Stories: Troy Meston

Bridging cultures through Indigenous wisdom.

Troy is an accomplished Aboriginal researcher and teacher from the Gamilaroi nation, who serves as the First Nations Research Lead in the Gulbali Institute and for the One Basin CRC. His work exemplifies his shared values of care, connection, and curiosity.

His leadership is deeply rooted in his connection to his ancestors and country, with a strong sense of history and the present moment. He is motivated by the opportunity to be an “honourable ancestor” and to close the gap among First Nations people by making meaningful contributions. His approach is guided by caring for future generations and curiosity about traditional knowledge systems.

The challenge Troy faces is ensuring that First Nations communities get to genuinely lead research projects. In this context he is focused on three key outcomes: First Nations leadership, community benefits, and socio-economic opportunities for First Nations people. Additionally, he must navigate his own professional transition from a former small and controlled research setting to a much larger and complex basin-wide context.

To address these challenges, he employs First Nations models and knowledge, including the “Yarning Circle of Life” – an ontological compass that functions as a high-level knowledge framework and pedagogical model. This approach allows him to understand and orientate the phase of work he is in, enabling forward movement, and the application of ancient wisdom to contemporary challenges.

His leadership actions include: 1. promoting Aboriginal worldviews, ethics, and consensus decision-making models, 2. elevating others to have similar opportunities, 3. advocating for hiring more Indigenous people and increasing access to country, 4. strategically using the Yarning Circle model, and 5. focusing on his own personal development, in particular his mindset, empathy, and awareness.

Through modelling these behaviours and mindsets, Troy demonstrates how values can drive effective leadership, fostering care for future generations, connection to cultural wisdom, and curiosity in applying traditional knowledge to contemporary challenges.

Learn more about Troy’s story here.