Dr Tash Hawkins, a Senior Lecturer in Nursing and Academic Director of the Residential System at UNE, has returned from the first intensive session of the (ARLP) Course 33.
As the only academic selected nationally for this year’s cohort, Dr Hawkins is representing UNE in a 15-month journey designed to shape the future of rural, regional, and remote Australia.
The first session, "Discovery and Awareness," took place in the rugged terrain of Kangaroo Valley.
Participants were immersed in challenge-based experiential learning, which included camping, hiking, and canoeing for 12 days.
With no toilets or showers in sight, these nature-based experiences were designed to strip away professional titles, allowing participants to connect on a purely human level.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr Hawkins shared:
Taking part in this program has been a deeply personal experience that has challenged me in ways I didn't quite expect.
There is something very grounding about sleeping on the forest floor under a 'bivvy' and navigating the physical demands of hiking and canoeing with a group of people who were, only days before, complete strangers.
Through these challenges, I have rediscovered a simple but powerful truth: I can do hard things.
I have also learned that growth doesn't always happen when things are easy; more often, it occurs through times of disruption and within the space of difficult conversations.
Learning to navigate those moments with curiosity rather than apprehension has been a significant turning point for me.
This experience has prompted me to reflect on my leadership style as a single, integrated way of being.
The practices of authenticity and awareness are not just professional tools for the workplace; they are values I carry into my family unit and my local community.
I am incredibly grateful to a philanthropic funder for their sponsorship.
Their support is allowing me to bring these insights back to UNE, where I hope they will help me better support our staff, our students, and the future of our regional healthcare workforce.
Image: ARLP participants pause for a rest during the 12-day Kangaroo Valley intensive.
With the first intensive now complete, Dr Hawkins’ ARLP journey is only just beginning. The program continues with three more intensive sessions over the next year, each designed to build on the personal and professional insights gained in Kangaroo Valley:
- Session 2 (Central Australia): Focusing on “Connection and Mobilisation” and deep engagement with First Nations knowledge.
- Session 3 (Indonesia): Exploring “Networks and Affiliation” within a global geopolitical context.
- Session 4 (Canberra): Concluding with “Influence and Impact” at the heart of national policy-making.
