TICKET RELEASE | 30th Apr 2024

I am excited to unveil the upcoming events in our ‘Principal’s Event Series’, aimed at fostering engagement, each event has been thoughtfully designed to offer highly impactful and thought-provoking guests to engage, challenge and educate. These are free events open to members of our community.

National Reconciliation Week

Continuing our journey of reconciliation and learning.

Event Date: 7pm Tuesday 21 May
Venue: Memorial Hall, Wheelers Hill

In the second event of the series, we warmly welcome Kyle Vander-Kuyp

When Kyle was just five weeks old, he was adopted and raised by non-Indigenous parents Pat and Ben Vander-Kuyp and grew up largely disconnected from Culture.

Kyle's journey to reconnecting with Culture and Community is an inspiring one, and guides the important work that he has, and continues to do for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite it's challenges, one thing that has stuck with Kyle has been the counsel he received in his youth from a Wurundjeri elder who told him: “Being Aboriginal is something you’ll feel on the inside. You just trust it.”

He is a 12-time national hurdles champion (including eight times consecutively), an Australian record holder in the 110m and 60m hurdles events, and has competed at two Olympic Games, four World Championships and four Commonwealth Games.

Since retiring from athletics, Kyle has been a strong advocate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples and Culture, serving as an Indigenous Ambassador for a variety of private, public and sporting organisations. Kyle is co-founder of the Killara Foundation and the Tjungu Project, The Bulwul Njindiwan Group and First Nations Housing. He is deputy Chef de Mission to Olympic Games, a Koorie Court Elder, Athletic Coach and sits on a variety of Indigenous and non-indigenous boards including the Eye & Ear hospital. In addition, he travels extensively to promote the ambition and self-esteem of First Peoples in Australia and is passionate about providing mentorship, experience and new opportunities for young people.

Kyle is a proud Yuin and Worimi man from the south and north coasts of New South Wales.

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