Mr John Doolah

My overall heritage is from the eastern islands of the Torres Strait, Erub (Darnley Island) and Mer (Murray Island). My family migrated from the Torres Strait to mainland Australia in the 1960s and resettled in Queensland. After leaving school I began my career in the Queensland Government Railways and ended my railways career in the New South Wales railways in 1990.

From 1981 to 1990, I was a ganger/supervisor in the railways of NSW, supervising staff of 15 to 40 men under my control. I constructed track, turnouts and cross-overs  throughout NSW and up to the NSW/QLD border.

I began tertiary education as a mature aged student at the University of Newcastle and graduated with the double degree in 2004. I began lecturing on contract in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies from 2006 to 2013. After my lecturing contract was terminated, I enrolled in full-time postgraduate studies.

I was the first postgraduate Torres Strait Islander student at the University of Newcastle to graduate with a Masters in Aboriginal Studies in 2015.

I am currently enrolled in a PhD (English) at the School of Humanities and Social Science, Faculty of Education and Arts.

I was involved in developing and taught new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies courses for the new Bachelor of Professional Practice. In 2011, I was involved in developing the first Torres Strait Islander course at the Wollotuka Institute. At the beginning, in line with the teaching strategies of the Wollotuka Institute; the first to develop and teach undergraduate online Aboriginal Studies courses at the Institute.