Secretary's Marrung Award winners

Gaayip-Yagila Primary School embeds cultural inclusion as core practice, guided by Marrung principles.Since 2021, the school has prioritised First Nations student voice, family partnerships, and staff capability to create a welcoming, culturally safe environment.

Curriculum, professional learning, and school systems integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, strengthening identity and belonging. Initiatives like the Koorie group and community engagement events foster connection and pride.

Improved survey and attendance data reflect positive impacts on wellbeing and learning. Cultural inclusion is now sustained as whole-school practice, supporting both student success and broader community understanding.

Hampton Park Secondary College's 'Whole School First Nations Inclusion & Reconciliation Project' is designed to embed First Nations perspectives across policy, practice, environment, and community engagement.

The project centres student voice and self-determination, and has driven significant structural and cultural changes, including the creation of a First Nations Hub, the establishment of culturally inclusive spaces, and the integration of First Nations perspectives across the curriculum.

Tika Hicken is a dynamic Marrung lead at Foster Secondary College. Her work on the Foster Secondary College's First Nations Celebration Day includes the opening of the Foster Secondary College Reconciliation Avenue, learning stones space, a First Nations music mural, and a community celebration 'Do It Deadly' concert.

The collection of projects focuses on transforming the physical landscape into a space that honours First Nations musicians and provides a space for learning and yarning.

Since 2024, The Grange P-12 College has strengthened connections between home and school for First Nations students. Angela Carney has led initiatives such as co-designed artwork, cultural programs, and a meaningful possum skin cloak project.

Angela supports student wellbeing, engagement, and pathways, while mentoring First Nations staff and building community trust. Her work has improved attendance, confidence, and academic outcomes, with students feeling proud of their identity.

Through partnerships and leadership, Angela has embedded cultural understanding across the school, fostering belonging, opportunity, and long-term success for First Nations students.

The Ganbu Mob Cultural Learning and Community Partnership Initiative is a comprehensive, school‑wide program designed to strengthen cultural identity, connection to Country, and inclusion for First Nations students.

Facilitated by Kym, the initiative includes Ganbu Mob community consultation, where First Nations families guide priorities and co-design learning, major cultural projects including the Plenty Gorge & Wurundjeri Country inspired mural, the Woiwurrung Language Artwork Book publication titled ‘No Need to Whisper’ and integration of the Indigenous Seasonal Calendar.

Winners: Kurtis Mullane, Mathew Lillyst, Sharon Armstrong, Laura Lovett-Murray, Sarah Planken, Shayla Cosgrave, Kaitlan Hill, Samantha Caroll, Suzanne Pollard, Chanaka Ruwandeniya, Riley Shefford, Ned Harper.

The Victorian Young Leaders First Nations (VYLFN) program is a pilot initiative supporting Year 9-10 First Nations students in Victorian government schools through leadership and cultural learning.

It includes three components: an on-Country immersion fostering cultural identity through activities, storytelling, and engagement with First Nations leaders; an intercultural experience in Aotearoa (New Zealand), where students connect with Māori communities and explore self-determination and leadership; and post-program mentoring that supports reflection, future leadership pathways, and sharing knowledge within schools and communities.

The Koorie careers expo is an initiative that has been running for several years for students and families from across the Wellington network in Outer Gippsland.

The expo has two components - the first half is designed to promote pathways into local and abroad employment opportunities with an emphasis on supporting students to make better informed decisions about subject selection and career pathway planning, while the second is designed to provide students with access to an Industry based tour with Central Gippsland Health Services.

Over the past seven years, the Barwon Head Start and LOOKOUT teams have worked in partnership to strengthen outcomes for First Nations students through collaborative engagement with schools, First Nations organisations, industry, and government.

Through initiatives like cultural programs, mentoring, and school-based apprenticeships, students gain skills and confidence. Supported by aligned reforms and community leadership, the model demonstrates sustainable, culturally informed success driven by shared effort, partnership, and a commitment to empowering First Nations young people. ​

Winners: Meagan Howell, Shantelle Lucas-Baillie, Richard Fry, Tia Brown, Damian Wilson, Kelly Stacey, Marissa Rundle, Melissa O'Neill, Joel Teague.

The Barwon Koorie Education Workforce and Early Childhood Improvement Branch, in partnership with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative and Barwon LAECG, have strengthened leadership, cultural safety, and collaboration across the early childhood sector.

Through initiatives such as yarning sessions, cultural events, newsletters, and transition supports, they have built trust, improved educator capability, and increased engagement with local First Nations communities. Their work has led to stronger participation, culturally inclusive practices, and better outcomes for First Nations children and families.

This partnership model demonstrates how shared responsibility and community-led approaches create a more inclusive, connected, and responsive early years system. ​

Charles exemplifies sustained leadership aligned with the Marrung Education Plan, prioritising First Nations student, staff, and family engagement across the Brimbank Melton Area. He actively supports Koorie Engagement staff with professional learning, engages with the Koorie Outcomes Division and Koorie Education Directorate, and maintains strong community connections through events, NAIDOC, Treaty gatherings, and local meetings.

