Evonne Goolagong Cawley shares her remarkable life story at First Nations Leadership Summit

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The First Nations Leadership Summit took place last week, celebrating the excellence of current and future First Nations leaders.

The two day conference occurred in multiple locations, Garramilla - Darwin Northern Territory, Ngunnawal - Canberra, Naarm - Melbourne and Gadigal country - Sydney.

The summit aims to amplify the strength, knowledge and voice of First Nations men and woman within our community, focusing on a safe space to amplify the voice and excellence.

Nicole Brown, proud Larrakia woman, Managing Director of Following In Their Footstep, welcomed all uniting members who came together on Garramila country from all over Australia.

MC Lateesha Jeffrey, proud Woowonga and Kukatj woman, Founder and Director of Wave of Change Consultancy welcomed all from The Hatchery.

The first guest speaker of the day was tennis and community trailblazer, proud Wiradjuri woman Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

In her keynote address, she reflected on her remarkable career, delving into the transformative gifts and opportunities that shaped her leadership, purpose and journey.

She shared insights into the invaluable lessons learned and the enduring impact of her work in supporting Indigenous girls and boys through the Goolagong National Development Camp.

Ms Goolagong Cawley spoke of a memory of receiving as a child a "bald tennis ball" found in their new car by her father; her humble introduction to tennis.

Not long after her interest in tennis soon picked up, her father created her first tennis racquet from part of a wooden fruit box.

This was only the beginning for the trailblazer as Ms Goolagong Cawley's determination and resilience pushed her to overcome significant obstacles life had thrown at her, reaching the pinnacle as the world's No.1 tennis player, and winning a total of 13 major titles.

An incredible inspiration for all, she was the first Indigenous Australian to win a singles grand slam and first mother in modern history to win a major title.

Ms Goolagong Cawley's significant presence on and off the court allowed others to see possibilities and to dream their dreams.

"Dream, believe, learn, achieve," she said.

Afterwards, attendees were invited to connect and share their experience of Evonne Goolagong Cawley's session in small groups and reflect on what they have learned from her experience or what has inspired or challenged them.

https://nit.com.au/18-11-2024/14871/fir ... ong-Cawley