The proud Kulkalgal man grew up in the central islands of the Torres Strait and is part of the ear, nose and throat clinic that works closely with Cairns Hospital. The team regularly visits Weipa, Bamaga and the Torres Strait Islands as part of their rounds.
Simon had been working in Indigenous health for several years when he applied for a senior health worker position, but was unsuccessful. It was at this point he saw he needed further education to continue to grow in his career and he decided it would be through Deakin University.
‘So that was the moment I thought I’d venture off into tertiary study. And quite fortunately, the same week I came across the NIKERI direct entry program. So I applied for that, went down for orientation in Geelong, and then that’s when it all started. And I’m halfway through my degree now.’
The National Indigenous Knowledges Education Research and Innovation Institute, known as NIKERI, is based at Deakin’s Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. For 40 years, it has led the nation in providing a culturally safe and nurturing environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learning and research.
NIKERI offers undergraduate programs including nursing through ‘mixed-mode’ delivery, which supports students to stay within their communities for most of the academic year and attend in-person intensives on campus for a week or more at a time.
‘The mixed-mode cohorts are located around the country and our flexible delivery and residential facilities mean that they don’t have to relocate in order to get their professional qualifications. They can stay in their communities, and still get their qualification and seek to enter that profession on their own path,’ explains NIKERI Director Karinda Burns (MEd ‘16).
The Kitjarra residences, located at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds Campus, provide a home away from home for visiting students – the name means ‘learning place’ in Wadawurrung language.
NIKERI also leads the Indigenous Studies undergraduate major offered in the Bachelor of Arts degree, offers two specialised postgraduate coursework programs, and is home for Indigenous research higher degree students. Thanks to these collective efforts, Deakin proudly welcomes the highest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduate students of any Victorian university. More than 1,300 Indigenous graduates have received their Deakin degrees to date.
In 2019, Deakin partnered with the Norman Beischer Medical Research Foundation to focus on improving focus on delivering better Indigenous health outcomes. Part of this partnership established the funding package created the Ernie Williams Indigenous Nursing Scholarship program, named in honour of the late Ernest Daniel (Ernie) Williams, a trusted advisor and passionate advocate for Indigenous health, whose generosity and long-standing support helped shape the Foundation’s philanthropic scope and impact. Fourteen scholars have received support since the program was created.
‘Our partnership with Deakin reflects a shared commitment to improving Indigenous health outcomes. Honouring Ernie Williams’ enduring generosity, this scholarship supports future leaders like Simon to strengthen care within their communities,’ says Sarah Conron, CEO of the Norman Beischer Medical Research Foundation.
Simon says he was thrilled when he learned he had received the scholarship and wasted no time putting the money to good use.
When he commenced his studies, Simon was the first in his family to attend the University … or so he thought.
‘I later learned that my uncle graduated from Deakin a while back through the NIKERI program and I think he was probably one of the first Torres Strait students who applied and graduated from nursing. He’s working as a nurse practitioner, which is a really good motivational story to boost other Torres Strait Islander students to go forward.’
Simon’s desire to care for his people is shaped by his own experiences.
‘Growing up in a remote community, accessing health services was always a challenge,’ Simon shares.
‘I’ve had experiences where I was sitting in a consult room and not understanding what the doctor was saying. There was no Indigenous health workers at the time there to advocate, to explain. It was always a “yes” answer, agreeing to what the doctor was saying. So somewhere down the track when I became a health worker, that was my main goal – to build a bridge between mainstream health and Indigenous health.’
Simon has enjoyed his semi-regular visits to Geelong to undertake the laboratory work and practical placements required for his degree. He regularly fields questions from people in Cairns and the Torres Strait about their own study aspirations.
‘People are always asking questions and it makes me feel proud that I have been an influence to some of the younger generation in my community.’
Learn more about The National Indigenous Knowledges Education Research and Innovation Institute.
Read more stories from the 2025 Deakin Difference donor impact report