The University of Melbourne honours Australia’s first Aboriginal university graduate

The University of Melbourne is celebrating the achievements of alumna, Aboriginal advocate Dr Margaret Williams-Weir with the naming of a prestigious fellowship and a valued student space in her honour. Dr Williams-Weir is a member of the Malera/Bandjalang People in northern New South Wales. She is the first recorded Aboriginal person to enrol in a university course in Australia, the first Aboriginal graduate of the University of Melbourne and the first Aboriginal graduate of any Australian university. Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis announced that a new position, the Dr Margaret Williams-Weir Vice-Chancellor's Fellow of the University of Melbourne, would be created from 2015 to honour the historic contributions of Dr Williams-Weir. "I'm pleased to announce that respected Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson will be the inaugural Dr Margaret Williams-Weir Vice-Chancellor's Fellow of the University of Melbourne," Professor Davis said. Professor Davis also announced the naming of the postgraduate students' lounge in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education as the 'Dr Margaret Williams-Weir Lounge'. "The University community is delighted to honour the life, community involvement and considerable achievements of Dr Williams-Weir," Professor Davis said.