Cheryl Kickett-Tucker facts for kids
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker is an amazing Australian professor, author, and a respected leader for Indigenous people. She was also a talented basketball player!
She works as a researcher at Curtin University in Western Australia. Her work focuses on understanding Australian Aboriginal identity and helping Aboriginal people feel good about themselves. She also helps with many programs in Aboriginal communities, especially for young people.
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Early Life and School
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker was born in a suburb of Perth called Subiaco. She was the fifth of eight children. She spent her early years in Lockridge. When she was ten, her parents divorced, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Midland.
She went to Governor Stirling Senior High School. She started playing basketball at the Midland Police Citizens Youth Club and continued playing throughout high school.
Her Journey in Education
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker has achieved a lot in her studies. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science, from Edith Cowan University in 1991. After that, she moved to the United States and completed a Master of Science degree at the University of Oregon in 1993.
In 2000, she earned her PhD from Edith Cowan University. Her special research was about "Urban Aboriginal Children in Sport: Experiences, Perceptions and Sense of Self." This means she studied how Aboriginal children in cities felt about themselves and their experiences when playing sports.
She has taught and researched at several universities, including Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University. She has also held important roles at Notre Dame University, the University of Western Australia, and the Australian Catholic University.
Currently, she is a researcher at Curtin University. She continues to study Australian Aboriginal identity and self-esteem, especially for Aboriginal children and young adults.
In 2016, she helped write and edit a textbook for university students called Mia Mia Aboriginal Community Development: Fostering cultural security.
She has also written several books for children. Some of her books are written in both English and the Noongar language. Her children's books include Ninni Yabini, Lucky Thamu, Barlay, and she co-authored books like Bush and beyond.
Basketball Star
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker was a great basketball player. In 1987, she was part of the WAIS Rockets team that won the Women's Basketball Conference. Her team had to travel a lot, playing games in different states like Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. It was tough because players had to miss work and study. Cheryl was even almost kicked out of university because she missed so many classes!
She also played in the State Basketball League for several teams:
- Perry Lakes in 1989
- Swan Districts from 1990 to 1991, and again from 1993 to 1994
- Perth from 1998 to 1999
Helping Her Community
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker is very dedicated to helping her community. She is a director at Koya Aboriginal Corporation, which is a non-profit group started by her father, Allan Kickett, in 2005.
In 2008, she created Pindi Pindi, which is a special research center focused on the well-being of Aboriginal people.
In 2015, she started a basketball program for children called Kaat, Koort 'n Hoops. This program has grown and now includes other sports too. It was first created for Aboriginal children but now welcomes non-Aboriginal young people as well.
She is also an honorary research fellow for the Telethon Kids Institute and works as a consultant for the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
She was part of a group that helped design the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In May 2021, she helped lead a community meeting in Broome, Western Australia, which included students from the local high school.
Awards and Recognition
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker has received many important awards and honors:
- 2001: She was named the National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year.
- 2019: She received the Western Australian Local Hero award.
- 2020: She was made a Member of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her important contributions to university education and to the Indigenous community.
Her Life Outside Work
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker is a Wadjuk Noongar woman. Her grandparents had ancestry from the Ballardong and Yued people.
She is married and has three children. She also enjoys taking photos as a hobby.
She is related to famous footballers Dale Kickett and Derek Kickett.
