Tyrone Bean

Tyrone Bean is a proud Aboriginal Australian currently teaching in the Yiramalay Studio School Program at Wesley College. He acknowledges both sides of his family being Aboriginal and Australian.  Through his maternal side of the family, he has Kabi-Kabi, Wakka Wakka and Bindal bloodlines hailing from South East Queensland and Townsville as well as English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish bloodlines through his paternal side of the family.

Through his life motto "Make the Impossible Possible" Tyrone has shown determination to become the first member of his family to reach past year 10 and to further study a postgraduate degree and to become the first Aboriginal teacher to be employed by Wesley College.  Tyrone studied a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education which he completed in June 2017.  Tyrone is passionate about the notion of walking in two worlds, faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students whilst attending boarding school and this is where his thesis and proposed research will take him.  This flowed into policy, where Tyrone has worked on the Ormond College Reconciliation Action Plan, leading the Queen’s College Reconciliation Action Plan and whilst interning at the Humanitarian Advisory Group, he also lead the Reconciliation Action Plan. 

In 2017 along with the Indigenous round at the University Blacks in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, which has recently had a name change, Wan'diny bun'ma at the Main, which translates to "Gather Together and Lift up" in Kabi-Kabi language, Tyrone was a recognised finalist for student of the year at the inaugural Dreamtime awards.  This recognition came from his work in youth programs including the "Raise the Bar" academy in which Tyrone has played a pivotal part in both as the lead mentor and starting. Becoming the inaugural Indigenous Student Support Officer at Queen's College. Tyrone was selected to present his thesis titled ‘Thriving not surviving: Exploring the notions of success and cultural identity in urban boarding school opportunities for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in Toronto, Canada after completing his Masters of Teaching (Secondary) and starting his Masters of Education.  Was selected to represent the VAFA representative side in Ireland and later becoming the first Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander teacher at Wesley College.

Tyrone has had years of experience in youth work, particularly with Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), the Reach foundation and the Raise the Bar academy. At all three places Tyrone has been a mentor, facilitator and program coordinator.  Tyrone has used this experience to his advantage where he has introduced AIME into the Yiramalay Studio School program at Wesley College and created his own mentoring program between Queen's College and the Yiramalay Studio School to encourage, facilitate, inspire and promote Individual greatness leading Indigenous becoming synonymous with success. 

While I was painting at the Melbourne Museum I found my self surrounded by kids from the Kimberley (the serendipity in this project is constant) and I got chatting with their teacher - Tyrone.

Tyrone is pictured here in front of Queens College Melbourne where he was the first Aboriginal student in residence and set up the first Aboriginal support program.  His portrait shows his feeling of standing in two worlds and being comfortable in both of them.