Evelyna is an inspiration for her Galiwin'ku community
A Yolngu woman from Galiwin'ku on remote Elcho Island, Evelyna Dhamarrandji made news in April when she won the Health and Wellbeing Award at the recent National Youth Awards in Canberra.
To call Evelyna Dhamarrandji an overachiever is an understatement.
A Yolngu woman from Galiwin'ku on remote Elcho Island, Evelyna made news in April when she won the Health and Wellbeing Award at the recent National Youth Awards in Canberra. Evelyna won the award for her efforts encouraging other young Galiwin’ku women to pursue fitness and healthy lifestyles, but that award represents just a small part of her achievements.
Evelyna juggles a job as a youth worker with the East Arnhem Regional Council, looking after her two young children with help from her partner Tyrese Dhurrkay and studying for a nursing degree. And if that’s not keeping her busy, Evelyna is also a member of the Indigenous Marathon Project. She recently completed the New York Marathon, and has started a local running club that has already inspired more than thirty members of her small community to start running for a healthier life.
Evelyna says she always believed she would succeed in anything she has taken on.
“I’ve never doubted myself or my abilities,” Evelyna said.
“When I saw an opportunity I took it and built on it.”
In her youth, Evelyna was a leading athlete, representing the Northern Territory in track running, Australian Rules football and touch football. However, she had never run a marathon when she heard about the Indigenous Marathon Project, which aims to inspire Indigenous people to live active and healthy lives.
“Running has always been part of our culture but my mob had never run a marathon so I decided to join the Indigenous Marathon Project and run in the New York Marathon because I thought I could inspire them,” Evelyna said.
Once she successfully completed the New York Marathon, Evelyna returned to Galiwin’ku and was amazed at the response she received.
“I didn’t know a marathon could affect people so much,” Evelyna said.
“When I came back from New York and started sharing my experiences with the community, I found my marathon really inspired a lot of young women and Elders now see me as a community leader.”
Find out more
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that Indigenous people improve their health and enjoy the emotional and social wellbeing experienced by other Australians.
The Indigenous Marathon Project plays an important role in this commitment, encouraging Indigenous people to live healthier and more active lives.
The National Youth Awards is an Australian Government initiative. The event is held during National Youth Week.
National Youth Week is a joint initiative of the Australian, state, territory and local governments acknowledging the outstanding achievements of young people. The Awards form part of National Youth Week, the largest celebration of young people in Australia.