John Heath is a senior Birrpai Goori with extensive experience in Australian Indigenous education, community development, community action research, and historical research.

His Thomas Dick Birrpai Photographic Collection (TDBPC) research has led to media and conference presentations, and exhibitions, including documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel. His publication Birrpai: Beyond the Lens of Thomas Dick inspired his daughter Ngioka Bunda-Heath’s choreographed work Birrpai at the Yirramboi Festival in Melbourne 2021 which subsequently won the Melbourne Green Room Dance (Best Ensemble) Award 2022.

Resultant from his work regarding the TDBPC, John instigated the Family Stakeholders Group and developed the Protocol Guidelines for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people working with the Thomas Dick Photographic Collection.

Collaboration with the Australian Museum led to a listing of the TDBPC on the UNESCO Australia Memory of the World Register in April 2023 and a documentary currently in production. John continues to research and write Birrpai history. This follows the November 2021 publication of Healing the Spirit, which he co-authored with fellow Birrpai senior knowledge holder Bob Davis, and his 2023 publication Burrawan co-authored with Dr Ashley Barnwell of the University of Melbourne.

John completed his PhD (UNE 2019) with his familial history thesis, The Seventh Generation which is the basis of Goori-Bugg Dreaming.