Guunu-maana

14/10/2026

We’re excited to share the latest edition of our Community Coordinated Burn Care (CCBC) Newsletter, packed with project updates, highlights and helpful resources! 📰

What’s inside issue 7?
• Highlights from CCBC training days
• Important updates from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
• Helpful burn care tips and tricks from Siobhan
• Plus plenty more!

We want to hear from YOU! ✨

We’re planning a CCBC burns care refresher session and would love your input to help shape it!

Whether there’s a particular topic you’d like to revisit, something you want to learn more about, or a question you’ve been meaning to ask, we want to know!

We’d also love to hear which days work best for you, so we can plan a session that suits as many people as possible.

📋 You’ll find a link to our short feedback form in the newsletter, or you can access it directly here: https://redcap1.georgeinstitute.org/surveys/?s=JXXJ4APFPMLDNMJM

📖 Read Issue 7 here: https://campaigns.georgeinstitute.org/t/t-e-ydtydhlk-tjikuyddjl-q/

12/10/2026

What a wonderful weekend at the Ceduna Oysterfest, Community connection at its best! 🧡

Associate Professor Julieann and Research Associate Camila loved the opportunity to connect with community, share conversations and spend time alongside community and our colleagues from FHMRI | Trauma and Injury.

We love opportunities to come together, strengthen relationships and celebrate the importance of community-led research!

23/09/2026

What a deadly week in Cape Town, South Africa!

Our Guunu-maana team recently had the privilege of attending two incredible international conferences, the 16th World Conference on Injury Prevention and the 18th World Congress on Public Health.

Our team proudly represented Guunu-maana across both conferences, sharing their knowledge, experiences and the important work happening across our projects!

Across the two conferences, we had the opportunity to share work from our projects ‘Dance2Kinnect’ and ‘HEAL’ as well as delivering a workshop at the World Public Health Conference on Guunu-maana’s Model of Indigenous Leadership and Excellence, brining our stories, learnings and ways of working to an international audience.

Assistant Professor Julieann Coombes also joined Courtney Ryder from FHMRI Trauma and Injury to deliver a workshop exploring “walking in 2 world’s Indigenous Research Methodology. Creating space for important conversations about Indigenous-led research, culturally grounded approaches and the strength of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.

Beyond the presentations and workshops, one of the most valuable parts of the experience was being able to connect in person and strengthening our relationships.

Connecting with people from across the world, sharing knowledge, listening to different perspectives and learning from the work happening in other communities is something our team has taken so much away from.

We came home feeling inspired, proud and full of new ideas and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share the work of Guunu-maana on a global stage.

17/09/2026

Recently, members of the Guunu-maana team travelled to Fiji to attend the Pacific Islands Health Research Symposium (PIHRS), an annual gathering that brings together researchers from across the Pacific to share knowledge, showcase research, and discuss opportunities to improve health outcomes for Pacific peoples. The symposium provides an important platform for collaboration, learning, and strengthening research partnerships across the region.

Many of the presentations at the symposium reinforced the importance of Indigenous-led and culturally responsive approaches to research, and the value of creating spaces where Indigenous researchers and communities can share knowledge, learn from one another and shape the future of health research together.

A particular highlight was the opportunity to connect in person with our collaborators at Fiji National University (FNU), strengthening relationships and exploring shared priorities for Indigenous and Pacific health research.

Vinaka vakalevu to our Pacific colleagues for their generosity, hospitality, and commitment to advancing health and wellbeing across the region. We look forward to continuing these important collaborations into the future.

15/09/2026

Earlier this month, Dharawal Elder Aunty Lola Ryan shared the housing experiences of Aboriginal people living in urban social housing at the 11th Global Conference for the Alliance of Healthy Cities on Bidjigal land in Sydney.

She was joined by Dr Jacek Anderst who stressed that a healthy city is one which values Aboriginal people’s connection to land, people, culture, spirituality, and sovereignty is respected and celebrated.

03/09/2026

The Central Coast Dance2Kinnect (D2K) mob had a very full and very tasty Monday session last week!

The afternoon kicked off with a native ingredient taste testing experience, with the kids trying Lemon myrtle tea, Pepperberry butter infused popcorn and Davidson plum infused custard.

There were definitely some mixed reviews, but one thing we loved was seeing everyone eagerly give each flavour a go, talk about what they liked and didn’t like, and learn a little more about native ingredients along the way.

From there, the group spilt off for some more cultural learning and movement.

The boys spent time with Brendan Moore learning how to play the Yidaki (Didgeridoo) and it’s safe to say they absolutely loved it! They were so engaged that they didn’t want the lesson to end.
Meanwhile, the girls worked with our dance teachers on their routine, practising their moves, building confidence and making sure they had every step just right.

It was such a deadly D2K session, filled with learning, laughter, movement and plenty of smiles.

Seeing our young people so engaged, curios and immersed in culture is exactly what Dance2Kinnect is all about- creating spaces where culture, connection, movement and learning come together in a way that feels fun and meaningful.

01/09/2026

Last week one of our research assistants had the privilege of visiting the new Burns Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, and what a beautiful space it is.

The difference between the old unit and this new space is truly incredible. From the moment you enter, there is a sense of calm, with so much thought and care reflected throughout the ward.

The new unit is bigger, brighter and more welcoming, with different play areas for children, spaces for families to be together and an environment that allows kids to still be kids while receiving care.

For children and families navigating a burns journey, the spaces where care happens matter. Creating environments that feel welcoming, supportive and family centred can help make an already challenging experience feel that little bit more comfortable.
This is something that strongly connects with the work happening across Guunu-maana through our burns projects, Safe Pathways and Community Coordinated Burn Care (CCBC).

Through this work, we are focused on strengthening the pathways of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities affected by burns and working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, health professionals, families and communities to support care that is culturally safe and connected throughout their burns journey.

It was wonderful to see a space that recognises the strength of children and families and creates opportunities for connection, play and togetherness throughout their care journey.

17/08/2026

Guunu-manna is heading to Cape Town!

We’re incredibly excited to have members of or Guunu-maana team travelling to Cape Town, South Africa to attend the 16th World Conference on Injury Prevention and the 18th World Congress on Public Health, where they’ll be sharing some of the important work happening across our program on an international stage.

Bringing together researchers, health professionals, community leaders and organisations from around the world, the Congress provides an incredible opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen connections and explore approaches to improving health and wellbeing.

Our team will be presenting work from Dance2Kinnect and HEAL, while four team members will also come together to deliver a joint workshop showcasing Guunu-maana’s model of Indigenous Leadership and Excellence.

Through these presentations, our team will share the work, learnings and experiences of Guunu-maana, while highlighting the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, perspectives, and ways of knowing, being and doing within health research.

We’re so proud of Keziah, Julieann, Kate, Tamara, Bianca and Sonja representing Guunu-maana and sharing this work on a global stage.

We can’t wait to follow along on their journey and hear the knowledge, connections and reflections they bring home from cape town.

17/08/2026

Congratulations Christine!

🏆CONGRATULATIONS Christine Corby, winner of the 2026 National NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year Award 👏🏾

🖤💛❤️💙🤍💚🖤

AH&MRC is incredibly proud to congratulate our Board Director and CEO of Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, Christine Corby AM, on being named the 2026 National NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year.

A proud Gamilaroi woman, Christine has dedicated decades to Aboriginal health, advocating for her community and strengthening Aboriginal Community Controlled Health across New South Wales.

This national recognition is a wonderful acknowledgement of Christine’s leadership, dedication and service to community.

From everyone at AH&MRC, congratulations Christine on this outstanding and well-deserved achievement! 👏🏾🖤💛❤️

13/08/2026

A deadly day of learning, sharing and meaningful conversations at the AH&MRC of NSW Indigenous Health Forum.

Associate Professor Julieann Coombes recently joined a panel discussion on Safe and Meaningful Engagement with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), sharing important insights into what genuine, ethical and accountable engagement with community looks like in research.

The session explored how the AH&MRC Human Research Ethics Committee operationalises ethical accountability, the importance of building meaningful engagement with ACCHOs from the very beginning of the research journey, and what strong research applications do differently.

It was a powerful discussion that sparked plenty of engagement from those in the room and reinforced the importance of ensuring research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is built on strong relationships, respect, accountability and genuine partnership.

Our team members Camila, Ty and Mel also attended the Forum and really valued the opportunity to listen, learn and connect. They came away with plenty of reflections and learnings to bring back to our team.