Winning an award was a testament to her community, her culture and all early childhood professionals, centre director Rachael Phillips told Sue Osborne.
Rachael, Director of Birrelee Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service at West Tamworth, NSW, is a proud Gomeroi woman.
She was recognised in the 2023 HESTA awards in Individual Leadership for advancing education for First Nations children and advocating for more culturally appropriate early childhood settings.
Throughout her career, Rachael has worked with and for the local Gomeroi community, and she attended Birrelee as a child.
“Education has always been a part of me. My mum is an Aboriginal Education Officer at the high school I attended, and my sister worked at Birrelee. Since high school, I knew I wanted to be an early childhood teacher,” Rachael said.
History of segregation
Birrelee has a 40-year history, being one of the original services set up for Aboriginal children because of a history of segregation in the town. Moree had some of the harshest segregation rules in Australia, described in The Guardian, 14 February 2021:
“For generations in the town of Moree, on Komilaroi country, segregation began at birth.
“At the back of the Moree District Hospital, the McMaster Ward was where Aboriginal babies were born. The ward also provided all the necessary care for Aboriginal people and was staffed by Aboriginal nurses.
“Moree is synonymous with the strong will, determination and resilience of its people, who in the face of some of Australia’s harshest forms of segregation and racial discrimination have created a tightknit and proud community.”
Rachael, 38, and her sister, 41, were the first children in her family to be born in the general part of Moree Hospital rather than the McMaster Ward.
Rachael said people forget these things quickly.
“This award gives me an opportunity to talk about history and truth telling,” she said.
“Aunties and uncles started this early childhood service because the children had nowhere else to go. They managed to get a room in one of the local churches.”
Rachael said there were about 30 Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s services (MACs) set up around Australia.
She said the rich history of the centre is part of its being and what makes it so relevant for the children and families.
Children at Birrelee Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service are proud of their culture
Sharing stories and social connection
Rachael says she loves being able to share the stories of the centre’s beginnings, and being able to provide a culturally enriched curriculum as well as a culturally safe service.
The centre serves 36 children with 15 staff. The area has low socio-economic status and the centre provides a free bus, all meals for the day, and a starter pack on enrolment that includes a backpack, shirt, hat, lunch box and a drink. Fees are low.
“We’re the bridge between families and access to other agencies and services,” Rachael said. “Dentist checks are done here. We have an occupational therapist who visits.”
Teaching Gomeroi, and teaching in a way that has been part of cultural practice for 60,000 years, allows the centre to achieve its National Quality Framework and Early Years Learning Framework goals.
“It happens intrinsically. The sense of belonging and community comes from the cultural practice.
“I’ve seen children that come from a traumatic background feel deadly because they pick up the Gomeroi language quickly. Once they start to pick up the language, they become more connected, more social.
“Literacy, social connection, mathematical thinking, it’s part of the way we tell stories, make things, sing and dance, and has been for thousands of years.”
Children at Birrelee Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service are proud of their culture
Opportunity to grow
Being selected as a winner presented Rachael an opportunity to keep growing as a leader and teacher.
She plans to use the prize money to visit and collaborate with remote communities and First Nations schools where cultural practices thrive.
“This is not about me furthering my career, this is a chance for me to bring knowledge back to my community,” Rachael said.
Rachael has been accessing the services of a business and leadership mentor for the past five years so she can provide “the best, most transparent service to my community”.
She also serves on several boards which offer advice on Aboriginal early childhood education.
Rachael said her win was a tribute to all leaders in the early childhood sector, who do not always receive the recognition they deserve. It also recognised the strong community and its history.
“Being an award winner is such a great achievement, especially in an industry where there are so many amazing leaders, including those I look up to and have admired my whole career.
“Although this award highlights my individual leadership, there are many people who have helped shape who I am as a person and as an early childhood education professional.
“From my family, colleagues, community, and ancestors, I am thankful for every experience and opportunity I have received.
“I have experienced and witnessed the importance of culturally strong and safe practices in the education setting and truly believe that cultural practices and values should be the core of early childhood education,” Rachael said.
