Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre believes education is freedom. The people you meet, the ideas you engage with and the doors you open are transformational.
The main goal of the centre is to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in higher education. We do this through increasing awareness and providing support for students throughout their academic journey.
The kulbardi story
Kulbardi was named by respected Noongar elder Ralph Winmar and means magpie. The kulbardi is an important symbol of healing and care in Noongar cosmology. The centre is a place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to come together and learn, continuing a tradition spanning over thousands of years that respects the past, lives in the present and looks forward to the future.
Noongar story
Worl nyininy kaleep nidja boorn yoowart yirra koorliny. Noongar koorbal koorl djert djenna koorl, baal waarngk barraniny boorn yirra nidja woorl. Woorl warngk baaminy boorn ngarda koorl boodjar. Kaatdjiny boola kulbardi barraniny boorn daal, yirra koorl boorn, worl yirra koorl, ngarnk yirra djenaniny ngala. Koolbardi kwobida warngk yirra ngarnk ngala dji kaditj.
English translation
The sky was once so close to the ground that trees could not grow, people had to crawl and all the birds were forced to walk. Working together they held up the sky with sticks, but it threatened to break the sticks and collapse to earth. The clever magpies, however, took a long stick in their beaks and pushed it up and up until the sky suddenly sprang upwards by itself, revealing the sun and creating the first sunrise. The kulbardi’s beautiful song each morning reminds us of its important role in creation.
Kulbardi partners
Partner with us to support our students.
Welcome to Country
Protocols and arrangements for Welcome to Country.
We acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation as the traditional custodians of this country and its waters and that Murdoch University stands on Noongar country. We pay our respects to Noongar Elders past and present, and acknowledge their wisdom and advice in our teaching and cultural knowledge activities.
Reporting on success
Kulbardi encourages increased participation in tertiary education by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through outreach programs, enabling courses, student support and scholarships. Each year we are proud to report the success of our programs to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The report is available each May and details the outcomes of the previous year.
