SOCIAL justice advocate Belinda Duarte is preparing to lead a national education campaign to promote love and healing in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
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Culture is Life, of which Ms Duarte is chief executive officer, will launch Heal Our History on the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations next month.
The organisation, which backs Indigenous-led solutions for youth suicide prevention and youth support programs, will feature a song young Indigenous people wrote to honour Aboriginal singer-songwriter Uncle Archie Roach and Aboriginal actor Jack Charles, both who died last year.
"Uncle Archie had the ability to supersede his pain and trauma," Ms Duarte said. "He stood with conviction in love and healing. That was the language he sang and wrote in. He was just inspirational."
This comes in the wake of Ms Duarte being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day for her services to Indigenous communities and sports administration.
A Wotjobaluk and Dja Dja Wurrung woman, Ms Duarte grew up in Ballarat where she first started capturing attention as a amateur and professional sprinter.
Ms Duarte was the first female executive at the Richmond Football Club and the first Aboriginal executive in the AFL. In her time with the Tigers, Ms Duarte was the inaugural chief executive officer for the Korin Gamadji Institute, an educational and training facility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
She is also a former co-chairmanager with Reconciliation Victoria and the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy.
Ms Duarte joined Western Bulldogs Football Club board in 2019, drawing on her work with bodies like VicHealth, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation and WasteAid.
She also serves as a director for the 2026 Victoria Commonwealth Games organising committee.
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In Ballarat, Ms Duarte has become a key figure in the city's annual Survival Day gathering on January 26.
Ms Duarte was humbled by her AM appointment.
"But the reality is that January 26 is not a day to celebrate from my perspective and from many First Nations community members' perspectives," she said.
"Being appointed is a great honour and ultimately it brings visibility to a whole range of matters that needs to be addressed in our country, and raises awareness of what the current state of play is for our people."
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