Western SIP – Signs of Hope: “Voice, Truth, Treaty”

Sherry Balcombe has worked at the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for 14 years and has been the Coordinator for approximately 2 years. She has a passion for what she does and enjoys supporting her local community on a state and National level. She is an Olkola / Djabaguy woman from Far North Queensland. Sherry’s dream is to help give Aboriginal children a good education so that in the future they can be great advocates for all Aboriginal people. Sherry also has a passion for our troubled youth and on behalf of the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People regularly visits children in Parkville detention centre . She is also on a Volunteers Advisory Committee to the Minister for Family & Children and Minister for Youth: Hon. Jenny Mikakos. Sherry prides herself on working with community and many Catholic organisations and trying to improve the lives of her community as a whole. Sherry grew up in Maribyrnong and was educated in the Western suburbs. She has 4 children and 3 grandsons.

The Aboriginal Catholic Ministry has been operating for 26 years and works closely with schools, parishes and community organisations in cross cultural education. There are a number of programs running from the Ministry including the Opening The Doors Foundation supporting Indigenous students in independent schools throughout Victoria. It also runs the FIRE Carriers Program connecting us with Catholic schools from around the state and currently has a network of primary schools and secondary schools in metro Melbourne and every Catholic school in the Sandhurst Diocese. So over 110 schools around the state have joined in partnership with the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria.