Caring for country and community is a powerful thread connecting Aboriginal students Dusten O’Neil and Imogen Jordan as they pursue degrees in agricultural science and nursing.
Both from Tasmania’s North-West Coast, they are recipients of the University of Tasmania’s First Australian Higher Education Scholarship, designed to support Aboriginal students with their studies.
The scholarship was set up with the support of the Riawunna Centre for Aboriginal Education.
David Warrener, Head of Service at Riawunna, said that by alleviating financial constraints, scholarships enable Aboriginal students to pursue their education and achieve their academic and personal goals.
Recipient Imogen Jordan grew up in Ulverstone, where her early experiences in hospitals with her family inspired her to study nursing.
“I remembered the lengths that the nurses would go to for their patients and how just one person could make a patient and their family feel better,” Imogen said.
Volunteering with the State Emergency Service (SES) also gave her firsthand experience in helping people during high-stress situations, such as car accidents.
In the future, she wants to give back to the community, travelling to remote Aboriginal communities to improve healthcare and health literacy.
“As a proud First Nations woman, I believe that the perspectives and strengths I bring into my future nursing career involve cultural knowledge and a holistic approach to healthcare,” she said.
“I know that health includes social, physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, not just the individual's physical state.”
Imogen will have culturally responsive care at the forefront of her nursing practice. She says she knows how First Nations people were treated in the past, and that there may be patients who carry trauma from systematic racism. Importantly, she wants to make sure that she creates an environment that is culturally sensitive so that her patients don't feel threatened.
The scholarship has helped Imogen work less outside university and focus on her studies. She’s achieved a High Distinction in her first semester.
“To me, this scholarship means that someone has seen my story and believed that I can achieve my goals, and for that I will be forever grateful,” she said.
Dusten O’Neil brings a deep respect for country and a passion for landcare to his studies.
He worked as an Aboriginal ranger before enrolling in a Diploma of University Studies in 2025.
Dusten is now studying agricultural science in Hobart and said the scholarship had helped him with the relocation.
“I’m enjoying understanding soil and plant science and the different methodologies of agriculture,” Dusten said.
“What I like about agricultural science is that it's always looking for better farming methods; we’ll always need food and fibre.”
The scholarship was founded by Imogen Davies, a former doctor who is now a university lecturer in the United Kingdom (UK). Her late father studied and lived in Tasmania.
She acknowledges that her family benefited from opportunities in Australia, such as scholarships and work opportunities, which were not equally available to Aboriginal Tasmanians.
“It’s about acknowledging the advantages that I have from my dad and his family moving to Tasmania from the UK in the 1950s and trying to repair some of the consequences that my family’s move had on the First Australian people at that time,” she said.
“I wanted to make a positive difference by contributing directly to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and investing in their futures.”
Imogen Davies
David Warrener expressed gratitude to Imogen Davies for creating the scholarship. He also offered his congratulations to the inaugural recipients.
“There are many benefits of obtaining a scholarship for Aboriginal students, including financial support, which can alleviate the burden of university costs, such as accommodation and living expenses,” David said.
To support this scholarship, contact the University of Tasmania Advancement team (University.Giving@utas.edu.au).
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