’s when I knew reconciliation had to be more than words, it had to uphold Indigenous rights and change the systems that harm us.

Much of my work has been in education, using it as a tool for truth-telling. In classrooms and lecture theatres, I’ve shared knowledge with students and colleagues, creating ripples I hope travel far beyond me. Those moments remind me that change is possible, when people truly listen, hearts and minds can shift.

For me, reconciliation means every Australian understands our shared history, and governments lead by example, embedding Indigenous rights at the heart of our nation and its policies.

Through the Churchill Fellowship, I’ll learn from other First Nations peoples. Their stories of success and struggle will help shape a reconciliation movement here that is courageous, community-led, grounded in truth, and full of hope for the future.