Bronwyn Leon

I am a Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal woman originating from Nambucca Heads, located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. I am an experienced executive leader, community advocate and business owner with 40 years of experience across Aboriginal health, community services, aged care, government and community engagement. 

 My commitment to improving palliative and end-of-life care is deeply personal. My mother was a Stolen Generations survivor and supporting her through end-of-life care was one of the most profound experiences of my life. As her daughter and as part of a family navigating this journey together, I experienced firsthand the emotional, cultural and practical challenges families can face when caring for someone they love at the end of their life. 

 Our family’s experience reinforced for me that end-of-life care is not only about clinical care. It is also about family, culture, identity, connection, dignity and being heard. Historical and intergenerational trauma can shape Aboriginal families’ experiences of health services and influence trust, communication and decisions about care. Supporting my mother strengthened my understanding of the importance of listening, understanding a person’s history and respecting the role of family and culture throughout the end-of-life journey. 

 My lived experience sits alongside almost four decades of professional experience working with Aboriginal people, families, communities and organisations. My experience spans strategic leadership, Aboriginal health, community care and service delivery, aged care, disability, health promotion, stakeholder engagement, program management, organisational development and implementation of the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms. 

 I am the founder and CEO of BML Business Advisory Services & Organisational Development, an Aboriginal woman-owned consultancy providing strategic advisory, cultural capability and organisational development services across government, corporate, community and Aboriginal Community Controlled sectors. 

 Through sharing my lived experience and professional knowledge, I hope to contribute to culturally safe and compassionate palliative and end-of-life care where Aboriginal people are heard, families are respected as partners in care, and culture, identity and lived experience genuinely inform service design, policy and practice.