John Patten joined the History Council of Victoria in March 2017, representing Museums Victoria. 

Hailing from far northern NSW, John is a Bundjalung-Yorta Yorta man on his father’s side, and a descendant of First Fleet convicts, Irish rebels and the Saami people of Lapland via his mother.

As the Manager of Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum, John leads a team responsible for researching and developing community exhibitions and programs which highlight the diverse histories and cultures of Victoria’s First Peoples.

John is a passionate educator, historian and accomplished artist who has served as a board member for the International Museum Theatre Alliance-Asia Pacific, currently acts in an advisory capacity for Worawa Aboriginal College, and is the founder of koorihistory.com.