Able Seaman (AB) Kieryn Nieves is the regional Indigenous development coordinator for Shoalhaven and serves as Navy’s community engagement officer across the region. He acts as a conduit between Navy and the First Nations community, linking people, culture and shared maritime narratives to build stronger relationships and understanding.

Born and raised in Cairns, AB Nieves grew up surrounded by saltwater, rainforest and family stories. His great grandfather was a fisherman from Trinidad, creating a natural curiosity for the sea within Kieryn.

In 2018, AB Nieves joined Navy through the Indigenous Pre-Recruit Program, originally pursuing a pathway as a chef. Along the way, he discovered a deeper purpose in cultural engagement and community leadership. AB Nieves’s first major posting came during the commissioning of HMAS Supply.

One defining highlight of AB Nieves’s journey has been the Saltwater Leadership Program. Alongside 10 Navy members and 10 Yolŋu participants, he spent time at Bäniyala in East Arnhem, guided by Traditional Owners. Despite significant challenges, the program brought together ancient mariner knowledge with Navy know-how to launch a hand crafted canoe into crocodile inhabited waters in 4 days.

By program end, all participants had made new connections to each other and to Country. AB Nieves described the experience as the moment he felt part of something far bigger than himself.

AB Nieves has travelled across the Pacific with Navy. This year, he is honoured to be playing the didgeridoo on Anzac Day in Gallipoli.

Back home, he continues to share culture through volunteering and by teaching young men to carve and play didgeridoos. For Kieryn, ‘knowledge unshared becomes inert’ and he is committed to keeping that knowledge alive through sharing with his colleagues and community.