Our Board

Florence Onus, Chairperson

Florence Onus is a descendant of the Birri-Gubba and Kairi/Bidjara clans of Queensland and a survivor of the Stolen Generations. Florence is currently employed at the James Cook University, Townsville. She is an advocate for social justice and human rights and has led numerous local campaigns on a range of issues including, Stolen Generations, Stolen Wages, RCIADIC, Housing, Family Violence and Redress. Florence has chaired numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations and held membership on local and state committees to address homelessness and alcoholism. Her commitment to her people is ongoing and as a mother and grandmother, Florence provides support to young Indigenous mums who have had their children removed through current child protection policies. Florence is currently working towards completing a Masters in Dispute Resolution and is looking forward to a PhD to research in the area of healing.

 

Debra Hocking, Deputy Chairperson

Debra Hocking is from Tasmania and is a member of the Stolen Generations and descendant of the Mouheneener people. She is a recipient of the United Nations Award for the International Year of the Culture of Peace and the Human Rights Award for Humanitarian Activities in Tasmania. Debra holds a Masters degree in Indigenous Health and was the Indigenous Co-Chair of the Stolen Generations Alliance. Debra works at the University of Wollongong and is the Deputy Chairperson of the Healing Foundation.

 

Professor Judy Atkinson, Secretary

Judy Atkinson recently retired as Director of Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples at Southern Cross University allowing her to focus on community work through the We Al-li healing program, and her duties as Board Member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation. Her heritage derives from the Jiman people of the Upper Dawson in Central West Queensland and the Bundjalung people of Northern New South Wales. Judy has focused most of her community and academic life working in the field of violence, trauma and healing. At the professional level, in this field, she has followed the oral tradition through her presentations as an invited keynote speaker at numerous conferences, many of which have been published. Judy is serving on the scientific research advisory committee for Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Steering committee for Oxfam Australia.

 

Noeleen Lopes, Treasurer

Noeleen Lopes is a Ghungalou woman living in Brisbane, Queensland. After graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Queensland in 1991, Noeleen went on to establish Gallang Place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation in 1994. Gallang Place was established to address transgenerational grief and trauma by providing counselling and support services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Noeleen is also the Founder of Ghungalou Aboriginal Corporation which works on native title issues, Gearing Up Investment Pty Ltd and has been a Board Member of the Southern Queensland Regional Parole Board since 2001.

 

Graham Gee

Graham Gee is a descendent of the Garawa nation and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. He has a teaching background in education and worked for some years in the area of Native Title and Land Justice. After completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology, Graham began working as a counsellor at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service while also undertaking a combined Masters/PhD degree in Clinical Psychology at Melbourne University. His work primarily involves counselling clients who have experienced trauma, grief and loss. The focus of Graham’s PhD research is on trauma and resilience in urban Koori communities.

 

Hannah McGlade

Hannah McGlade is a Noongar woman living in Perth. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Murdoch University 1995), a Masters in Law (Murdoch University 2001) and a PhD  (Curtin University 2011). Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1996, Hannah has specialised in human rights law and her work has been the subject of many publications and test cases concerning Aboriginal human rights. She is a member of the WA State Administrative Tribunal – Human Rights stream and  an Adjunct Researcher at the Curtin Centre for Human Rights Education. In 2011, Hannah was  named the recipient of the prestigious Stanner Award for her PhD thesis concerning Aboriginal child sexual assault and the justice system. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Family Violence Prevention Legal Service Hannah works to improve legal responses and services for Aboriginal survivors of family violence and child sexual assault.

 

Tracey Currie

Tracey Currie is a Badtjala woman from the Fraser Coast in Queensland. She has held numerous positions on boards and advisory committees at a local and national level including the Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia Policy Council, National Co-Morbidity Forum, the Weetapoona Aboriginal Corporation, the National Aboriginal Workforce Committee for the Department of Education, Science and Training and the Department of Health and Ageing. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Social Science from Southern Cross University. She has completed postgraduate studies in Journalism and Public Sector Management. As the Chief Executive Officer of Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative, Tracey is responsible for managing the Aboriginal Medical Service and Early Childhood, Aged Care, Disability, Housing and Transport programs. Prior to this Tracey was the Chief Executive Officer of the peak body of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Council of Tasmania and has experience as a Manager in Australian government departments.

 

Shaun Coade

Shaun Coade is a Windajeri man from Monaro country. His sits on the Committee of Management for Education and Training of Aboriginal Health Workers in Victoria, the partnership committee between the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and Take Two, the Committee of Management for Child Abuse in Victoria, and is the Chair of the Walking Together group. With 15 years experience in Indigenous mental health and trauma, Sean holds a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Deakin University and a Graduate Certificate in Family Therapy from La Trobe University. Shaun has held positions as a psychiatric nurse, grief and trauma counsellor, policy officer and cross-cultural educator. He is the author of ‘Yarning Up on Trauma: healing ourselves, healing our children and families, healing our communities’; and ‘Purro birik Koori mental health policy project’ in partnership with the VACCHO. Shaun is the Manager of Aboriginal Service Development at Berry Street Victoria and is employed by La Trobe University in the area of Indigenous curriculum development.

 

Charles Passi

Charles Passi is a “Daurareb” tribesman from the Meriam islands in eastern Torres Strait. Charles lives on Thursday Island where he plays a leading role in the community. He is an Ambassador for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, an Executive member of Kaziw Asesered Le Inc, a member of Mura Kosker Sorority Inc, Lena Passi Women’s Shelter Inc, and a member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group for the Queensland Centre for Family and Domestic Violence