Nominated: Bianca Denham (left) has been nominated for a Young Achiever of the Year award by friend Wendy Brooke.
Medicine student and Broadford resident Bianca Denham doesn’t just want to help people, she wants to inspire more Indigenous people to enter the health sector.
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And her good friend Wendy Brooke said it was Ms Denham’s determination to better her community that led her to nominate her friend for the Yarn Strong Sista Indigenous Achievement Award.
“I just love the determination about her,” Ms Brooke said.
“And one thing that never, ever changed was she was doing it for community, for mob.”
The award is one of the 7News Young Achiever Awards, presented to Victorians under 29 for outstanding community achievements.
The friends met while Ms Denham, 24, was studying at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, and they were both involved in the Indigenous Higher Education community.
A proud Jardwadjali woman, Ms Denham travelled to remote parts of Australia to undertake nursing placement.
Originally from Swan Hill, Ms Denham said in places like Alice Springs and Remote Nhulunbuy, she noticed hardly any of the healthcare workers were Indigenous.
“It was a lot of Caucasian people walking on country, and trying to tell people how to take care of themselves,” she said.
“I could understand where they were coming from, but it was heartbreaking to watch.”
Ms Denham’s time working as a nurse in Indigenous communities, and an Indigenous doctor she met that would do everything possible to keep patients on country, ended up giving her the resolve to go back to university to become a doctor.
“At the moment I can give back as a nurse, but the more knowledge I have, the more I can give back,” she said.
“So if I can go ahead and study more and become a doctor, I can encourage more Indigenous mob to go and see the doctor earlier rather than later.
“That would be a great life achievement for me.”
Caring for community: Bianca Denham on nursing placement in remote Australia.
Ms Brookes said she was inspired by Ms Denham’s passion for learning and she deserved to be acknowledged.
“She’s always wanting to learn, not just at university but life in general,” Ms Brookes said.
“I’m also in awe of these young people. Our future is in safe hands.”
Category winners receive $2000 in prizes, which will be announced on Friday, April 29, at a gala awards presentation.
One of the category winners will be chosen as the 2022 Victorian Young Achiever of the Year.
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