Elder Researchers

Uncle Albert’s Grandma was born in Maardu country, his mum was born in Yamatji country and he was born in Noongar country, in Subiaco. He qualified as a cabinetmaker before working in the building industry, and then applying these skills as a manual arts teacher. Uncle Albert was awarded the Aboriginal Elder of the Year in 2008, by NAIDOC – the National Aboriginal Islander Observant Community.

Uncle Albert has been heavily involved in a significant number of community programs, projects and committees aimed at improving outcomes for the Aboriginal community. He has participated in the Looking Forward Project under Dr Michael Wright since its inception, and this led him to partnering with Richmond Wellbeing since 2013. He is now employed by Richmond Wellbeing and provides support, consultancy and oversight of the RW Aboriginal engagement strategy.

Uncle Albert is passionate about reconciliation, transforming the community and improving health and educational outcomes for Aboriginal people. He is motivated largely by his extended family, his pride in his culture and a commitment to see an improved life for Aboriginal people.

In Uncle Albert’s opinion, this project is important because children are very important people. He sees them as our future, and strongly believes they need all the help for their emotional health and wellbeing that can be given by department agencies, families and Elders. As a result, instead of having a Band-Aid effect, this project should empower these young people so that they can grow up knowing that support is out there whenever it is needed.

Aunty Millie is a Noongar Yorga from Pinjarra. Her connection to country is Ballardong Binjurup, Whadjuk and Yamatji while her family connections are Walley, Winmar, Indich and Oweir extended families. Aunty Millie is the eldest daughter of Richard Wally senior and Violet Wally (Winmar). She is married to Fred Penny and together they have 4 children and 12 grandchildren.

Aunty Millie sees this project as important due to the importance of children to our community. She believes that our children are our future spokes people and leaders, and that as a community, we need to nurture and guide them to be successful, competitive, and most of all respectful. We need to make sure that cultural practice and stories are passed on, and to empower our children to be proud, confident and happy. For Aunty Millie, it is important that children in care have the same access to culture and family as those at home with family, and lastly, that we make sure language is passed on no matter how little you speak.

Auntie Charmaine Pell was born in Beverley, to Corah Mourish and Eric Parfitt. She is part of a family of 11, with 7 sisters and 3 brothers. Auntie Charmaine lived on the Aboriginal Reserve in Beverley and went to primary school in Beverley until grade 7, while her father worked all around the area on farms doing labouring. Her family moved to Perth around 1963 because her sister, Isabell, had polio and required medical assistance. They lived in Bellevue and Swan View, and Auntie Charmaine attended high school in Midland. After leaving school, she met and married her husband John. Together they have 5 children, 18 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren. They are now both retired and living in Maddington.

Auntie Charmaine believes that having the group sessions for the project has been really rewarding because everyone comes from different backgrounds with different ideas to bring forward.

Auntie Doris Hill was born in June 1945 in Perth. She lived in New Norcia for the first 5 years of her life, with 18 of those months being in Princess Margaret Hospital. Auntie Doris moved to Coorow for the next 7 years, and started school there before moving to Three Springs. She has worked all her life cleaning peoples’ homes, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals and a fish and chips shop.

Auntie Doris married and had one daughter. They moved to Borillia then up to Perth, where she worked at the University of Western Australia as a cleaner, while studying at Curtin University. For the last 9 years of her working life, she has worked as an advocate for Aboriginal people. While she is now retired she has also returned to study at Murdoch University.

From Auntie Doris’s perspective, this project is very important because our young parents need help with raising their little ones. She also feels that many of our young ones are growing up feeling unwanted and unloved within the broader community which has encouraged her to be a part of this project.  

Aunty Muriel was born in Kutapine under a gum tree as her mother was not permitted to deliver in the local hospital. She was the 2nd eldest of 10 children to John and Gladys  Blurton (nee Bandry). Muriel spent most of her childhood living in York while her parents both worked clearing the land and living on the properties of the farmers around the York and Beverley district. Because both parents worked Muriel helped her mother at home to help raise her siblings but also attended the local York State Primary School then started working as a domestic for many years as she had no access to a High School. In her late teens Muriel was the first Aboriginal employee at the new York hospital which was pretty ironic as she wasn’t allowed to be born in the old York hospital. Muriel was also very active in the local sporting scene playing competitive hockey, basketball, netball and football (all women’s team!!).

In the early 1960’s Muriel moved to Perth with her family where she found work and met her husband Lyall Bowie who was here from Badu Island, Torres Straits.  Muriel had three children & went back to Midland TAFE to further her own education so she could help her own children through school. She then went on to work at the Anawim Aboriginal Women’s Refuge for the next 20yrs as a trained qualified counsellor to support the many women who sought help with homelessness, accommodation, domestic violence, childcare, and the many issues they faced in returning to the community. She was also a foundation member of Yorgum. 

