JAMIE McConnachie has, for a long time, felt an undeniable draw towards Mildura. The pull was so strong that when she took on the role of executive officer at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, she decided to work remotely so she could stay.
"It definitely is the beautiful river, it's the community, the Aboriginal community who I work with during my service at the Aboriginal Legal Service that draw me here," Ms McConnachie said.
"They have been incredibly welcoming to me. My success in that service would not have been possible without that support and also, not without the wider Mildura community."
This week, McConnachie has been recognised for her work with the Lawyers Weekly nominating her for an Australian Law Award. She has also been nominated for Indigenous Leader of the Year.
"I'm honoured to have been nominated for an Australian Law Award during this significant week for my people," Ms McConnachie said.
Despite it being her dream from about the age of 11, the path towards Law was not always an easy one for Ms McConnachie.
"I watched this television show that had some solicitors on the TV. The show was all about justice and this one particular woman getting justice," Ms McConnachie said. "And I just became infatuated with that concept and equally infatuated with the idea of being a solicitor moving to Melbourne."
When McConnachie initially arrived in Mildura, she was 15 and homeless. It was with the help of MASP and others in the community, that Ms McConnachie was able to finish school and move to university in Melbourne.
Ms McConnachie said it was the support of generations before her that helped her reach her goal.
"There are certainly many deserving of this, particularly those who've come before me and I would not have made it this far without them," Ms McConnachie said. "And so no opportunity is wasted upon me. I'm determined, I'm ambitious. I have 60,000 years of survival in my blood and I'll be making the most of it."
About 15 years after leaving for university, Ms McConnachie returned to Mildura for work. What was meant to be temporary, became permanent and despite her job changing several times, requiring her to switch to working remotely, Ms McConnachie has not left.
Ms McConnachie said it's the Mildura community that keeps her here.
"This community brought the best out of me as a solicitor and so I really feel a great responsibility to the community and I always acknowledge everything I learned here," Ms McConnachie said.
