Willowra, NT

I am a Senior Community Researcher, working for the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust and in the Community Development Unit of the Central Land Council.

When I saw the YWPP research team starting to work, bringing the feedback to WETT, I was really interested. I saw what the other researchers were doing and asked them what this is all about. I joined the team in 2019 and I have been involved in many different research projects since then.

When we’re doing research we have to have cultural awareness, how to do things right and respect our culture. For example, we can’t go and in and disturb the Sorry meeting. We have to distance ourselves by not going to Sorry Camp.

When we are asking questions and collecting stories, sometimes people just say “ngurrju” (good). As researchers we have to get behind “ngurrju” – what’s the deeper story that tells us everything. We have to track the story to get the detail. It’s the same for “Yuwayi” (yes) and “lawa” (no). Behind these words is something else that we researchers want to find out about.

We want people to be ngampurpa (willing and happy) to share their story about themselves, especially around community – what’s happening to them.  After they do an interview, some people are ngampurpa to get involved and be a researcher with us. We want to be there to make them feel comfortable and happy.

Mentoring and teaching younger researchers is also really important to me. When I was coach for the Willowra football team I would always talk to the young girls about who wants to be a researcher. One day a young girl came and told me she wants to start doing this job with me when she finishes school.

Why this work is important for me is because research is part of WETT. It gives us a chance to teach and grow up young people.

I have travelled to conferences in Brisbane and to Darwin to share the story of this work and to share our knowledge that we’ve built from this research work. We’re also able to get to know other researchers from other countries, like Pacific researchers and people from around Australia like the Top End. We learn how they share their work in research and we learn from each other. They want to know about our research and we want to know their work as a researcher. They were happy to share it! They had booklets to share. It made me happy to share all this knowledge of research.

What skills you have as a researcher

  • Developing research questions
  • Planning fieldwork
  • Working safely and managing conflict
  • Understanding of Yapa culture and Law and how to follow cultural protocols in research
  • Two-way language skills – Warlpiri, English
  • Translation and transcription
  • Sense-making
  • Organising community meetings to share research findings
  • Communication, planning, reflecting and learning together as researchers
  • Presenting at conferences and workshops

Other experience

Current:

  • Willowra Night Patrol worker
  • Willowra Learning Centre worker
  • GMAAAC Director

My availability to work as a researcher

I am available for research projects in Willowra or any other communities if a researcher is needed.

Please call me on my number: 0467 811 995

Fig. 1 Natalie mentoring a young researcher

Fig 2. YWPP research team in Lajamanu, March 2025 (Left to right: Jeffery Simons, Glenda Wayne, Mildred Spencer, Natalie Morton)

Fig. 3 Natalie and colleagues presenting research findings in Willowra, 2022

Fig. 4 Warlpiri Education and Training Trust Program Map