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The following collective of observations and opinions are from my role as primary carer for my Dad, Eric Stephen George Munro, during his cancer journey in 2015 and 2016. It is important to acknowledge that my experiences as an Aboriginal man working in government and non-government professions engaging with my own people and community have been invaluable in forming my role as observer in this context.

I had an aim in undertaking this research, to find out why some individuals seem to find it easy to work with indigenous people whereas others do not. In chapter 1 I situated myself in an experience I had working in an Aboriginal community and outlined some of the difficulties I had there. When I looked at the literature about individuals who had worked in similar situations, I found similar experiences had been reported, although there did seem to be another side, a group composed of individuals who were willing to work in indigenous communities but not willing to become part of them.

Improving health outcomes for Indigenous people of Australia has become a key priority for health services and organisations since the launch of the Close the Gap campaign in 2006. In an effort to reduce the early origins of chronic disease, researchers from the University of Newcastle commenced a study in 2007 to understand health issues that affected pregnancy outcomes for Aboriginal women.

Teal Primary School is a K-6 school located in a western New South Wales, rural town with a population of 10,000 people. The school is spacious in many ways. It has large open grounds in which children play. The rooms are large with high ceilings and many windows. The town has experienced some population drift to the city, however the town and school maintain a stable population. Approximately 16% of the school’s students are Aboriginal. While the population drift is cause for mild concern regarding maintenance of current staff, the school was built to serve a larger population. This has resulted in rooms that are not fully occupied by regular classes and provide spaces for specialised activities.

Indigo Primary School is a large primary school located in a geographically isolated but large regional centre in Western New South Wales. Mining, tourism and pastoral industries characterise the economic activity of the region. Within the town is an established and active arts community. Aboriginal presence has been continuous and sustained. There are several Aboriginal organisations operating in the regional centre and its surrounds providing services in health, education, employment and housing, as well as land and heritage management.