10 TRINITY TODAY From a young age, Campbell Bairstow was bothered by a sense of injustice. As a boy growing up in country Western Australia in the 1960s, he remembers the inexplicable transience of his Indigenous classmates. One day they’d be sitting next to him; a few weeks later they’d be gone. While he may not have understood the significance of this phenomenon at the time, it later became clear that hundreds of Aboriginal families were regularly moving around the country in search of work, housing and security, with many relegated to the ‘other side of the tracks’ in neglected public housing. As he grew older and began to comprehend the strained relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, he knew things had to change. Fast forward to 2007 and Campbell found himself appointed Dean of the Residential College at Trinity, having been invited back after an acting role a couple of years earlier. Given his leadership position among bright students and driven colleagues, he was determined to continue growing the College’s commitment to Indigenous education. Campbell is quick to acknowledge that a strong Indigenous program was Together we stand A passion for supporting Indigenous students in higher education marked Campbell Bairstow’s term as Trinity’s Dean of the Residential College, writes Emily McAuliffe. INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS Campbell Bairstow (centre) with students (from left) Will Smith, Aleisha Scanlon, Jacob Cubis and Khan Vocale