Proud Kamilaroi woman Charlie Duke says her University of Queensland studies were an ideal launchpad for her role as a physical education and science teacher at Charters Towers State High School, where she aims to be a 'deadly' role-model for Indigenous students.
Though working far from her family and roots on the Gold Coast, Charlie delights in the freedom of expression and connection to culture her students are sharing with each other and their rural community, including a recent wearable art exhibition.
"While at UQ, particularly in my first two years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit really helped as a meeting point for tutoring in chemistry and biochemistry, which boosted my confidence and kick-started my involvement with the Unit," Charlie said.
"This initial support from the Unit shaped the rest of my Uni years and my passion for teaching.
"Being at Uni, surrounded by so many smart, strong Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, ignited my purpose to create change and play my part in closing the gap of education.
"I got a better understanding of who I am, my family, their struggles and so forth, and I am continuing that journey now as I am out in the workforce.
"I got involved in social sport, including netball and basketball, with the Goorie Berrimpa Collective, as well as representing UQ at the Indigenous University Games, which helped with getting to know other people, and getting outside my comfort zone.
"I was able to obtain a generous MacDonald/Leitch scholarship during my first year at UQ, and later received a Rural and Remote graduate teacher STEM scholarship in my final year, for my graduate position at Charters Towers State High School."
Charlie obtained her teaching degree with honours from UQ and had her sights set on spreading her wings from the outset.
"I knew in school I didn’t want to work in an office job," she said.
"I also knew as soon as I finished uni, I wanted to move somewhere different, and with my Aboriginal heritage, I wanted to go to a rural area and experience new things, and get to know different communities."
Charters Towers State High School has a 29 per cent student population who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and an equally strong representation in the local community, which for Charlie amplifies the importance of being a strong role model for all people to look up to.
"Being a Kamilaroi woman has definitely helped quite a bit to create a connection with the Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students," she said.
"It’s nice for [students] to see that there is an Aboriginal teacher who can understand how they communicate and what they’re going through.
"I try my best to understand and help them with whatever life struggles they might be going through in a professional manner and work hard to build good rapport with the students.
"It’s these interactions that are the building blocks of relationships and trust that allows for a deeper sense of understanding how my students operate."
Charlie’s powerful influence is most evident when she integrates her cultural knowledge with the traditional curriculum in her classroom.
"I teach science and HPE and am able to bring some cultural [aspects] into the conversation by including Indigenous knowledge into science," she said.
"When we’re talking about energy, I can incorporate traditional ‘energy’ like fire starting methods and include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective.
"When we are in the HPE environment, I can also incorporate traditional Indigenous sporting games such as Buroinjin.
"The kids may not know the background to traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices and I feel grateful I can share [that] with them, while I too can continue to learn and grow from their individual wisdom as well."
* We acknowledge the Queensland Teach Magazine for many of the quotes in this article.