Knowledge moving in both directions
A gift in Will is strengthening a reciprocal knowledge exchange between schools, universities and Indigenous communities.
Marjorie Elizabeth Wilks' visionary commitment to Indigenous education is helping teachers and researchers create pathways, connections and opportunities that extend far beyond the University.
One of the key initiatives supported by Marjorie’s gift is Djambatj Dhukarr: Road to Excellence, the Yolŋu Team Teacher Exchange Program.
The ongoing aim of Djambatj Dhukarr is to build local capacity through strengthening existing Yolŋu bilingual teacher education strategies at the Yambirrpa Schools of Yirrkala and Laynhapuy Homelands in Northeast Arnhem Land, while increasing the capacity for Yolŋu leaders to become qualified teachers.
It is led by Bernadette Murphy, a Lecturer Specialist and Research Fellow from the Faculty of Education, and Professor Yalmay Yunupiŋu, a much-loved and respected Yolŋu leader and educator from Yirrkala and 2024 Senior Australian of the Year. This interdisciplinary project is also run in collaboration with Associate Professor Kristen Smith from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.
Reciprocal learning across classrooms and Country
Professor Yunupiŋu observes, “Many [teachers from Melbourne] returned after graduation to take up a teaching position, with many staying for longer than three years, some as long as 10. These students-turned-teachers now help guide the next generation, creating a continuous circle of learning.”
This is what Yolŋu call Ba la ga lili – to give and take.
Professor Yunupiŋu’s vision for a similar experience for Yolŋu Team Teachers came to fruition with support from the late Marjorie Elizabeth Wilks through a gift in her Will. The companion pilot bringing Yolŋu Team Teachers to Melbourne has now been expanded and consolidated through to 2028, extending the Road to Excellence.
Each year, six to eight Yolŋu Team Teachers travel to Melbourne for a week-long school placement in a partnering primary and secondary school where they observe diverse approaches to student engagement and wellbeing strategies. Spending a week embedded in the school allows Team Teachers to observe different teaching practices closely, then consider how these might align with Yolŋu priorities.
They then share their rich cultural knowledge and perspectives, noting where Melbourne practices align with Yolŋu values such as gurruṯu: kinship system.
Walking together between knowledge systems
Professor Yunupiŋu says, “Our [Yolŋu Team Teachers] travel to look, listen, question and then come home stronger for their families and school communities. This strength is more than skill-building; it is about identity, belonging and the authority that comes from walking confidently between Yolŋu and Western worlds.”
“Djambatj Dhukarr is not about leaving Country to learn – it's about carrying Country with you.”
Their visit includes a presentation at the University of Melbourne, sharing Yolŋu culture and their own educational knowledge and expertise. For teaching students enrolled at the University of Melbourne, collaboration with Yolŋu Team Teachers opens a door into Yolŋu education as a sophisticated, relational and place-based system. It reframes this system from a 'perspective' to be added to a Western curriculum, to a world of knowledge in its own right.
Reflecting on the 2026 gathering, Professor Marek Tesar, Dean of the Faculty of Education, commented, "Djambatj Dhukarr is a pathway, not a destination. It asks us to walk with humility and courage. Education becomes something different when knowledge moves in both directions.”
A vision carried forward
Behind this exchange is a shared belief in the power of Indigenous-led education, and a legacy shaped by that belief.
Marjorie Wilks’ connection with the University’s Indigenous priorities began in 2022, after hearing a radio segment about the University’s work in this space. Curious to learn more, she reached out to discover how she could support initiatives that create opportunities for Indigenous communities.
Her interest in supporting Indigenous communities was also deeply personal. Throughout her extraordinary nursing career, Marjorie spent time flying to remote communities in northern Australia to provide care. She spoke fondly of this period of her life and the people and communities she came to know.
Through the gift in her Will, Marjorie Elizabeth Wilks’ commitment to Indigenous education will continue through new connections, shared learning and opportunity. Its impact will reach from Northeast Arnhem Land to Melbourne and beyond, supporting teachers, students and communities for generations to come.
Yolŋu educators joined staff and students at Sydney Road Community School (SRCS) in Brunswick.
This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.
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