The Kamilaroi boy who loved catching water dragons, blue-tongues and red-bellies, but was told he’d never be a zookeeper, has grown up to be a First Nations science champion bringing textbooks and telescopes to children in remote communities.
“I’m the CEO and founder of Deadly Science,” says Corey Tutt, fresh off the plane after a week in the Northern Territory. “We send STEM resources all over Australia to under-resourced schools. We connect school kids with scientists, to hopefully find them a passion and purpose.”
As well as running his charity, Corey has a science show on radio and is the author of two books, The First Scientists and This Book Thinks Ya Deadly! A Celebration of Blak Excellence.
“I’m also a husband, I’m also a friend. I’m a mad rugby player and a keen fisherman as well,” he says. “I try and balance it all. This past week I’ve been at five different schools teaching kids how to make lava lamps and take strawberry DNA. So my job is very varied.”
Born in 1992, Corey was named 2020’s NSW Young Australian of the Year and in 2022 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to Indigenous STEM education.
His latest book, This Book Thinks Ya Deadly!, is also set to inspire young minds, starring 80 First Nations heroes, including Uncle Jack Charles, co-founder of Australia’s first Indigenous theatre group. “He was such a bright spark in the lives of thousands”, says Corey, who grew close to Uncle Jack during the interview process and was saddened to learn, while he was away on honeymoon last year, of the actor’s passing.
The book makes good reading this Naidoc Week, 2-9 July, with the theme ‘For Our Elders’.
Also featured are Prof Marcia Langton, Miranda Tapsell, Adam Goodes, Blak Douglas and many other high achievers across all spheres of life. “These are the people that I draw inspiration from,” Corey says.
Corey, who now lives on the NSW north coast, knows the power of a role model. They were scarce when he was growing up in Wollongong.
“I was always really big on catching reptiles in the Illawarra,” he says. “They were my bread and butter, they were my classroom. I really desperately wanted to be a zookeeper and I was told that I couldn’t do it… Because kids like me go to jail or end up dead if they don’t get trades. That was a rough bit of feedback, I guess.”
Corey loved STEM and knew he was capable of more. “I was always very driven to break the cycle. I never touched drugs as a kid,” he says.
He connected with an Indigenous man working with spiders at Taronga, worked at Shoalhaven Zoo and later founded his charity while a research assistant at Sydney University.
“I love going and visiting my old schools. I’m actually in the Hall of Fame at Dapto High, the school I was asked to leave in year 10.
“Across the Illawarra region and Yuin Country, there’s been a lot of kids that have really connected with my books, and connected with me.
“My job is not to tell them to go and do science. My job is to tell them that they can – and that’s the most important thing.”
Want to help Corey’s work? Donate via deadlyscience.org.au or follow @deadlyscienceorg