First Nations Excellence

Charles Sturt University Distinguished Alumnus of the Year – First Nations Excellence

This award recognises outstanding achievement or contribution by a First Nations alumni in their chosen industry, profession, or field.

Winner

Winner: David Windsor
Career: Cultural Fire and Partnerships Coordinator at Dept of Fire and Emergency Services
Course: Master of Fire Investigation, 2020; Master of Emergency Management, 2022

David Windsor has over twenty years of experience in emergency management and has served as Cultural Fire and Partnerships Coordinator at the Bushfire Centre of Excellence within Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) since 2022.

A proud descendant of the Kaurareg people of Kiriri Island in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait), David brings deep cultural insight and community engagement to this role. He is at the forefront in advancing DFES’s Cultural Fire Program, working with Traditional Custodians, land managers, communities and staff to advance cultural burning knowledge and embed it into bushfire planning and practice.

Among his many high-impact achievements, he has coordinated culturally safe gatherings to strengthen fire knowledge sharing and shaped DFES policy to better protect Aboriginal heritage. In 2024, he drove a threefold increase in cultural burns through sustained engagement with Noongar communities.

David is a member of the National Hazards Research Australia First Nations Working Group, supports the development of ranger programs and First Nations leaders, and is a dedicated volunteer firefighter. He holds a Master of Emergency Management and a Master of Fire Investigation from Charles Sturt and is undertaking a PhD at the University of Western Australia.

Read more.

page-image-david-windsor

Highly Commended

Winner: Assoc. Professor Brett Biles
Career: Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous (Engagement and Research) at UNSW, Senior Scientia Lecturer and a 2024 Poche Indigenous Health Leadership Program Fellow.
Course: Doctor of Philosophy

A proud Murrawarri man living on Wiradjuri country, Associate Professor Brett Biles is a senior academic leader and researcher in Aboriginal health and wellbeing. He is the inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement and Research at UNSW, and was previously Director of Indigenous Health Education. He is also a Senior Scientia Lecturer and a 2024 Poche Indigenous Health Leadership Program Fellow.

Brett has spent 15 years advancing the health and wellbeing of First Nations communities as a researcher, attracting over $3.5 million in grant funding since 2020 across multiple Australian Research Council Medical Research Future Fund projects. He holds a PhD from Charles Sturt University, a Masters in Indigenous Health (University of Wollongong) and a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (University of Sydney).

Brett Biles

This award recognises young alumni (under the age of 35) who are having an impact and inspiring others through their professional achievements or service to community.

Other criteria

  1. Applicants must be 35 years or younger in the year of the award.
  2. Alumni (local on international) who demonstrate:
    1. exceptional success in their chosen industry or field; and/or
    2. the significant positive impact they have had on their community.
  3. Alumni who demonstrate through their work, professional or community, alignment with one or all of the University’s values of insightful, inclusive, impactful and inspiring.

No results were found