Lockie Cooke

Lockie Cooke ICEA Founder and CEO Amongst the Bardi people at One Arm Point in the Kimberley I’m known as Binjalli. I was given this skin name after being adopted by the Ejai family. It’s the name of an elder from a couple of generations back. He was well-respected, a great musician and just a fun man, and that name has been passed on to me. To earn the respect of the mob and be given a name like that is pretty special. In Perth, I study commerce at the University of Western Australia and volunteer as a surf lifesaver at North Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club, where I also compete in surf skis. As a member of the Western Australian Institute of Sport I have represented Australia in sprint kayaking and am aiming for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. I’m also a keen spearfisherman and surfer and have a deep passion for the ocean. My purpose is to inspire young people to be united by respect. In 2011, I was an Australian delegate at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland and a member of the Commonwealth Youth Forum for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth. These experiences reinforced the importance of empowering young people. Young people are the key drivers of change. To make reconciliation a reality, ICEA must continue to be youth driven. I’m following my passion. My reward is seeing the joy in the faces of the kids up in the communities, and in breaking down the barriers and empowering my indigenous mates. And seeing the passion grow in other white fellas. These kids are becoming so interested in the ICEA projects. I can see we are genuinely making an impact at a grass roots level.