That was until two years ago, when her maternal grandmother looked into her family tree and discovered they had previously-unknown Indigenous heritage. 

Jordyn, now 18, said she discovered they were descended from famous Aboriginal warrior and diplomat Mannalargenna, of Tasmania’s Pairrebeenne clan.

Mannalargenna’s granddaughter, and Jordyn’s ancestor, Dolly Dalrymple was the first Indigenous woman to own land in Tasmania, a fact the women in Jordyn’s family are particularly proud of.

“My grandma said it’s a sign of all the powerful women in the family,” Jordyn said.

“Dolly was a part of the White Australia policy, she was taken from her family but eventually fell in love and married.”

As a product and particpant in of a mixed race relationship Dolly was forced to defend against prejudice and physically protect her Tasmanian farm form attack.

For defending her land, the University of Tasmania reports Dolly was rewarded with 20 acres and allowed to marry. 

“Once I found out my ancestry I wanted to be a part of that community,” Jordyn said.

“I feel like if I knew when I was young it’d just be like ‘yep, that’s just what it is’ but because I didn’t know I want to connect to that forgotten side.

“At the time I was learning about White Australia and the Stolen Generation in sociology and it really hit home, this is a part of my heritage and I didn’t even know it.”

While at Catholic College Wodonga Jordyn helped set up a FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier program.

She said it was important for her, other indigenous students and students in general to learn about the original custodians of the land and be involved with the Aboriginal community. 

“After that we had more students in the school step up and speak about their Indigenous heritage,” Jordyn said. 

Jordyn said Catholic College Wodonga was great at embracing the ideas she wanted to implement.

“The college couldn’t have helped more,” she said. 

“When I first found out my heritage I was a bit iffy about letting people know because I didn’t know much about it myself, but once I did more research I told the school and they helped work with me to help me and other Indigenous students be aware of what’s available.”

The 18-year-old received an Indigenous Accommodation Scholarship to RMIT’s Bundoora campus. 

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Jordyn, who will be studying a Bachelor of Oosteopathy, said scholarships for rural and indigenous students were vital. 

“I think it’s very important, especially for people who live here and have to move to the city for university,” she said. 

“It can be very confusing and confronting trying to find where to live so these programs make it easy for everyone.”

In five years time Jordyn hopes to be fully qualified and to open a business with her father. 

“I play basketball and whenever anyone is hurt Dad is straight into it, the first there trying to help out,” she said.

“It’s really inspired me to do osteopathy.”

Jordyn hopes as she studies she will be able to find time to explore and honour her Indigenous heritage by embracing the culture and a family history that had been lost through the generations.