Elly Mackay
9 July 2021: The University of Canberra’s annual Ngunnawal Lecture was held last night as part of NAIDOC Week events across the campus.
The 2021 lecture, presented virtually by PSG Holdings founder and Wiradjuri man Troy Rugless, also included a display of the Pintupi Nine art collection, on display at the University from owners Richard and Deb Rolfe.
The Ngunnawal Lecture series gives voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views on the many topics that shape their communities and Australia as a whole.
Mr Rugless spoke about his ambition to increase employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, largely driven by the experiences his parents and grandparents endured in their time.
University of Canberra Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, Professor Peter Radoll, said Mr Rugless is the perfect example of someone who is leading the way towards achieving reconciliation through business and increased employment outcomes in Australia.
“Troy and his company are fantastic examples of the pathways that can be paved for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when organisations make a commitment to Indigenous outcomes,” Professor Radoll said.
“To hear his story at our Ngunnawal Lecture provided the University community with a fresh perspective on the good that can be achieved in that space.”
Attendees at the lecture also heard from Pintupi Nine art collection donor Richard Rolfe AM, who shared the incredible history behind the art.
“We’re pleased to have been able to welcome Richard, who has so kindly provided the incredible Pintupi Nine art collection which was on display at last night’s lecture,” Professor Radoll said.
“The art collection itself is full of history, and takes viewers on a journey of ancestral landscapes and Indigenous history. UC is very privileged to have the collection here, before it tours Europe in the future.”
The Pintupi Nine Art Display represents a group of paintings created by members of the Pintupi Nine family and represents the first time in Australian history that they have been brought together and exhibited in one place. The works illustrate aspects of the ancestral landscape known to the family and clan.
Following the exhibition at UC, the works will tour Europe to promote Australian Indigenous art and culture.
