Known affectionately amongst community as Aunty Candace, Dr Candace Kruger is the founder and director of the Yugambeh Youth Aboriginal Corporation, and choirmaster of the Yugambeh Youth Choir. She is a proud Kombumerri (Gold Coast) and Ngugi (Moreton Island) yarrabilginngunn (songwoman).

As an author, composer, educator, and mother, Dr Kruger’s achievements are innumerable. For over 25 years, she has taught music at primary and secondary school level, and in 2005, she co-authored ‘Yugambeh Talga: Music Traditions of the Yugambeh People’ as the product of many years spent researching and collecting the songs, language and stories of the Yugambeh region. In 2014, Dr Kruger founded the Yugambeh Youth Choir, which later informed her 2017 Master’s Research Thesis, ‘In the Bora Ring: Yugambeh Language and Song Project’, exploring the effects of participation in the choir. Her Doctoral Study, ‘Yarrabil Girrebah Singing Indigenous Language Alive’, an exploration of the Songwoman’s journey, was published in 2022. She is currently working as a Senior Lecturer for Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies while also volunteering across the community to teach language, culture, and music.

Dr Kruger is focused on facilitating the expression and preservation of Aboriginal knowledges for lasting community outcomes. Her expansive contribution to education, music, and Aboriginal culture is renowned across the Gold Coast, and her ongoing influence continues to inspire community youth and educators alike.