Muriel is a well respected Ballardong Elder and is still active in the community on a number of Aboriginal committees and is an active member of People Who Care. She is passionate about making change for a better future for the children, families and Noongar community.

Uncle Allan was born in 1938 at Badjilling Reserve under a quandong tree on his Father’s Ballardong Country. He is the middle of eight siblings to his parents Oliver Kickett and Alice Ryder. In May 1947 he was taken with five of his sisters from his family home in Bayswater to Roelands Mission where he stayed for the next nine years. While there, Uncle Allan felt that he lost all contact with his culture and language and did not get to see his parents again until he was 18 years old.

On leaving Roelands he had a number of different occupations; he drove steam trains in Fremantle and Collie for 10 years, he then went on to become a taxi driver, and has managed Aboriginal Hostels all over Australia. In 1993 Uncle Allan was one the founding directors of Woolkabunning Kiaka Inc. (the former Roelands Mission), transforming the mission from a place of hurt to education and healing for Aboriginal people taken from their families. Uncle Allan was also on the original planning committee for housing at Cullacabardee a small Noongar Community in the North-West suburbs of Perth. Uncle Allan is the Founding Chairman of Koya Aboriginal Corporation and Pindi Pindi Aboriginal Research Centre. Uncle Allan is the founder of the Gospel Express, a ministry service based at Saint Matthew’s Anglican Church in Guilford ministering to four country towns per year.

Uncle Allan is a father of eight children with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Uncle Allan is passionate about making change for Aboriginal children and families to give them direction and a future because he believes that Aboriginal people have had everything stolen from them. Uncle Allan views Aboriginal people as survivors of the many atrocities inflicted upon them over the last 200 years. He believes now is the time for justice to create hope for a better future for children and families.

Aunty Oriel was born in 1935 in Threesprings, the eldest of 14 children to Roeland Bartlett and Eva Whyatt. Roeland was a Ballardong man and Eva was a Yuat. From age 15 Aunty Oriel has worked all her life, starting as a shop assistant in Canna in the Morowa District. She then went on to Morowa hospital, store, and hotel. Aunty Oriel married and had six children, moving to Perth in 1970. For the last 46 years she has lived in the same house in Girrawheen.

When her children were at school, Aunty Oriel went back to study, obtaining her Certificate in Child Care (CCC) and an Associate Diploma in Children’s Service. Since this time Aunty Oriel has worked in the early education space. Aunty Oriel worked with the Education Department for over 20 years. She was also on the National Aboriginal Early Childhood Committee for six years and travelled all over Western Australia and to other capital cities across Australia in this role. Aunty Oriel worked with the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority, the Mount Lawley College of Advanced Education (now ECU) on the Aboriginal Advisory Council Committee a role she also fulfilled at Murdoch University. Aunty Oriel was also on the inaugural Northern Suburbs Reconciliation Group. In 2010 Aunty Oriel became a life member of the Aboriginal Alcohol and Drug Service (now Wungening Aboriginal Corporation).

At present Aunty Oriel serves on several Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) committees namely those at City of Stirling, Osborne Park Hospital, Key Assets, Ngala, Life Without Barriers. Aunty Oriel is also an elder working on the “Looking Forward, Moving Forward” Project, working with Mercy Care Perth and Wanada. Aunty Oriel now has eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and one great-great-grandchild.

Aunty Oriel has always been passionate about the early years, growing children up strong to take up their place in the community as Aboriginal people with all they have to offer. Aunty Oriel feels very privileged and honoured to be recognised as a Researcher with the Telethon Kids Institute.

It is with great sadness that the Telethon Kids Institute marks the passing of Reverend Garlett AM.

Rev Garlett was an extraordinary man, and we were privileged to have Rev. Garlett as one of the Birdiyas (bosses) on the Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort (Our Children Our Heart) Project.

As an Elder Researcher, Rev. Garlett made an invaluable contribution to Telethon Kids, not only to our research but also to our community. His wisdom, guidance, compassion and leadership have shaped our community-led research and made a lasting difference to our work in Aboriginal Health. 

In July 2019, the Institute formally recognised Rev. Garlett’s contribution, together with the contribution of our other Elder Researchers, at a special ceremony during NAIDOC week where he was appointed Honorary Research Associate of the Institute.

Rev. Garlett was much loved and respected throughout the community, and worked tirelessly to build bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. His passing is a huge loss and we will miss him dearly.

Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.