Ralph is an Adnyamathanha and Yankunytjatjara man and grew up around Quorn and Hawker.

He is a financial counsellor with the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, is a member of the Stolen Generations Committee and is associated with the Colebrook Community in Quorn.

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Charlotte is a proud Adnyamathanha, Barngarla, Kuyani and Yankunytjatjara Transgender woman from South Australia.

A country girl who grew up in and around The Flinders Rangers, Charlotte found her voice to speak up about First Nations and LGBTIQA+ issues. She was a radio personality for a First Nations radio show, broadcasting both locally and nationally.

Charlotte is the first recipient of the NAIDOC SA LGBTIQA+ Person of the Year in 2019, Feast Festival Ambassador in 2021 and the 2025 South Australian Pride First Nations Person of the Year. She is currently a board member of Feast Festival and Chairperson of NAIDOC SA.

As someone with experience on various boards and in different industries, Charlotte intends to draw on the past to foster a better understanding of culture and history for the community and future. She also brings a unique perspective to every situation. She was taught that storytelling has the power to be empowering and transformative. In her own life, it has allowed her to share her story as a transgender First Nations woman from regional South Australia.

Charlotte has dedicated a career to advocating for the integrity of individual narratives and the intersectionality of Indigenous and LGBTIQA+ experiences. These skills, acquired through lived experience, formal qualifications and professional development, are essential for Charlotte’s application to this role. In this capacity, Charlotte seeks a unique opportunity to support others in sharing their stories across the state.

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Charmaine is a senior Aboriginal health leader and Registered Nurse with more than 40 years of experience across clinical, community, and executive roles. An Adnyamathanha woman with strong regional ties to Port Augusta and the Far North region, she has held senior positions across government, Aboriginal health services and research organisations, and strategic leadership appointments driving strategic and operational outcomes.

Charmaine is recognised for her cultural authority, community connection, operational capability, integrity, strategic insight, and commitment to building culturally safe, high-performing health systems. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to improving health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, strengthening services, and delivering meaningful, measurable outcomes across diverse communities.

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Nunga Ngai Adnyamathanha Yata yarnungata

Noeleen is from Adnyamathanha Country, the Flinders and Upper North region. Her English name is Noeleen Lester (ne: Ryan).

Ngai Adnyamathanha Mitchi idla tha Murrakana

(Her Adnyamathanha birth order name means fourth born daughter.)

Noeleen is a proud working grandmother of eight grandchildren and extended grandchildren. Her grandchildren are the future caretakers of Ikara Wilpena Pound, the future caretakers of Lake Kati Thunda, the future caretakers of the Coorong, and the Traditional Owners of the Kalgoorlie Gold Fields. Her role as a grandmother is to teach them the importance of rules for living through songs, stories, Adnyamathanha language and Adnyamathanha Culture, as well as connecting them to outdoor experiences around the campfire.

This year is Noeleen’s eighteenth year of work life in her current place of employment. Over the years, her roles have changed from Family Support Worker, Liaison and Advocacy, Community Engagement Officer, Child Focussed Practitioner, Grief & Loss Facilitator, Outreach Worker and her current role as Community Development Officer.

In her previous profession, Noeleen worked in Aboriginal Media as the on-air National Presenter for the National Indigenous Radio Service, planning, producing, editing, interviewing, live-to-air and pre-recorded radio programs reaching the listening audience through CAARMA Radio, broadcasting through remote Aboriginal Communities (BRACS), and producing magazine programs for ABC showcasing Aboriginal Music, News and views.

Noeleen is a Graduate of James Cook University of Far North QLD, graduating with an Associate Diploma of Communications, which covers all areas of Media in Radio, Print Media, Video and Media Management.

Noeleen enjoys meeting new people, being involved in Community Events and networking.

She is a singer-songwriter and guitarist, and performs at fundraising events such as the RFDS Cancer Foundation fundraiser and attends many other Community awareness events.

Noeleen is an active committee member in her place of employment, attending Corporate Social Responsibility committee meetings and Reconciliation Action Working Group committee meetings.

She is also an active member of the local Port Augusta Faith Community. She has also worked as a Language and cultural educator in pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools. Noeleen lives a very active lifestyle and is a very community-minded person with a genuine interest in wanting to influence positive change.

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Bio to come.

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Rob is a proud Aboriginal man with Yawarrawarrka, Dirie, Yankunytjatjara and Nunkunu family connections. He has spent the last 30-plus years working in human services as a state Public Servant, and sits on a number of Boards including a SA National Parks ministerial-appointed advisory committee.

For the past 15 years he has led and managed Aboriginal community-controlled organisations that focus on improving the social determinants of Aboriginal people.

Rob is a passionate advocate and promoter for the advancement of all Aboriginal issues and concerns locally, regionally and throughout the entire state of South Australia, and believes in transparency, inclusivity, and fair opportunity for all.

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Tjiangu (TJ) Thomas is a proud Kokatha Yankunytjatjara man, now living in Port Augusta, with strong familial ties to the West Coast and the NPY region of Central Australia.

Over the past 15 years, TJ has worked across both government and non-government sectors, dedicating himself to Aboriginal issues and affairs. TJ has extensive experience in employment, community safety, education, tourism, cultural heritage, and Indigenous engagement.

As a dedicated member of the Kokatha Culture and Heritage Committee, his current focus is on the preservation and transmission of cultural knowledge through traditional practices, ensuring the continuity of his heritage for future generations.

Passionate about his community, he is a tireless advocate for advancing First Nations issues at the local, regional and state levels, working towards meaningful change and a brighter future for all South Australians.

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