Who We Are

Members of the Research Team

Uncle Neville Sampson

Gamilaraay Community Elder

Aunty Audrey Trindall

Gomeroi Community Elder & Research Assistant

Joe Miller

Community Member & Research Assistant

Prof Chris Levi

FAHMS Director, John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct
Senior Staff Specialist Neurologist, John Hunter Hospital
Conjoint Professor of Medicine, University of Newcastle

Heidi Janssen

Research Fellow and Physiotherapist, Hunter Stroke Service & Community Stroke Team

Simone Owen

Clinical Trial Coordinator & Speech Pathologist

Lynette Lackay

Manager Aboriginal Health Tablelands & Peel East Sectors Aboriginal Health Unit

Reakeeta Smallwood

Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Indigenous and Population Health RN/BN

Lisa Shipley

Research Assistant and Higher Degree Student, University of Newcastle

Rachel Peake

Stroke Care Coordinator, Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital

Assoc. Prof Michelle Kennedy

Associate Professor, The University of Newcastle, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health PhD BA (Hons) MA Soc Sc

Prof Kim Usher

Professor of Nursing, School of Health
Research Fellow, Ngangk Yira Research Institute for Aboriginal Health & Social Equity
Adjunct Professor, Murdoch and University of Technology, AM, RN, PhD, FACMHN, FACN

Amy Thompson

Dunghutti Community Member with lived experience

Who We Are

Yarning Up After Stroke is a community-led project to empower Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living with stroke to take control of their recovery.

The project focuses on identifying community needs after stroke to produce a culturally responsive stroke recovery tool and or strategy that aids recovery and aims to better the health and well-being of people living with a stroke.

Aunty Audrey Trindall says ‘The Yarning up After Stroke project is not only important to me, but also to community, as it has given us an opportunity to start yarning about stroke and how we can continue to help each other.’

This project has the potential to pave the way for how we can ensure self-determined recovery from stroke and other conditions that affect the brain, heart and blood vessels.

Stroke Recovery – Moving Forward, Healing Together

The concept of the artwork intersects the “Yarning Up After Stroke Project”, the mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing of an individual that has experienced a stroke in their life, living with stroke, reflecting ones stroke recovery journey and the ability to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This artwork depicts significant current cultural connections to community, represents mob who have been affected by stroke and their healing journey.

Kristi Kirk designed the artwork, specifically for the Yarning up After Stroke project, in conjunction with Hunter New England Health and the Aboriginal Health Unit.

“My expression of interest artwork, I believe, respectfully reflects our First Nations & Torres Strait Islander Peoples who are highly vulnerable to experience a stroke in their life, the impact on their physical, spiritual & emotional health and wellbeing and also the affect it may have on their family,
friends and community members.” – Kristi Kirk

See more details on the artist and the artwork meaning.

Artist Profile Artwork Meaning

What We Heard

I know with myself that doctors that are learning will come over to me and they’ll say, oh, you’re Aboriginal. I’m just learning to be a doctor. And I said, mate, throw away the text and listen to what people have got to say to you” – Mick Cutmore

Connecting with my community helped me heal, “… I think that’s probably why I enjoyed it, people understood… meeting up with the other ladies and having a yarn and a laugh, I think that’s so important. So, I think that was part of my healing process as well” – Aunty Audrey Trindall

Well, I think the big thing is understanding what a stroke can do, how it works, and what you’ve got to do to fix it. And there’s only one person that can really fix it. It’s just your understanding of it”. – Mick Cutmore