What I've Learnt - Shelley Reys AO

WHAT I'VE LEARNT

When Shelley Reys was a little girl, she watched her father win ‘the race that stops a nation’. Frank Reys became the only Aboriginal jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in 1973, aged 45.

One of fourteen children, he was born to a Filipino father and a mother of Aboriginal descent - something he never denied - but the newspaper front pages the day after his win omitted his Indigenous heritage.

“He was always, in my mind, one of those role models who helped me feel as though I could do anything, regardless of what odds were against me, because he certainly achieved a lot with all the odds against him," Shelley reflects.

When you put the term ‘Aboriginal’, ‘Indigenous’, ‘First Nations’ or ‘reconciliation’ - any of those words, on top of something - good-natured [non-Indigenous] Australians start to get a bit nervous,” she says.

"They're afraid of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, making a mistake or sounding racist, they just start to walk on eggshells."

"The way that I describe my work is: ‘I remove the eggshells’."
Australian Reconciliation Week marks an important milestone in our Australian history.

It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Drivers of change like the first indigenous Partner at KPMG Australia Shelley Reys are key to educating engaging and inspiring the generations to come.

The Australian Financial Review named Shelley Reys in their “100 Women of Influence” and she was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to the Indigenous community, to reconciliation and social inclusion, and as an advocate for improved educational, health and employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.

Shelley is an Indigenous woman of the Djiribul people and a respected Indigenous specialist and strategist.

While she works with all sectors of the community, she is best known for her work with corporate Australia in helping them achieve their inclusivity goals.

Shelley has spent her career trying to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Today she counts Microsoft, Qantas and Telstra as clients.

She is known for her work with the national apology to the ‘stolen generations’ and the broader national reconciliation movement, both of which she played an important role.

Shelley is Managing Director of a successful private consulting firm operating since 1994 Arrilla which works collaboratively with the government, private and community sectors to enable mutual change and sound partnerships.

Arrilla is Indigenous owned and managed to help ensure outcomes are sensitive, as well as practical.

Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/
Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330
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