Charles embeds First Nations voices across the Area Office, ensures inclusive participation in staff and network meetings, and promotes cultural initiatives through Principal Forums. He collaborates with Elders on programs like the Wylak Wiliam Aboriginal Youth Program, supports leadership development for students, and demonstrates a visible, ongoing commitment to events such as Aspirations Day, reinforcing Marrung as a collective responsibility and fostering meaningful community and school partnerships.

Murrup u Bikalwgich (Spirit of Country) is a Bunurong concept emphasising deep connections between people, place, relationships and responsibility. It describes a leadership approach grounded in Country and culture, where listening, respect and accountability guide action.

At Western Port Secondary College, this philosophy underpins a model of professional leadership built through authentic partnerships with the Bunurong Land Council and community leaders. Emerging from the Koorie Curriculum Clusters program, the initiative prioritises cultural integrity over curriculum, fostering meaningful, non-tokenistic change.

Ongoing since June 2024, it demonstrates how relationship-centred leadership can create culturally safe, sustainable outcomes across schools and systems.

The Young Mob Collective initiative at Myrtleford P-12 College supports First Nations students by creating a safe, empowering space to connect, share experiences, and strengthen cultural identity. Students meet regularly to develop leadership, contribute to school decisions, and promote inclusion through initiatives such as NAIDOC Week and the Reconciliation Action Plan.

The program prioritises student voice, cultural safety, and active participation in shaping school culture. Staff engage in ongoing learning to embed First Nations perspectives across teaching and school life. Initiatives such as a central Yarning Circle and personalised Cultural Support Plans further support wellbeing, belonging, and respect, fostering an inclusive environment for all.

Melissa, Marrung Lead at Upper Yarra Secondary College, has transformed the school into a culturally safe and inclusive environment for First Nations students over five years. She champions self-determination, strengthens student voice through initiatives such as “Meeting with Mob,” and embeds Aboriginal perspectives throughout the curriculum.

Melissa leads community partnerships, cultural programs, and pathway opportunities to support engagement, confidence, and post-school success. She is developing a whole-school Reconciliation Action Plan and mentors staff across the network. Through projects, partnerships, and advocacy, Melissa has fostered strong cultural connections and a sense of belonging, creating lasting, school-wide change that benefits both First Nations students and the broader community.

Elizabeth (Bethy) is a valued Aboriginal leader at Reservoir East Primary School, who is integral in ensuring Reservoir East Primary School is working towards an inclusive environment where First Nations identity, culture and truth telling is valued.

Bethy is passionate about her culture, introducing language into the school, and supporting non-First Nations staff in understanding how students learn through cultural identity.

With a large cohort of First Nations students (133 of 286), Bethy is a driver in special events such as NAIDOC and supports a young women's program which aims to help young women develop healthy ways of living and doing, with culture at the forefront of their learning.

Mathew Lundgren and his team are strong ambassadors for Marrung and have fundamentally reshaped how ACCOs are funded to deliver kindergarten within existing systems.

While essentially a back-office change, the new funding model provides increased funding to enable ACCOs to deliver programs tailored to the needs of their communities, provides more certainty and flexibility and places control of the funding in the hands of ACCOs.

The idea of reforming how ACCOs are funded to deliver kindergarten is a direct response to calls from the ACCO sector, which has long advocated block-funding models for early years services to provide certainty, control and administrative simplicity. This work is an example of listening to First Nations people and finding a way to make the system work better in response.

The Barwon North Central (BNC) Network project, launched in 2023, focuses on building cultural understanding, embedding First Nations perspectives, and strengthening IEPs for First Nations students across all schools.

Principals participated in the Murri Matters and Leading with Strength leadership programs, applying a First Nations lens to their professional growth. Outcomes include a network-wide Cultural Plan, student-designed graphics, yarning circles at meetings, and active participation of the KEC and KESOs in executive forums.

In 2026, the network expanded efforts to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes, co-designing strategies to strengthen IEPs and ensure ongoing, culturally responsive support for First Nations learners.

In 2023, Stacey Armstrong introduced a Koorie Culture elective for Year 9 and 10 students. The two semester-long units have run successfully and at full capacity since 2024. They immerse students—both First Nations and non-First Nations—in culture, traditions, health, employment, and personal development from a First Nations perspective.

Stacey coordinates with Elders, health professionals, and employers, and organises excursions, including days on country, to broaden learning and career opportunities. Students contribute to NAIDOC celebrations, lead cultural activities, and have created murals and student-designed totem poles, fostering leadership, pride, and a lasting connection to culture within the college and wider community.

The Map Your Future Pilot is an innovative and culturally responsive initiative that strengthens career education for students participating in the Koorie Academy of Excellence.

Recognising the importance of early career education, Kaitlin Hill and Christina Lloyd collaborated across multiple units to design a pilot that introduces structured career exploration from Year 7.

The program supports students in exploring their strengths, aspirations and cultural identity while developing practical plans for their future education.