Fiona Wirrer-George Oochunyung is a Western Cape York-based artist and creative, philosophical and spiritual methodologist currently living on the lands of the Alngith Peoples in Western Cape York.

Fiona’s background is in Performance Theatre, Choreography, Literature and Academic research.  She draws from Western Cape epistemology, ontology and axiology to determine her creative vocabulary and modes of expression.

Fiona inititally joined the Office of Indigenous Engagement as Lecturer: First Nations Research in 2024 and now works in the Research Division as Senior Researcher (Project Officer) for the Dandighu Yimbana Project.

James Cook University, Cairns. FNQ.

Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane.

CQUniversity, Cairns Campus. FNQ.

James Cook University, Cairns. FNQ.

CQUniversity, Cairns Campus. FNQ.

Winner of David Unaipon Award for unpublished First Nations Writers. 2004.

RTPSI PhD Research Award Recipient, 2018.

Lecturer: James Cook University, Australia (2016-2018).

Planning/Lectures/Marking/Grading

IA 5010: Indigenous Research Ethics

IA 5011: Field Procedures in Indigenous Research

IA 5431: Justice and Indigenous Peoples

IA 5012: Interpreting Research

Senior Lecturer: First Nations Studies. Office of Indigenous Engagement. CQUniversity (May 2024-December 2024).

·         Designing and delivering a series of professional development programs in First Nations Cultural Competency tailored to the varying learning requirements of academic, professional and leadership/management staff and their business of discipline area.

·         Applying specialist skills in First Nations studies to initiate, develop, and support CQUniversity course and unit offerings in First Nations Cultural Competency.

·         Participating in scholarship/research and/or professional activities to further knowledge in Frist Nations learning and teaching.

·         Collaboratively working alongside the Associate Professor First Nations Studies to develop a proactive and tailored approach to staff professional learning in key strategic areas of workforce development.

·         Participating and contributing to the Office of Indigenous Engagement staff meetings, key strategic initiatives and projects.

·         Arnya Puthak Performative Presentation of ASM Pilot Research. Researcher/Choreograper/Director.

·         Jawun Core Seminar Series: Guest Presentation. December, 2024

·         Nunbal Wayu Symposium: Building the capacity of non-Indigenous staff in the embedding of First Nations Cultural Competency. Speaker/Presentation. November, 2024.

·         Respecting Traditional Cultural Knowledge in an Educational Setting. 2023 Employee Conference: First Nation Panelist. October, 2024.

·         CQU Scholarship of Tertiary Teaching Online Conference. Panel Discussion. October, 2024.

·         CARTA Spring School Seminar. Navigating the Academic Contradiction in Arts-Informed Indigenous Research. Panelist. October, 2024.

·         Guwal Jilbay Conference. Breakfast Community Panel. July, 2024.

·         School of Education and The Arts (SEDUA) Research Symposium. Keynote Presentation. First Nations Methodologies in Creative Practice, Processes and Spaces. June, 2024.

·         Guest Speaker: Jilbay RFTD Academy. The office of Indigenous Engagement and Skills Development Residential, Central Queensland University. Arts-based research and Songline Methodologies. Online presentation. May, 2023.

·         Guest Lecture/Speaker: Carta Winter School. Ways of Knowing, Doing and Being for Well-Being. Jillbay First Nations AIIR Workshop. Cairns, August, 2023.

·         UAICC Qld Regional Conference. First Nations Methodologies in Creative Spaces.  Guest Speaker Presentation. August, 2023

·         Guest Speaker: Worlds First Nations Traditional Knowledges Conference. Taromeo, Qld. August,2023.

·         Guest Speaker: Curatorium. Vulnerabilities. Macquarie University Wallumattagal Campas, Sydney. New epistemic attunements: Regenerating Anthropologies Form. November, 2023.

·         AIATSIS Summit May/June 2022. Navigating the Spaces in Between. Panelist. Sunshine Coast, Australia

·         Perspectives Exhibition Launch April 2022. Aboriginal Art Co. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

·         Unbelonging: In Search of New Representations, Negotiations, Entanglements: An Australian Studies Symposium, 2021. University of Stuttgart, Germany. Invited Speaker

Dandhigu Yimbana Arts-based Research

First Nations methodologies in Research

Creative and Arts-based approaches in Research

Performance Theatre

·         Winner of David Unaipon Award for Whispers of this Wik Woman: A Biography. Tertiary. University of Queensland Press (2004).

·         Repatriation Retrieval of Wik and Wikway Apical Awumpin from Donald Thomson 1930s Collection. Principal Researcher. Museum of Victoria. 2023.