Lecturer/Academic Advisor, Yunggorendi, First Nations Centre for Higher Education and Research, Flinders University
Chris is a Ngarrindjeri archaeologist from the Lower Murray, Lakes and Coorong in South Australia and is a Lecturer/Academic Advisor within Yunggorendi First Nations Centre at Flinders University, Australia. He has a commitment towards improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australian peoples and has provided academic and cultural support for Indigenous students in Higher Education for nearly 10 years.
His PhD thesis (in progress), titled “Understanding Change and Continuity in Ngarrindjeri Ruwe: A Critical Indigenist Approach to Interpreting Mid-Late Holocene life ways in the Lower Murray, South Australia,” is a community inititated archaeological project that examines multiple interpretations of archaeological landscapes. Furthermore, Chris represents his community on several community and government committees and has been instrumental in the repatriation of Ngarrindjeri Old People (human remains) from Australian and British Museums. As a result of his work in higher education and cultural heritage he is the recepient of numerous awards, including the Winner, Office for Youth Outstanding Young Indigenous Achiever Award, Channel 9 Young Achiever Awards (South Australia), and the Department for Education Science and Training (DEST) National Indigenous Education Partnerships Award (with Simone Tur and Catherine Koerner).
