Our motivation and inspiration
Pauline E. McLeod was born in Delegate, Southern NSW. She was a member of the Stolen Generation and was removed from her natural family in 1962 aged 18 months. In 1986 she returned home and became an author, poet, master storyteller, cultural learning educator, director and performer.
Pauline from Play School
Popularly known as Pauline from Play School, Pauline was one of the first Indigenous performers to appear regularly on a nation-wide television show in Australia. Throughout her lifetime Pauline presented her Cultural Learning stories at schools, working with children and youth from preschool to high school grades. She was also a guest lecturer in Aboriginal studies at TAFE colleges and universities throughout New South Wales and a storyteller at the Opera House, Australian Museum and the National Gallery in Canberra.
Mandura has a commitment to donate 20% of all profits to the Pauline E. McLeod Foundation.
Dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation
Roderick McLeod, Pauline’s brother, is the Founder of the Pauline E. McLeod Foundation. Under his leadership, the Foundation seeks to continue Pauline’s journey of building acceptance, understanding and healing with a focus on creating positive opportunities for the next generations.
The Foundation’s focus areas include First Nations mental health, entrepreneurship and education as well as positive employment opportunities for First Nations Australians.
Mandura and the Pauline E. McLeod Foundation are proud to be supporting the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health and the Clontarf Foundation.
Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health
Dr Tracy Westerman launched the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health in October 2018 to address the significant gap between the needs of First Nations communities and access to clinical and culturally skilled psychologists. This innovative scholarship program provides eligible psychology students with $10,000 per year to help with study, living and transport costs, affording vital financial assistance at any stage of their undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
By eliminating the very real financial barrier for First Nations students to study, Dr Westerman’s scholarship program aims to facilitate the training of more First Nations psychologists skilled in Indigenous-specific mental health, suicide prevention and intervention programs, ultimately taking their experience back to the most disadvantaged, high-risk communities to facilitate real change.
We are now in our second year of sponsoring Daniel McDougall, a proud Barkindji man, husband, and father currently living, working, and studying on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra.
“Hello, my name is Daniel McDougall. I have a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences from Swinburne University of Technology and am currently completing my Honours year at the University of Canberra in 2023. I want to thank you so much for your generous donation as it will enable me to continue my studies through to Masters to become a fully qualified clinical psychologist who can make a change in our communities. I have seen and experienced the growing issues of suicide, addiction, and incarceration in young First Nations men and hope to be able to work closely with them in the future to change these rates and develop future leaders in the community instead. As a new father, it can be difficult to study and support a family, but with the support of donors like you, it is now possible and future change can take place as more First Nations psychologists enter the field and deliver much-needed support and practice. Again, thank you so much for your generosity and what you have done for me.”
Daniel McDougall
“According to Government statistics, First Nations Australians die by suicide at a rate twice higher than the non-First Nations Australians. It breaks our hearts that First Nations children are the highest risk group. 75% of child suicides between 2007 and 2011 were First Nations children. Our own Pauline, who inspires us every day, was also taken this way.” says Roderick McLeod, Founder, Pauline E. McLeod Foundation.
The Clontarf Foundation
The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young First Nations men, and by doing so, equips them with the foundation to transition into meaningful employment and achieve better life outcomes.
Using the existing passion these boys have for sport allows Clontarf to encourage them to attend school, and then keep them coming. The Foundation partners with schools and communities to create Clontarf Academies which are embedded within the school grounds and education program. Full time Clontarf staff counsel and mentor students while the school caters for their education needs. Academy activities are planned within the focus areas of education, leadership, employment, wellbeing, life skills and sport.
The Clontarf Foundation commenced in 2000 with a single academy in Perth, WA. The program catered for 25 students. More than 20 years on, the Foundation operates 153 academies and supports more than 11,000 participants.
In 2024, The Pauline E. McLeod Foundation is increasing its commitment to Clontarf five-fold by supporting 10 boys through the Program. All of these students are located at one of two Clontarf Academies – the Dunheved Academy, in Sydney’s Western Suburbs, or the Belmont Academy, in Perth, WA.
