RIC works alongside government, industry and community to deliver cultural awareness, engagement and lived-experience consultancy grounded in truth — not a template.
Culture is my foundation. It aligns my head and my heart to walk among my community and keeps me strong.
We need accountability, truth-telling and Aboriginal-driven solutions — programs led and developed by Aboriginal people.
People are capable of change when they are given the opportunity, support and accountability to build a different future.
Jamie Carr is a proud Wiradjuri man with strong cultural, family and community connections to Wellington and Redfern, NSW.
Orphaned by the age of 12 and raised by kin, Jamie's life has been shaped by adversity, resilience and the strength of community. Today, he is most proud of the life he has rebuilt — his sobriety, his freedom, his children, and the opportunity to use his experiences to support others.
His work is grounded in the belief that people are capable of change when they are given the opportunity, support and accountability to build a different future.
Jamie's lived experience has been shaped by many of the challenges faced by Aboriginal people and families across Australia. His journey includes lived experience of:
After years of asking for help through services that were meant to support his recovery, Jamie reached a point where he got sick of asking. He looked in the mirror and realised he no longer wanted to continue living the life he had been living.
That moment became a turning point. He accepted responsibility for his choices and committed himself to building a different future — one grounded in healing, family, culture and giving back to community.
Today, Jamie shares his experiences not to focus on his past, but to create hope for others and help organisations better understand what genuine change looks like.
Recovery means freedom.
On what recovery means today
Never give up, back yourself — there is always tomorrow.
Advice for anyone who feels stuck
We are more than just service users. We have navigated these systems since colonisation, and those most impacted should be at the forefront of decision-making and program and service development.
On why lived experience belongs in the room
Seeing my people rise above the system that tries to keep us down.
What keeps him doing the work
Anything is possible. Believe and love yourself, and aim for the stars.
His message to the next generation
From conference stages to correctional gates, university classrooms to community marches — the work happens alongside people and Country.
I want to be known as the Aboriginal man who lived that life to the max, but had enough and took responsibility to turn my life around.
— Jamie Carr
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