Corey Tutt has already picked up an Order of Australia Medal this year, and now, the Nowra-born author can add Book of the Year to his growing list of accolades.
His book, The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, has won book of the year for younger children at the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards.
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The First Scientists shows how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have used science for over 65,000 years - from bush medicine and trackers using forensic science to find missing people, right through to revolutionary inventor David Uniapon.
For those who don't know the name, Mr Uniapon is the face on our $50 note. He invented the electric handpiece for shearing sheep, which was a game changer for the Australian wool industry.
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Mr Tutt said he was compelled to write the book because of a blind spot in teaching students about significant scientists.
"In Australia we've had a habit of learning about scientists from overseas - they're really important people in STEM, but we mostly don't learn about our first scientists..." he said.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the first scientists in this country with over 65,000 years of science and engineering.
"I really wanted to tell the story so that kids can see themselves and be proud of the fact that we come from the country's first people."
Mr Tutt is a proud Kamilaroi man. His background and his career as a science educator were drivers in writing The First Scientists.
Each of the pages in Mr Tutt's book are illustrated by Archibald Prize-winning artist Blak Douglas.
The characters are shown in both traditional dress and the modern lab coat.
The charming detail is intended as a nod to both the science Indigenous people have been practicing for thousands of years, and the work they continue to do in STEM.
Since 2018, Mr Tutt has been bringing science education to remote First Nations communities through his charity DeadlyScience.
They provide books, telescopes, LEGO kits, and other STEM equipment to schools across Australia which are under-resourced.
Mr Tutt's service to Indigenous STEM education netted him an Order of Australia Medal in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours.
He is also a former NSW Australian of the Year and a Eureka Prize winner.
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Mr Tutt attributes the accolades to the network of people around him, including his former employers at Shoalhaven Zoo, donors to DeadlyScience, family, friends, and most importantly his mother.
"It's not too bad for a kid born in Shoalhaven Hospital," he said.
Jorja McDonnell
Jorja reports across the Eurobodalla and Shoalhaven, for the Bay Post and South Coast Register. Previously, she was a journalist in outback Queensland.
Jorja reports across the Eurobodalla and Shoalhaven, for the Bay Post and South Coast Register. Previously, she was a journalist in outback Queensland.
