Loren Collyer
Loren Collyer is a proud Bandjin woman and University of Newcastle leader, advancing Indigenous education and cultural capability, drawing on decades of legal, teaching, and community experience.
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Loren Collyer
Loren Collyer is a proud Bandjin woman, her country is Munnamudanamy (MUNNA-MUD-ANA-MAY), now known as Hinchinbrook Island in the waters off north-east Queensland. Loren is an alumni of the University of Newcastle and first in her extended family to gain a university degree.
Loren has almost two decades of professional experience in legal, education and community roles. As a lawyer Loren practiced for Aboriginal community legal services in Western New South Wales, primarily working in Care and Protection and criminal law. Loren has also worked in private practice and spent many years at the NSW Crowns Solicitor’s Office working primarily in Civil Litigation and in the NSW Coroners Court. Seeing the need for greater education of the broader community about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture and history and the importance of education for mob, Loren went on to gain her teaching qualifications and worked across a number of schools in the Hunter region teaching Legal and Aboriginal studies.
For the past 6 years Loren has worked in various roles at the University of Newcastle, including as the Universities Reconciliation Partner and currently as the Interim Pro Vice Chancellor Indigenous strategy and Leadership and Head of the Wollotuka Institute. In these roles Loren has been responsible for developing and implementing the Universities Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan, been involved in delivering Cultural Capability education to staff across the University, worked in supporting the Student Advancement and Academic Teams at Wollotuka and played a key role in the creation and success of Ngarrama held every year on the 25th January, which has become one of the largest truth telling and reconciliation events in Newcastle.