The new faces of CYGA

Marnie Parker - Campus Principal Marnie is a proud Kamilaroi woman who joins the Girl Academy from Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) where she has been an Education Services Advisor for Skills and Training, providing support and guidance around vocational education and training, careers education, and QCE planning to over 200 schools throughout Queensland. “Yaama. It is a great honour for me to be the Campus Principal for the Cape York Girl Academy and have the privilege of walking the journey with the young women at the Academy. My vision is for every young person to be all they want to be through enhancing their unique skills and abilities and providing a learning space where First Nations women feel empowered, supported, and valued. My greatest support was my Pop – a Kamilaroi man from Tingha, NSW. Pop taught me many things, including the importance of education, kindness to others and a love of gardening. I look forward to sharing these learnings at Girl Academy,” she says.

Karen Salam – Head of Boarding I enjoy spending time with family, swimming and BBQs at the beach and creek, fishing, movies, voluntary work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NGOs. I am passionate in making constructive and positive contributions to ensure a safe, healthy and inclusive future will exist for our future generations to be strong and proud in both identity and culture. I am a proud Torres Strait Islander & Aboriginal woman; Torres Strait Islands of Boigu Island, Mabiaug Island, St Paul’s Village of Moa Island, Mer (Murray) Island and Erub (Darnley) Island, with my Aboriginal heritage from Central Qld. I am the eldest adult child of seven children in my family, a mother of five adult children and grandmother of six grandchildren, who have been raised to be proud of their identity and culture, to share, work together, love one another and care for others. Family is everything to me. Working and achieving tasks that involve improvements for our next generations to live with, is my life commitment.

Elizabeth Tyerman - PA to Campus Principal My name is Elizabeth Tyerman, I grew up in the Sydney northern beaches enjoying lots of time at the beach in my youth. I spent many years working with Telecom/Telstra, mostly doing Secretarial work. After getting married and starting a family, my husband and I settled in the Sutherland Shire (NSW) where I enjoyed working with the local council, bringing up our son and daughter while my husband spent a lot of time away working with the Navy. I was very fortunate to get employment with Cairns Regional Council where most of my time was spent working with the Community Development team which was both rewarding and enjoyable. Needing a change of work scene I moved into a couple of other areas of work last year, I started at Djarragun College this year and then joined the staff at the Girl Academy in July to help out in the office. It has certainly been a steep learning curve but it has been made so much easier by the amazing staff here who have been extremely helpful and supportive.

“I was here, I lived, I loved, I was here I did, I've done, everything that I wanted And it was more than I thought it would be I will leave my mark so everyone will know I was here I just want them to know That I gave my all, did my best Brought someone some happiness Left this world a little better just because I was here”

'I Was Here' by Beyoncé Knowles

~ Mahatma Gandhi, Indian activist.

Thank you all for your fantastic efforts this Semester. What an amazing year of learning, living and growing together. We hope you enjoy your break and we can’t wait to see you all in the New Year. Your Cape York Girl Academy Family