Lisa Fieldhouse and Roni Forrest win Exceptional Contribution to Indigenous Student Boarding

Exceptional Contribution to Indigenous Student Boarding

Sponsored by Indigenous Education and Boarding Australia 

Dual winners

Lisa Fieldhouse, Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) – Future Footprints, WA.

Lisa’s focus is on self-respect, respect for others and respect for value systems, but the most important for Lisa is relationships; relationships with students, family, community and the land.

Lisa makes each student feel valued and loved and goes out of her way and beyond what most people would consider ‘normal’. 

Lisa makes sure all students know they are a part of the Future Footprints family. A family that reinforces the Aboriginal meaning and structure of family, a family that does not end when you leave school. Some of Future Footprints Alumni students who are in their 30’s still keep in touch with Lisa.

Roni Forrest, AISWA – Future Footprints, WA. 

As Program Coordinator of the Future Footprints program over several years, Roni Forrest has made an enormous contribution to remote and regional Aboriginal boarding students in WA.

She is a passionate and a committed carer for almost 400 students who are currently part of the program.  

Roni supports the students through their secondary schooling education and onto training/employment or further study. This involves working with school based personnel and the students themselves and providing support to the schools assisting them in understanding the range of opportunities available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.  

Roni is passionate about her work, particularly in supporting students to be culturally strong in order to fit into the boarding school system and to reach graduation.