In a first for Flinders University, new Chancellor John Hood has been Welcomed to Country as part of the celebrations for his first Council meeting as Chancellor.

On Thursday 19 October, Chancellor Hood, alongside Council and members of the Flinders community, was Welcomed to Country by Petiola Wilson with a Smoking Ceremony at Yungkurrinthi Inparrila. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Professor Simone Tur spoke briefly before the Ceremony about the cultural importance of Inparilla for the Flinders community, and of the new beginnings that the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony represent. Following the Ceremony, Council convened the first meeting with Mr Hood as Chancellor.

It was the first time a high officer of the University has been welcomed with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country at the commencement of their tenure, and reflects the continual journey that Flinders University is on as we work to ensure that Indigenous strategies and cultural perspectives are embedded within the very heart of our University.