‘My whole life is a bunch of accidental opportunities.’

So says Cameron Edwards, who puts this down to being personable and inquisitive, and a bit of a ‘yes’ man early on in his career.

‘I have been given opportunities and this has led to the voice that I now have. It baffles me as well, but I know the journey and I can identify the little milestones that were reached along the way.

'But how I ever got offered the first opportunity I’ll never know.’

Currently a rotating Level II physiotherapist in a geriatric medicine ward at Blacktown Hospital in Western Sydney, Cameron’s passion is to work specifically within a paediatric environment.

But Cameron’s passions extend far beyond his quest for knowledge and care of his patients—he seeks opportunities to advocate for, and give a voice to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cameron, a Kamilaroi man and prominent member of APA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee, says his first opportunity with the APA came about when, in his final year of university, he attended the Momentum 2017 conference in Sydney as an Indigenous bursary recipient.

‘It was a wonderful, wonderful week. I met a lot of people, networked, and was offered a position to remain in that network. And then I just asked, “How can I be more involved? How can I give back?”

'I think that is the key to it: for every opportunity I am given, I look for a way that I can return service in that organisation or institution.

'So the APA gave me an opportunity and I put myself forward as being someone who would be happy to return the favour and to be a voice or a face to a movement.’

That voice can now be heard in Cameron’s newest role as host of The Deadly Physios podcast series.

‘The Deadly Physios is an initiative to bring the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physios to the forefront of this profession; to put on display some of the brightest, the finest, the most inspirational people I know, for everyone else to see.

'"Deadly" is a colloquial term that’s interchangeable with the way ‘wicked’ might be used to describe something that’s excellent or that you approve of.

'This is a term that describes the people that I will be interviewing; people that I have come to love, come to respect and have been inspired by.

'I’m excited to host these physios from around Australia to share their stories about why they are Deadly physios.’

The Deadly Physios podcast is the product of the APA’s efforts towards Reconciliation and commitment to Closing the Gap.

After the concept was proposed, attention turned to who would host the podcast, providing another ‘accidental opportunity’ for Cameron, one which he happily grasped.

‘I put my hand up to be the host of this series as I know many of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physios in the APA network, and was excited by the opportunity to be able to hear their stories first, to probe them about their knowledge, experiences, and to draw out wisdom from them for the wider community.

'I think this is a valuable podcast to tune into for all people—non-Indigenous and Indigenous.

‘It is a useful tool for non-Indigenous people to catch a glimpse into the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physios as well as their occupation-specific wisdom and guidance in terms of Closing the Gap and Reconciliation.

‘It is educational, it is personal, and it is practical. And it will help you to be a better clinician, researcher, educator and human being in your journey of lifelong learning.’

Check out the podcast series here. And be sure to look out for the bonus episode in which the tables are turned on Cameron and he reveals all in his special guest appearance.