Gunditjmara Traditional Owner Dr Denis Rose has had a long involvement in Aboriginal land and cultural heritage management. Denis championed the first ever Australian Indigenous-led World Heritage nomination for the Budj Bim cultural landscape in Western Victoria, was the CEO of Winda Mara Aboriginal Corporation in Heywood from 2002-2010 and was involved in the development of Australia’s Indigenous Protected Areas Program from 1995-2002. Denis was awarded an honorary doctorate from Monash University in 2022 for his work in Indigenous land and sea management and continues to contribute in his own community and beyond through Gunditjmirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.