The rich customary knowledge possessed by Indigenous people from around the world has provided intellectually stimulating academic research opportunities and has been a successful avenue for healthcare and drug discovery as well as commercial native foods, flavours, fragrances, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and agricultural products. When conducted with benefit sharing and reciprocity as core agenda, such research can provide community capability strengthening and immense rewards for both the Indigenous people and the academic research team involved, as well as benefiting potentially many others. This account shares my experiences as a natural products and medicinal chemistry academic, of working with Australian Aboriginal Elders, most notably from Yaegl Country of northern New South Wales, on investigating their bush medicines. Together we have facilitated the recognition and preservation of Yaegl Country customary knowledge and through initiation of a science leadership program, the National Indigenous Science Education Program, we have promoted educational attainment and STEM engagement in Australian Aboriginal youth. While this account is authored as my own personal statement of the Macquarie–Yaegl partnership, I am indebted to the Yaegl Aboriginal Elders and other Australian Aboriginal people I have worked with, and my university, school and community collaborators, my research team and student volunteers, who have all enabled the outcomes described in this account to be realised, and have made the experience so rewarding. I am also thankful to the Royal Australian Chemical Institute for the recognition of the value of this work through the award of a 2019 Royal Australian Chemical Institute Citation.

来自世界各地的土著人民所拥有的丰富的习惯知识提供了智力上令人兴奋的学术研究机会，并且已成为医疗保健和药物发现以及商业天然食品，调味品，香料，保健食品，化妆品和农产品的成功途径。当以利益共享和互惠作为核心议程进行此类研究时，此类研究可以增强社区能力，并为土著人民和所涉学术研究团队带来丰厚的回报，并使其他许多人受益。此帐户分享了我作为天然产品和药物化学学者的经验，曾与澳大利亚原住民长者合作，尤其是来自新南威尔士州北部Yaegl Country的澳大利亚原住民长辈，研究他们的灌木丛药品。我们共同促进了Yaegl Country习惯知识的认可和保存，并通过发起科学领导力计划，国家土著科学教育计划，促进了澳大利亚土著青年的教育程度和STEM参与度。虽然此帐户是我对麦格理– Yaegl合作关系的个人陈述，但我要感谢与我合作过的Yaegl原住民长者和其他澳大利亚原住民，以及我的大学，学校和社区合作者，研究团队和学生志愿者，这些人都可以实现此帐户中描述的结果，并且使体验如此有意义。