Proud Kamilaroi man and Blaklash Managing Director Troy Casey has been named a 2025 QUT Outstanding Indigenous Australian Alumnus, recognising his leadership in embedding First Nations voices across design, placemaking and the creative industries.
The honour was announced last night at the annual QUT Outstanding Alumni Awards held at the university’s Gardens Point campus in Brisbane.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil said Mr Casey was defining the role of creativity in social change.
“He fuses art, design and entrepreneurship to elevate First Nations voices and embed culture into the fabric of our cities,” Professor Sheil said.
“This recognition as Outstanding Indigenous Australian Alumnus celebrates his unwavering commitment to Indigenous agency, innovation and community-led impact.”
Mr Casey graduated from QUT in 2009 with a Bachelor of Journalism before forging a career that spans design, business and community advocacy.
Through his company Blaklash, which he leads alongside his partner Amanda Hayman, Mr Casey has helped shape major public art and design projects that centre Indigenous culture and storytelling.
“The Oodgeroo Unit is the reason I came to QUT,” Mr Casey said.
“I had family and friends that had been through QUT as a university and had also been engaged and working closely with the Oodgeroo Unit. For me, the sense of community is what drew me here, to this university, and is what keeps me coming back.”
Blaklash has worked with QUT on several major cultural design projects, including as Indigenous design consultants and art curators for the Oodgeroo and Carumba Unit spaces and the striking façade commission, ‘Following Paperbarks’, at the Kelvin Grove campus.
“I'm really proud to be able to say that we've delivered a number of projects in partnership with QUT,” he said.
“I love this place. It's where I studied, where I worked very briefly, and now is a place that we deliver really important projects for community.”
Mr Casey continues to give back to QUT through the Blaklash Built Environment Scholarship, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to connect their studies with culture and community.
“At Blaklash, we have a community fund that’s sole purpose is to support community initiatives and develop scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at universities,” he said.
“Our role now is to create space for those future generations to come through and use their voice to create opportunities for their community.”
Reflecting on the award, Mr Casey said being recognised was really special.
“It’s an opportunity to take a step back and look at the achievements that I've generated,” he said.
“You rarely do that. You get stuck in the doing, but to be honest, I'm really proud of the things that we've done, both myself and my partner Amanda, the businesses that we've developed and the opportunities that we're creating for community.
“For me, I'm just really proud and honoured.”
Learn more about the 2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards winners.
Information about studying journalism at QUT and the Oodgeroo Unit can be found online.
Media contact:
Lauren Baxter
QUT Media
media@qut.edu.au
07 3138 2361 / 0407 585 901 (After Hours)
