Joan Hendriks

[4] Hendriks attended Saints Peter and Paul’s Catholic Primary School in Bulimba as a young girl, and in 1947 she began studying at Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane, Queensland, which she was later appointed as an elder in residence.

Alongside this, Hendriks struggled to live as a daughter of a mixed-race marriage and witnessed the segregation of her parents from the Catholic church.

In a Western society this seems late to begin studying, but in her Aboriginal culture it is appropriate as with age comes wisdom, balance and trust.

[6] Her work remains an important aspect in her life as she uses it as a forum for discussion between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians without resentment or tension.

She uses her spirituality to pave the way for other Christian Aboriginal Australians and continues to teach others how to find a balance between the two, speaking of both having equal parts of her soul.

[9] Collaborating with her friend and mentor Gerald Hall, Hendriks participated in Spirit of Religion: A Project for Meeting and Dialogue directed by Raimon Panikkar.

[10] Also alongside Gerald Hall, she presented The Natural Mysticism of Indigenous Australian Traditions at a Conference on Mysticism, Fullness of Life: Homage to Raimon Panikkar in Venice, Italy[11] In Aunty Joan Goes to Venice, Hendriks discusses Australian Indigenous identity and faith to commemorate NAIDOC Week 2009 on ABC1.

In addition to these awards and distinctions, Hendriks also regularly performs the Traditional Acknowledgment (of Indigenous land) at many major university functions in Queensland, Australia.