I’m proud of the work I have done in higher education over 30 + years and of the work I have done for and with women. I am proud to receive this award. But last year, when formally asked by the Office of the Governor General whether I would accept the award if offered, I hesitated.

I hesitated primarily because the award is made on January 26. I really wish these awards weren’t made on a day so painful for so many Aboriginal (and non-Aboriginal) colleagues, friends and community members.

I recognise the pain, trauma and dispossession of Country this date signifies to many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians working in higher education, and in the communities we all serve.

In the end, I did decide that this former working-class girl from West Belfast would step forward and be recognised for her contributions to the country that warmly accepted her and her family fleeing sectarian war in the North of Ireland. But I want to use the platform this award gives me to point to the work of some of the so many Aboriginal women who work tirelessly to educate us all.

These women educate us about the inter-generational trauma that Aboriginal communities continue to suffer from colonialisation. About Aboriginal children being removed from their families. About racism. About Aboriginal deaths in custody. And many other painful subjects we might not want to think about, especially on a public holiday.

But not only that. These women work tirelessly to educate us about the determination, resilience, intelligence, creativity and pride of Aboriginal people, despite the injustices they continue to suffer.

The world’s oldest living culture has a lot to teach whitefellas if we could just learn to sit, be respectful and listen.

So I’d like to thank – and bring to your attention – three Aboriginal women in higher education who have inspired, educated and supported me in my career and life journey and in the work that has ultimately led to me becoming a Member of the Order of Australia.

The first is Professor Bronwyn Fredricks who is Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Engagement at the University of Queensland. Bronwyn has taught me a lot about grace under fire and about how to influence the communities you serve through being creative, role modelling the life and leadership you want to encourage in others and holding yourself accountable. Follow her on Twitter and you’ll see what I mean.

The second is Karen Jackson, aka as ‘KJ’, a Yorta Yorta Woman who serves the West of Melbourne through a myriad of roles, including as Director of the Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit at Victoria University. Karen has a sharp intellect coupled with the strength of a thousand women, and has the most gentle and generous empathy for and understanding of others. She has been a great friend to me in difficult times and is a beacon of resilience and hope for her community. KJ is on social media as well.

I’d also like to acknowledge Arabella Douglas Gnibi, a Minyungbul Woman who is a lawyer, company director and CEO of Currie Country Group as well as a PhD student, who wrote the foreword for my book on navigating sexism in universities. Arabella wrote about Grandmother Time and the inevitability of female leadership – I encourage you to read her thoughts and think deeply about the contribution you want to make to the future or our world. It was Arabella who particularly encouraged me to use my white privilege and platforms to help Aboriginal women and communities. You can also find Arabella on socials.

Women like these three educators are changing our country through, in and around the work they do in higher education, and I believe they and others like them deserve our respect and support.