Professor Juanita Sherwood has spent her life passionately trying to close the gap in Indigenous health and education.
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Working in Redfern from 1988 until 1996 as a child and family health nurse, she has seen some of the worst disparity. Especially since 2010 when she began researching the treatment and traumas of incarcerated First Nations women.
"I've been interviewing Aboriginal women who have gone to prison in NSW looking at their social and emotional wellbeing," Professor Sherwood said.
"When I was working in Redfern, I saw the charges start young."
She has become accustomed to seeing Indigenous people locked up for long periods based on minor crimes. Professor Sherwood cited the 2014 death of 22-year-old Ms Dhu in Western Australia, who had been imprisoned after she failed to pay her parking fines.
"When they don't have the money to pay for the fines, they go inside," Professor Sherwood said.
"People are criminalised for their poverty. It's not to say people don't do the crime, but poverty is a big issue. People are seriously impoverished."
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Taking on the role of vice-chancellor of Indigenous engagement last month, Professor Sherwood arrived in the Riverina to continue working to improve health and education for the whole nation.
"Supporting the efforts of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working together, that's what's going to make the difference," she said.
The first step to achieving unity, Professor Sherwood said will come by welcoming Indigenous involvement into every level of education.
"I've lived in Sydney, Alice Springs, Broken Hill, all over the country and Sydney has the biggest Aboriginal population group. Yet people will still say 'I've never met an Aboriginal person'.
"People are fearful of saying the wrong things or making faux pas and that's because there haven't been opportunities to share and learn together."
Recognition of history, Professor Sherwood said, is another pinnacle step to reconciliation. One she believes is being eroded through recent federal announcements that will see the cost of tertiary liberal arts degrees double.
"The humanities are where we teach history," she said.
"I am really concerned that we will continue not to know our real Indigenous and non-Indigenous stories."
Even once an Indigenous student has scaled the heights to tertiary education, the disparity in health has a toll.
"In the life of an Aboriginal student, they'll probably have 20 or 30 funerals over the period of time they're at uni," Professor Sherwood said. "Most non-Indigenous people will have one or two. Poor health has an impact on our entire community."