Niwili White Forrest (PAC 2006-2011)
Receiving a scholarship to Prince Alfred College meant that artist Niliwi White Forrest was able to have an education at a level that very few in his family would have been able to access.
My name is Niwili White Forrest, I attended Princes from year 7 to 12 and graduated in 2011. PAC gave me opportunities and experiences that I couldn’t have had in many other places. I made lifelong friends and am a part of a community that extends beyond Australia. I am an artist, painting works that are inspired by my family and my country – one of which hangs in the Capper street entry of the gym building. My country is Malfyin, a few hundred kilometres southwest of Darwin in the NT. My language groups are Ngangiwumerri and Ngangikurungurr and most of my mother, Pilawuk’s side of the family live in the community of Nauiyu which lies on the Daly River.
Receiving a scholarship at PAC meant that I was able to have an education at a level that very few in my family would have been able to access. It also meant, as an athlete that I could compete in a range of sports with a quality of equipment, facilities, coaches and support staff that not many get to experience. Looking back, one of the most important parts of receiving a scholarship was that my mother could give me the education she wanted to.
A few highlights for me were winning Head of the River for the second eight, sports day - taking out the Champion of Champions 100m after looking up to the boys years before me, all of the camps were always unreal whether it was Scots Creek or Point Turton, getting to spend time in the boarding house and finally, Year 12 Design with Mr Parker.
After school, I went to UniSA to study Architecture and then completed my Masters at UNSW. I am now working for a commercial architectural firm in Sydney, mostly within public education. In recent years I have been able to start working on incorporating Aboriginal Culture into these schools. Through my firm and other people in community, I have been developing a framework for culturally appropriate design that seeks to strengthen the communities that the built environment serves. Being able to do this has meant a lot for me and is something I will continue to develop over my career with the hope take it back out into our remote communities and provide architecture that is actually appropriate for their people and their needs.
I think giving our young Aboriginal men opportunities like the one I received is extremely important in strengthening our next generations and in turn, through them, strengthening our communities. There is an incredible amount of talent out there, and often not enough opportunities for them to realise their true potential. To anyone who supports the Indigenous Scholarship program at PAC, I would say a huge thank you. The experiences gained from this support can really make a difference for these young men, their families and our people.
If you would like to help create educational opportunities for students like Niwili, please consider a donation to the Prince Alfred College Foundation Indigenous Scholarship Fund. 100% of your donation will be directed into the Scholarship Endowment Fund, ensuring these opportunities can be provided to many students in the years to come.