Earlier this year, the Australian House of Representatives launched its inaugural Yarning Competition, calling for entries from First Nations secondary school students across Australia. With a focus on Aboriginal storytelling, participants were invited to express their lived experiences through various creative mediums.

When Cleo heard about the competition, she set about creating a dance performance that related to the theme of ‘Country and Connection.’ Her piece, titled ‘Ochre’ is a personal reflection of her own journey, inspired by her culture and identity as a proud young First Nations woman.

In Aboriginal culture, ochre is a sacred, natural earth pigment which is used in ceremonies, art, healing and storytelling. Cleo’s dance incorporates three different coloured ochres.

“Yellow represents women's business and protection. The red is for warriors and showcases strength. And then white is about cleansing, purification and connection to country,” Cleo said.

Cleo chose four fellow St Paul’s students to perform the piece alongside her. “We wore black costumes with each dancer placing different ochres on their bodies. Their movements were shaped by which colour ochre they put on. It’s a collective experience and once you’ve put that ochre on, you embody your cultural identity with expression and joy.”

The piece was choreographed by Cleo and was professionally filmed in Lake Macquarie City Council’s Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima. The submission was a quiet act of determination – she hadn’t even told her family she’d entered.

“In the July school holidays, I had a missed call from an unknown phone number. It wasn’t until I listened to the voicemail, and it was from Parliament House that I started to get excited!” she said.

Upon discovering she was the winner for the Year 11/12 category, Cleo was ecstatic. “I rang Mum straight away and said ‘Mum, we’re going to Canberra!’ It was really nice news for my family to share in.”

As a competition winner, Cleo will take part in a four-day trip to Canberra where she will present her video submission, take part in a ceremony hosted by the Minister and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, and join yarning sessions, workshops, tours and Question Time at Parliament House.

“It’s a really exciting prize and an awesome opportunity to not only be able to showcase my work at such a high profile event, but to also have that connection with Parliament House.”

This achievement is just one highlight in a whirlwind year for Cleo. Balancing HSC subjects including Aboriginal Studies and Dance, she also performed with ASPIRE, the Catholic Schools of Maitland-Newcastle’s creative arts initiative. And to top it off, she is school captain.

Outside of school, Cleo’s life is all about dance and community.

Dancing since the age of three, Cleo has been trained in many styles such as ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and musical theatre. However, it wasn’t until she started at St Paul’s that she began to embrace Aboriginal contemporary dance as a performance style.

When Cleo was in Year 8, she founded an Aboriginal dance group at the school. Since 2021, it has grown from five to nearly 30 students.

“Dancing has the power to tell stories. It conveys more than you can through words. Your body movements can tell a story, which is very powerful, and that resonates with a lot of people.”

This concept was reflected in the work Cleo completed for her Aboriginal Studies major project. She focussed on the Kinchela Boys Home, on Dunghutti country, near Kempsey, NSW – a former government-run institution that housed Aboriginal boys who were forcibly removed from their families.

Through a powerful on-country experience with Uncle Richard Campbell, Cleo learnt about trauma and healing through the lived experiences of survivors. The survivors’ personal stories convey unbearable pain but show incredible strength which had a profound impact on Cleo. This led her to create a 12-minute dance performance piece, again using ochre, that she titled ‘Not Yours to Take.’ Cleo was awarded full marks for her major project and performed a shortened version for St Paul’s NAIDOC Week celebrations in July.

Cleo credits her broad support network – made up of her mum, her pop, her friends and a large group of school staff – for helping her along the way. Their encouragement complements the sheer hard work and determination that makes her who she is. “I have a lot of drive and I’m not afraid of a challenge. I just put my head down, and get everything done. But it also doesn’t feel like a chore when you love it so much.”

Anna Hennessey, Leader of Learning at St Paul’s says, “One of the best qualities about Cleo, is her humility. She’s a natural leader and brings out the best in others. She is very mature and giving and that’s obviously in her DNA… and it’s unreal!”

When contemplating her future, Cleo is confident that dance and her Aboriginal identity will continue to play a key role. “I think dance will always be part of my life. My biggest dream is to perform for Bangarra, the Aboriginal dance theatre company,” she said.

And Cleo’s dreams don’t stop there. “I also have a love for public speaking and social justice. I love making connections out in community and embracing Aboriginal culture not just for myself, but for others.”

While countless opportunities lie ahead for Cleo Doyle, one thing remains clear: she shows that when culture and creativity move together, stories come alive.