Service Spotlight: First Nations Engagement
Council’s First Nations Engagement Advisor Gerard Black is working towards outcomes to be realised now and long after he is gone from the role.
Connecting Council and Aboriginal community, culture and Country is at the heart of his work, aiming to educate and to build relationships.
“It is more than just a job for me, more than just doing the mandatory fields and legislated things we have to do,” Gerard says.
“It’s more about caring about the place where I grew up, the place that nurtured me. It felt like something that I needed to do for my community, myself, the place I love and the Country that I grew up on.
“My main drive is to make better outcomes well and truly past my life in the place – for generations to come.
“Coming in to do your job in a day-to-day sense, that exists, but it’s a very long drawn-out process of how can we actually achieve genuine reconciliation and coming together in a place I care deeply about.”
Gerard is a proud Worimi man from New South Wales but grew up on Wadawurrung Country in Torquay.
With and alongside his Council role he is an accomplished artist, who finds immense fulfilment in having his works share the ancient stories of his heritage.
Council is committed to respectfully walking alongside First Nations people on a journey towards deeper understanding and reconciliation.
Gerard is proud to be supporting steps along that journey, helping to strengthen relationships with First Nations community and organisations.
“We’ve created deeper connection with different parts of community that haven’t necessarily been made before,” he says.
“So we can now start to have different conversations with more people and get broader views that can help us make better decisions.”
Gerard says ensuring Council ‘shows up’ year-round supporting First Nations organisations and community is important to demonstrate commitment to reconciliation, alongside supporting National Reconciliation Week, national Sorry Day, NAIDOC Week and the Pilk Purriyn truth-telling event in partnership with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners.
And as a First Nations man he values opportunities to share learning with others.
“I just treat everyone equally, like we’re all sitting at the same fire,” he says.
“We’re all humans and all on different journeys with our learnings and understandings. I have empathy for people who might have various views about First Nations people or culture, understanding that it might come from a place where they might not have had opportunities to learn or spend time.
“All you can do is provide opportunities for people to learn, and if they take it they do, and if they don’t they don’t.
Gerard says his engagement role is an intrinsic fit for him.
“I don’t think of it as a job or a nine to five because Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal community and Aboriginal spirit and connection to Country is my life,” he says.
“I don’t get to switch it off. It’s what I do.”
Council’s approach to First Nations reconciliation is outlined in our Innovate: Reconciliation Action Plan 2025-27 and Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation.