2025 Return to Country Oration

During the 2025 Return to Country Oration, the university delegations were joined by local families, community members and industry representatives from Noongar Country in Northam, WA and surrounding areas, who shared their personal stories and highlighted the value of pursuing education opportunities.

This year's Return to Country Oration was delivered by Professor Chris Lawrence, Associate Dean (Indigenous) in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University, and a Wadjak/Ballardong man from the Wheatbelt region in Northam. A health and wellbeing researcher with a host of career achievements, Professor Lawrence shared his journey, including establishing the National Indigenous Space Academy, which paves the way for First Nations STEM students to intern at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA, supported by the Australian Space Agency.

Launched in 2024, the ‘Return to Country’ program  aims to enhance access to STEM pathways for primary and secondary school students in regional, rural, and remote areas. This event served as a forum for highlighting the participation of Indigenous students in engineering and acknowledging the obstacles they face when approaching tertiary education.

The event brought together members from the local community to participate in a dialogue regarding the importance of access to higher education for regional and remote communities.

Program

Welcome to Country
Elizabeth Stack

Life on Country
Aunty Kathy Davis

Nationalising STEM pathway programs
Associate Professor Joseph West, Murrawarri, Associate Dean Indigenous – Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne

A Moorditj Life; from the Northam Aboriginal Reserve to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory! The humble beginnings of Professor Chris Lawrence; a Noongar yarn.
Professor Chris Lawrence, Associate Dean (Indigenous) - Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University

Facilitated Q&A: Pathways and access to tertiary education
Facilitator: Associate Professor Joseph West, Murrawarri, Associate Dean Indigenous – Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne

Panel members:

  • Professor Chris Lawrence, Associate Dean (Indigenous), Faculty of Information Technology - Monash University
  • Aunty Kathy Davis, Noongar Elder
  • Professor Chanelle van den Berg, Pro Vice Chancellor First Nations - Murdoch University
  • Grant Maher, CEO - Deadly Coders
  • Tiriki Onus, Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous - The University of Melbourne

Closing Address
Associate Professor Joseph West, Murrawarri, Associate Dean Indigenous – Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne