Tony Birch

Tony Birch is a renowned academic, author and educator of Aboriginal, West Indian and Irish descent. He is the inaugural recipient of the Bruce McGuinness Fellowship at Victoria University, named for one of Victoria's most respected Aboriginal elders and a long-time activist in the struggle for Aboriginal justice. His research looks into first-hand testimonies from explorer and settler diaries and other historic records housed in various archives. He also plans to visit the University of British Columbia to conduct comparative research on the topic of climate change with some of Canada's First People. Birch is also a highly respected novelist, authoring Shadowboxing, Blood (shortlisted for the 2012 Miles Franklin Award) and The Promise (shortlisted for the 2014 Victorian Premier's Literary Award).