Waverley Stanley AM
Indigenous Education Advocate
Waverley Stanley is the founding Director of Yalari, providing secondary education scholarships to Indigenous children from remote and regional communities. An Indigenous leader from Queensland, Waverley is a passionate advocate for education, mentorship, and empowerment, travelling widely to meet scholarship applicants and raise awareness, creating pathways from disadvantage to opportunity across Australia.
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Waverley Stanley is the founding Director of Yalari, a not-for-profit that provides life-changing secondary education scholarships for Indigenous children from remote, rural, and regional communities across Australia. Established in 2005, Yalari supports over 180 students in 34 partnership boarding schools nationwide, empowering young Australians to reach their full potential.
An Indigenous man from Murgon and Cherbourg in Queensland, Waverley’s own journey began with a full boarding scholarship at Toowoomba Grammar School, where he became the only Indigenous student in the school’s 130-year history to complete Year 12. He attributes this transformative experience to the leadership, resilience, and character that underpin his work with Yalari today.
Waverley is a tireless advocate for Indigenous education, personally meeting every scholarship applicant in their hometowns and travelling extensively to raise awareness and funds. Beyond Yalari, he has held roles as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the Australian Taxation Office, a Welfare Officer for the Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agency, and a Community Education Counsellor for Education Queensland. He also founded New Wave Enterprises, a leadership training organisation.
Waverley’s vision is simple but profound: create pathways from disadvantage to empowerment, giving Indigenous children the opportunities to thrive that he himself was once given.
