First Person - Meet Joshua Brown Manager Aboriginal Strategy & Development

JOSH BROWN

WORIMI, MANAGER ABORIGINAL STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT

What are your key responsibilities? I provide executive strategic advice, support and project management in relation to the organisation’s Aboriginal Strategy. This covers areas such as organisational cultural awareness, employment initiatives, community engagement, and support for Aboriginal businesses across our sites.

What first got you interested in education and how did it lead to a career? Growing up I was always into my sport and would talk about how I was going to represent Australia in whichever one I played at the time. Mum always drilled into me how important going to school was, and school instilled in me, from an early age, a sense of pride in my culture because I was around my cousins, playing sport and doing cultural activities like dance. But at school I also became aware of racism, and not just from students. I realised there were serious fundamental issues that needed to be addressed throughout our education system. These two passions – sport and culture – and a desire to ensure culture is taught properly at an early age to kids, as well as to the adults who mentor them, led me into a career in education.

Tell us about your career prior to joining the Gardens? I started out as a PE teacher. I wanted a career focused on sport, but one where I was able to actively teach Aboriginal culture. I enjoyed coaching and organising school sports, but I came to understand that our current education system is flawed in that culture isn’t really valued by many school leaders, despite whatever policies may be in place. So, I left to go to Walanga Muru* at Macquarie University to gain experience in supporting Aboriginal university students in their studies and career pathways. This gave me an array of skills in stakeholder engagement, network building, collaborating with external organisations and creating student cultural and educational engagement initiatives from scratch. I realised that I still wanted to have an impact on cultural education in the school setting, but without being confined to just one school. Then I saw the Botanic Gardens was advertising for an Aboriginal Education Coordinator. It’s been my best career decision.

What have been some of the highlights of your work? There have been so many great experiences – going up to the Northern Territory to deliver education programs, our corporate NAIDOC events, trips away with our Community Greening teams, and installing the first ever trial of Cookaroo Flow, which celebrates poetry created by First Nations students from Sydney and the NT. My most humbling highlight was the establishment of our National Sorry Day event at the Australian Botanic Garden. I witnessed the Stolen Generations Memorial on my first trip out to Mount Annan in 2017. At the time there was a lack of connection and engagement between the Gardens and the local Dharawal community. By simply picking up the phone and connecting with a range of local stakeholders we were able to put together a special event that carries on to this day. It allows local Aboriginal community members, schools and Stolen Generations survivors to come together and remember a significant period in Australia, while providing a community support network.

What is your favourite plant or section in the Gardens? I would have to say the Grass Trees – they hold so much historical and cultural significance and for me are a major symbol of native Australian

‘My most humbling highlight was our National Sorry Day event’

plants. In saying that, I do love all our native foods within the Gardens, particularly the native raspberries, Davidson plums and finger limes.

When you are not working, what do you like to do? Wouldn’t be hard to guess – I love my sport. Outside of that though and since I’ve always been a coastal person, I like to spend as much time around the beach or exploring new coastlines while getting my partner to try whichever bush tucker plants we find.

Tell us one thing that might surprise people to learn about you. I’ve combined all my great experiences to start a passion project called Deadly Ed. It’s an Aboriginal education company on a mission to ensure all kids and adults have access to quality and authentic Aboriginal educational experiences, information and support, no matter their background or where they are located.

*Walanga Muru provides a unique space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study and relax in a nurturing home-awayfrom-home environment.