Alumni and Supporters

Bachelor of Nursing (2005)

Winner of the Community Alumni Award 2022

As the Primary Health Coordinator at the South West Aboriginal Medical Service (SWAMS), Elsie Penny is recognised and loved by many in the Bunbury community.

She has been with SWAMS since 1998 when, as a community healthcare worker, she decided to take her career up and notch and study a Bachelor of Nursing part-time at ECU. “I always wanted to be a nurse and to be out in the community, seeing what the needs of my people were,” Elsie explains.

She was just seven when she was taken from her family in Gnowangerup and placed in Marribank Mission as a ward of the State. “There are no words for how wrong it was to take me away from my mother and family and I can’t change what has happened but would like to acknowledge the impact this has had on my life,” Elsie says quietly.

Showing fortitude and lion-hearted compassion, she has channelled that trauma into caring for others, helping to improve the outcomes of First Nations people in her community for the past 27 years. “Caring has helped me come to terms with what happened to me as a child,” she says.

Despite juggling full-time work and five children in those early days, Elsie found the experience at ECU extremely positive. “My lecturers were so supportive, always offering help and being considerate in trying to keep my prac close to home,” she recalls. “Sometimes I look back and think, ‘how did I do it all?’ But I believe if you really want to do something, you can do it. You just have to put your mind to it.”

She talks proudly of SWAMS, which started “as a little service” with eight people and has now grown to a team of 140. “People come through with a range of issues. We have a mental health team, a child maternal health, a chronic conditions team and teams that look after NDIS and aged care,” she explains.

“I’m just honoured to be part of our Aboriginal community and have input in improving the health of my people, because there’s still a big gap there,” she says. “I hope I’ve helped people, make someone a bit happier for the day or put a smile on their face by having a yarn with them.”

“Sometimes people just look at physical health, but with SWAMS it’s the whole picture. We look at all the things that help a person to function well, like having a safe place to live. If you’re homeless you can’t focus on the other things. We look at the social determinants of health, things like having a good job you’re satisfied with that gives you a purpose in life.”

Elsie is an integral part of the service, known, loved and trusted by many in the community. Despite now working in a managerial position, she still takes phone calls from those who ask for her, writes support letters and even attends other services to support SWAMS clients. “I feel good that I can help them in that way,” she says humbly.

It’s this “up and beyond” approach that saw Elsie honoured with an Order of Australia medal for her contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in 2021. “I’m just honoured to be part of our Aboriginal community and have input in improving the health of my people, because there’s still a big gap there,” she says. “I hope I’ve helped people, make someone a bit happier for the day or put a smile on their face by having a yarn with them.”

Elsie, who is her spare time loves reading thrillers, gardening, catching a movie at the cinema and spending time with her family, takes enormous personal joy in the achievements of SWAMS, but none greater than the positive outcomes it helps bring to the lives of First Nations people. “Our clients feel comfortable and understood with us. They don’t have to worry about people being racist or giving a funny look,” she says.

She encourages more Aboriginal people move into healthcare, pointing out how important it is for First Nations people to be leading the care of First Nations people. “We have the lived experience. We know what our community is feeling and the issues they have suffered along the way,” she says. “I would love to see more Aboriginal people be part of our own solution so we can make some real changes and close that health gap.”