Shane Charles
Co-Chair
Read MoreShane is born and bred from Shepparton; a strong Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung man.
He is a highly experienced and inspirational Aboriginal leader with a strong track record across a range of sectors including education and training, justice, and cultural heritage within both Aboriginal and mainstream organisations.
Mr Charles said he was a passionate advocate for reconciliation who enjoys sharing cultural knowledge to make a difference.
Andrew Gunstone
Co-Chair
Read MoreProfessor Andrew Gunstone is the inaugural Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Reconciliation at Federation University.
Andrew has institutional responsibility for reconciliation and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Andrew is an international expert in academic and industry engagements and understandings of reconciliation. He has written over 130 publications and regularly provides advice to industry, community, and governments.
Based on his experiences and research, Andrew argues there are several key elements of reconciliation: Indigenous rights; Indigenous knowledges; cultural safety; addressing racism and whiteness; truth-telling; reparative justice; and relationships.
Keith Gove
Secretary
Read MoreKeith has been a member of his local reconciliation group for 18 years, 17 of which he has been President. He was elected to the Reconciliation Victoria Council in 2006 and served as Co-Chair from 2008 until 2016.
He sees that reconciliation has two major outcomes: one is to overcome the unacceptable disadvantage that Aboriginal people experience due to the arrival of Europeans to the land now called Australia.
The second is for non-Aboriginal Australians to embrace, recognise and value Aboriginal culture, identity and history; to build it into a new Australian identity. This respect and recognition will strengthen Aboriginal people and communities.
Bob Williams
Treasurer
Read MoreBob is a full time accountant and managing director with Yarn Strong Sista.
Tom Cazaly
Board Member
Read MoreTom is a proud Noongar man and school leader with the Victorian Department of Education. Originally from country Victoria, Tom gained undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications in Politics and Education at the University of Melbourne prior to embarking on a career in the education and political arenas.
Tom has worked as a political advisor and campaign manager in both Federal and State Election contexts, as well as providing specialist advice on the growth and recruitment of members to a major political party. Outside of politics, Tom has worked in a number of schools as both a classroom teacher and school leader, including time spent in Western Australia and the United Kingdom.
Tom is passionate about working alongside Koori students to achieve the highest standard of education possible and to provide a learning environment that allows each student the opportunity to work towards their individual goals. Tom is humbled to have been appointed to the board of Reconciliation Victoria and looks forward to making a contribution to the strategic direction of the organisation.
Alistair King
Board Member
Read MoreAlistair has 30 years experience in the management of communications, public relations, marketing and community engagement in the government and not-for-profit sectors. His qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics degree and a Graduate Diploma in Marketing.
His roles have included Director, Strategic Communications and Marketing at the Department of State Development, Communications Manager roles at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and Manager of Corporate Communications at the Department of Justice.
Alistair has a long-standing commitment to social justice and reconciliation issues. He has previously undertaken pro bono work for Reconciliation Victoria and mentored Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as part of the Dulin Project. He is currently a board director of Your Community Health, a provider of health services to diverse communities in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, of which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are a priority.
Emily Poelina-Hunter
Board Member
Read MoreDr Emily Poelina-Hunter, is a proud Nyikina woman, from Western Australia. Her community work on Birr Nganka Nyikina the first English-Nyikina dictionary (published in 2014) strengthened her connection to Country, and her language work continues to inform her teaching philosophy and community development perspectives. She has lived in Melbourne from the age of 28 (when she started her PhD in Archaeology at the University of Melbourne in 2010) to now.
Emily is a Lecturer in the Aboriginal Studies discipline at La Trobe University, where she coordinate the following subjects: Politics of Indigenous Australia, Indigenous Community Development, and Decolonising Aboriginal Studies. Emily is very interested in policies and strategies that benefit Indigenous Australians and decolonising education institutions. Her previous job was in local government, with the City of Melbourne, where she held a short term role as the (Acting) Reconciliation Lead.
Reconciliation Action Plans are of personal interest to her because she has used them as a student and an employee to assert her rights and make positive change in universities and local government roles she has held. Emily wants to contribute to the Aboriginal community in Melbourne and wider Victoria to pay her respects to their sovereignty and honour the Welcome to Country ceremonies she has had the joy of experiencing.
Fiona Machin
Board Member
Read MoreDr Fiona Machin grew up in regional Victoria and currently lives and works in Bendigo. Her work for the past 8 years has focused on driving reconciliation within local government and the public sector and working in partnership with Traditional Owners and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across central and northern Victoria.
She has been the reconciliation officer for both the City of Greater Bendigo and the City of Ballarat, and is currently working in reconciliation at the North Central Catchment Management Authority. Previous roles include working in cultural diversity with multicultural youth and CALD communities, and in international development both in Australia and Cambodia. Her qualifications include a PhD in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.
Fiona has a passion for driving reconciliation in local government and looks forward to better supporting local councils and communities, particularly within rural and regional Victoria, on their reconciliation journeys.
Maria Fletcher-Dugan
Board Member
Read MoreMaria is a proud Islander woman with connection to land and sea from Sai Bai Island in the Torres Straits to Papua New Guinea.
She is a Human Resources (HR) professional with over 10 years’ experience initiating, implementing, and leading Human Resources and Administration strategy initiatives.
Maria’s career journey started in a time when there was no support in the HR sector for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in mainstream organisations. Despite feeling isolated from her community and culture, Maria persisted, learning strong skills, and creating solid foundations. The road to self-determination and resilience was a lonely one but it paid off and today Maria works in the HR sector providing support and mentoring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. An important role that works towards building self-determination and sustainable employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Maria came on board as a member of the Reconciliation Victoria board in August 2022 and is interested in contributing skills and knowledge to support reconciliation objectives across Victoria and to promote deeper understanding, respect, and justice for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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