"If I can do it, there is no reason you can't do it too."

That is the message from Kelly Lienesch from Bourke who recently qualified as an Aboriginal health practitioner.

A proud Malyangapa woman with 32 years of nursing experience as an enrolled nurse, Ms Lienesch qualified as an Aboriginal Health Practitioner at the end of last year.

Aboriginal Health Practitioners collaborate in multidisciplinary healthcare teams, aiming to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Their pivotal role involves fostering relationships between Indigenous patients and other health practitioners.

Hailing from Wanaaring, Ms Lienesch now lives in Bourke, leading her life as an example for her own three children as well as aiming to inspire others to follow in her footsteps and further assist their communities.

“I am the only one out of all of my cousins to finish year 12 and I was the first in my family to go to university”, Ms Lienesch said.

“My parents always encouraged me to chase my dreams and said that education was an important tool which would allow me to help our people and communities. This has stayed with me through life and helped my complete my AHP training”. 

Currently, Ms Lienesch is the Aboriginal health worker in the Aboriginal Maternity and Infant Health Service (AMIHS) at the Bourke Health Service. After the COVID-19 pandemic and having to take on a more clinical load, she decided to complete her AHP training to expand her knowledge but also give her more weight and experience when working with her community.

"I want to be a role model for other Aboriginal people and staff across the Local Health District," she said.

"If I can do it, there is no reason they can't do it too. It is extremely rewarding being able to give back and provide care to our community."

The Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) are justifiably proud of Ms Lienesch and celebrated her achievements on their social media pages who responded to the huge amount of congratulatory messages.

"Thank you for all your beautiful comments/messages," Ms Lienesch said. "I’m very privileged that amazing women and their families let me be a part of such a special time in their life. My job in health has been made possible by so many hard working and committed work colleagues over the years. Many of those colleagues have been awesome role models, teaching me so much."