Claudette Lovett

GUNDITJAMARA Elder, Claudette Lovett is one of many First Nations’ women who are leading, nurturing, and growing the oldest living civilisation on earth.

Growing up, Ms Lovett acted as a guide for her siblings and cousins; as the oldest girl in the house, she was affectionately called ‘mum’.

Breaking the Bias can look very different depending on who you are, and the role you play in the community - for Ms Lovett, it’s reflected in her approach to elevating and empowering the voices of women, girls, and men.

Throughout her life, Ms Lovett has taken on many roles and has continued to guide others, provide support where it has been needed and importantly, empower the next generation.

“I’ve been really lucky to be really in the hands of really strong leaders in the Aboriginal community and the wider community,” she said.

“A lot of the roles that I’ve taken on in the community, Aunt, Elder, mentor … they have been given to me by people, not me taking, you can't be those things unless the people in the community see you as that, and it is what you contribute to the community, that gives you that abundance of rights and that rite of passage.”

Ms Lovett said she has come from a long line of strong, female role models and she has a duty to continue the next generation as the secret changer of women's lives.

As a Gunditjamara Elder, Ms Lovett has experienced and witnessed bias and discrimination throughout her life.

“For me, my grandmother - I’ve always equated her as a strong woman, a formidable woman in terms of the things she had to do,” she said.

“Raising her family and yet dealing with racism … being seen as not being fit to look after these children by churches and government.

“... Growing up, education was a no-zone for me because I didn't feel like anyone wanted to teach or encourage me.

“I made myself a promise that when I have a child, particularly a daughter that she would have access to whatever it is that she desires and I have to make that pathway, so I need to move those reeds, grass and whatever else it is that's stopping us from moving forward.”    

And that she did - Ms Lovett’s daughter, Staycee Charles, Gunditjamara, Wemba-Wemba, Barap Barapa woman was the first person in their immediate family to complete high school studies and go onto university.

At university, Ms Charles studied Forensic Psychology and said she hopes to complete further studies in the future.

As a young leader in the community, Ms Charles has been an active advocate for climate justice and was awarded the Ricci Marks award in 2019 for her work in mobilising a movement of young Aboriginal people in support of the cause.

Ms Charles has also been an ally for the LGBTIQA+ community and said as with other issues, while there has been some progress, bias and discrimination faced by the LGBTIQA+ community remains prevalent.

Ms Charles said it was important to educate older generations about the trauma and challenges faced by the community, especially transgender and non-binary people to reduce bias and discrimination and celebrate diversity and difference.

“I’m an ally - I have witnessed a lot of different stories from my friends and family who are (a part of the LGBTIQA+ community),” she said.

“We’re going into a new wave, a new approach and we find that a lot of young males are starting to reintroduce that bias, hate, and discrimination towards (people).

“What’s happening now, and it's kind of a steppingstone for young women today, is that even though it was worse back then we’re still fighting for equality in our society.”

Ms Lovett said she plans to continue to pass on her knowledge to others and that her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be her legacy.

“The success of a woman is the success of her mother, the success of her sister, her aunties,” she said.

Dilnee Suraweera

SINCE she was young, Agriculture Victoria researcher, Dilnee Suraweera dreamed of becoming a plant scientist.

Her mother was a science teacher, and so a love of all things science and learning how things work was instilled in her from a young age.

“My mum was a science teacher, therefore from childhood, her guidance and the way she explained the things in nature and the little experiments she showed us increased my curiosity and encouraged me to find more about science,” she said.

“Then science became my favourite subject, and I always wanted to achieve the highest marks for science at school.”

After graduating from high school, Dr Suraweera went on to study a Bachelor of Science in Sri Lanka before receiving a scholarship to study her PhD at the University of Melbourne.

It was during her undergraduate degree that she discovered a passion for the application of plant science, in plant physiology and plant breeding, and decided to pursue agricultural sciences in her post graduate studies.

“I am very proud to be a scientist in the field of agriculture,” she said.

“Every day I get a chance to learn new things and work on new species.

“It's a very open and evolving field and always allows much freedom to work and think.

“It’s not a harsh area to work in, we are always collaborating and working with farmers, and it is always very rewarding because we try some problems the farmers are facing in day-to-day life and we’re trying to make their life easier, so we are trying to give them some help through our knowledge.

“In Australia, farmers are very educated and we’re always happy to get their ideas into our research.

In her role at Agriculture Victoria, Dr Suraweera works on plant breeding and grain research at the Hamilton Smart Farm.

The campus, located just out of Hamilton, has all facilities onsite, allowing researchers to work on location and get out into the field every day.  

“Working in the research sector is hard work,” she said.

“Working in such a field as a woman and a mum is much more challenging, but it's always very rewarding.

“It’s hard work always, you need to spend much more time in the field.

“As a mum, managing work-life balance is always important, spending time with my kids and completing jobs on time is sometimes challenging but I’m working hard to get it all done.”

To the next generation of scientists, Dr Suraweera said studying agricultural science would undoubtedly lead to a rewarding and exciting career.

“Working in research and science leads us to make valuable discoveries for a better future that will be beneficial for everyone in the world,” she said.

“Studying agricultural science, you will have many opportunities to help both the environment and people while playing an important role in alleviating world hunger.”

 From a young kid who dreamed of being a plant scientist to a research scientist working with plants every day, Dr Suraweera has shown how far curiosity and a strong commitment to learning can take you.