It was a proud moment for Waanyi and Kalkadoon woman, Sandra Creamer, on Monday when her son, Joshua, moved to admitted her into the Supreme Court in Queensland, capping a long and challenging journey.
An Elder, a grandmother and a champion for Indigenous rights, Ms Creamer can now add lawyer to her CV, as well as being part of the first Indigenous mother-son combination to participate is such an admission.
Following a violently abusive relationship, Ms Creamer found herself and her four children living in "poverty" with no sight of a way out, she told NITV News was
“My journey really didn’t start till late in life because I was a single mother and it wasn’t an easy life," she said.
"Then I decided that I needed to do something to get myself out of poverty and the way that I was living.
"I was unemployed and I didn't really have a job and when you're on the dole and you're a single mother of four, it's not really a lot of money to make ends meet.
"I really felt that education was the most important thing for all of my children and I wanted to give them that."
Ms Creamer said she admired her son's decision to study law almost 20-years-ago, and discovered that she wanted to follow in his footsteps despite the challenges involved.
“I decided to do my law degree. Joshua had just started his ... so I couldn’t move, I had to do mine externally through the Institute of Koori Education at Deakin University," she said.
Ms Creamer said it took her “a while to pick it all up”, and admitted she was not the “brightest” in the class.
“There were times when I did fail a subject but in the end I just kept on, because my determination was that I was going to get this degree."
Joshua Creamer, a barrister who specialises in class action and native title suits, described his mother a "determined and resilient woman".
Waanyi and Kalkadoon woman, Sandra Creamer at her admission to the Queensland Supreme Court. Source: Supplied (Joshua Creamer)
"She was someone who was also studying and always trying to improve herself, that was something that rubbed off on us," said Mr Creamer.
"There's a lot of Indigenous mothers out there and they might have grown up in an environment where people never believed in their dreams, like people never thought my mother's generation could go beyond high school, and those mothers put their lives on hold to make sure their kids could have the best.
"I think she is a good inspiration for that group out there."
After finishing school in Year 9, Ms Creamer has worked with Indigenous people all over the world, including the United Nations Forum and is currently the CEO of the National Aboriginal Women's Alliance.
With her admission on Monday to the Supreme Court, Ms Creamer can now practice as a solicitor, but told NITV News she is preparing herself to take the bar exam next, so she can become a barrister.
