We would like to acknowledge and express our deepest gratitude to Aunty Bilawara Lee for being our Larrakia Cultural Adviser. We thank her for graciously sharing her knowledge, wisdom, and guidance with the WCDC2023 organising team
Aunty Bilawara is Senior Elder of the Larrakia Nation of Darwin Northern Territory, Australia and member of the Cubillo family. She is Larrakia Academic in Residence for Charles Darwin University and is Chair of the Minister of Health Advisory Committee, Chair of the Menzies School of Health Research First Nations Advisory Committee and is a Director/member on several other Boards and Committees.
She is Honorary Elders for the NT Boarder Forces and the Australian Defence Forces in the Top End and has attained a Degree in Cultural Heritage Management from the University of Canberra. Aunty B graciously volunteers for many Government Departments, City councils, organisations and private sector entities.
Aunty B is acknowledged and respected as a healer and teacher of the ancient wisdoms of Aboriginal Spirituality and Healing and cross-cultural communication and Larrakia cultural protocols. She is an internationally published author with two books Star Dreaming and Healing from the Dilly Bag. She is one of the Aboriginal Specialist on the Podcast series “Ask the Specialist” and travels nationally and international conducting workshops and healing sessions for women of many nationalities
Aunty Bilawara is an Authorised Marriage Celebrant conducting many weddings, funerals, Namings and many other civil ceremonies.
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For her commitment to community, she has received the following Awards:
- 2009 NT Woman of the Year
- 2022 Top End NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year
- 2022 Senior of Excellence Awards
- 2022 finalist nomination for Senior of the Year Awards for the Australian Awards
- 2022 an Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Australia
- In May 2023 she will be conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letter (Honoris Causa)