Share the Elders Voices

Belinda is a descendent of the Ngiyampaa people of New South Wales on her paternal side, whose land extended over 6,600 square miles (17,000 km²), south of the Barwon and Darling rivers, from Brewarrina to Dunlop, including Yanda Creek to the source of Mulga Creek and the Bogan River. Her maternal side is Barkandji, which inhabited an area of 7,500 square miles (19,000 km²), including the Darling River, the town of Wilcannia, the Paroo River and Broken Hill. Sissy King is her sister.  Belinda has lived on the Darling River all of her life. She experienced a happy childhood and grew up with a loving mother, father, grandmother, two sisters and two brothers. Belinda is a widow and mother of six children and a grandmother of eight children. She has been a continuous member of Rotary Club Australia since high school and worked at St Therese Infants Community School as a Teachers Aid for four years. In 1999, she undertook the role of cooking lunches for the children.  Belinda has completed a hospitality course and worked in the Wilcannia Club Hotel as a bartender for five years. In 2018 she worked at the local coffee shop.   She is committed to standing against the distortion of our traditional and sacred Aboriginal hunter-gatherer culture. She is opposed to fake Aboriginal people and the failed Aboriginal leadership groups, particularly the harm she has seen them cause in her community and elsewhere. Belinda believes the most important issue in Aboriginal communities is affordable and quality housing. She wants you to know, she loves her Aboriginal cultural heritage and her Scottish ancestry and would love to know more about it.. .

Alan Coe is a resident of Lakes Entrance, Victoria. He is from a large Aboriginal family, a descendant of the Wiradjuri people, which is considered the largest Aboriginal group in New South Wales. It is estimated the Wiradjuri tribal lands were around 127,000 square kilometres or 49,000 square miles, ranging on the east from above Mudgee through Orange, close to Bathurst and east of Cowra, Young and Tumut, south to the upper Murray at Albury and east to Tumbarumba. Their southern borders run to Howlong and the western borders traversed Billabong Creek to beyond Mossgiel and extended southwest to Hay and Narrandera. Condobolin southwards to Booligal, Carrathool, Wagga Wagga, Cootamundra, Parkes, Trundle, Gundagai, Boorowa, Rylstone, Wellington and Carcoar, all lie within Wiradjuri lands.  Having turned his life around, Alan now works part-time in volunteer roles for his community. He also works with government departments and statutory authorities, focusing on the needs of Aboriginal communities. He is a mentor in Victorian prisons and works as an engagement officer with Aboriginal pre-release inmates, focusing on their employment prospects. Alan is a member of two local Aboriginal Boards: The Barrier Breakers: Disability Advocacy and the local Aboriginal Art gallery, Wurrinbeena.   Alan is committed to improving the position of Aboriginal Australians. In 2019, he was privileged to receive two awards: Victorian Department of Justice, Aboriginal Elder of the Year and Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee, Aboriginal Elder of the Year. Alan believes both awards reflect the importance of his people and the Aboriginal communities he works closely with

Kathleen is a descendent of the Budjiti people. She was born in Quilpie and raised in the red dirt of her Currawinya ancestral country, which is located in south west Queensland. Budjiti country is within Queensland’s Bulloo and Paroo Shire Councils and encompasses the towns of Eulo and Hungerford. It also takes in the Paroo River, Currawinya National Park, Caiwarro Waterhole, Dynevor Lakes, Boorara Lakes and Currawinya Lakes. The Mulga semi-arid lands are striking landscapes, composed of dune field features, granite boulders, sand plains, dissected tablelands, clay pans and salt pans. They are also replete with valuable water sources including saline lakes, freshwater lakes, riverine waterholes and ancient mound springs.  Kathleen describes herself as reliable, determined and committed. Despite not finishing high school, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts and completed a law degree while undergoing treatment for cancer.  She obtained a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and was a small business owner before she was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. She has worked for the Queensland Government, Queensland Parliament and Federal Government.  Married with two children, Kathleen lives in Queensland’s beautiful Garden City of Toowoomba. She moved home to country to be her mother’s full-time carer, which is the cultural calling of the oldest daughter in her family. She praises her mother for her exceptional storytelling skills, humility, courage and determination.  Kathleen is a recognised leader in her community and is known as an advocate for the improved conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. She was the first Indigenous lawyer to be appointed to The Advocacy and Support Centre (TASC) and she provides legal services to seniors who are concerned about and/or affected by elder abuse, mistreatment and/or financial exploitation. She is passionate about empowering older people living in her community at a time of life when they need someone to respectfully listen and provide support. She shares her knowledge, including her legal expertise, openly with our elders.

Lillian Crombie is a descendent of the Pitjintjara (Yungkuntjara) people, from lands in South Australia’s northwest, extending across the border into the Northern Territory, south of Lake Amadeus and across to the west close to the Western Australian border. Today about 4,000 Anangu people live in small communities and outstations on these tribal lands.  Lillian revealed a talent for dance and acting at an early age. She was the first Aboriginal professional ballet dancer, who trained in classical, modern, jazz and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances. She studied at leading Australian performing arts institutions and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York.   A trailblazing Australian actor, in 2019 Lillian won the Equity Lifetime Achievement Award for her achievements in the Australian entertainment industry. She has had many feature-film roles, including in Baz Luhrmann's highly acclaimed film, Australia. Her television and theatre production credits are extensive and include Lucky Miles. Mystery Road, The Secret Life of Us, and Rainbow’s End, to name just a few.  Lillian is known for her generosity. In 1988, she contributed to the establishment of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association as part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander founding dance group. She founded and chairs the Lillian Crombie Foundation, which supports travel and communication costs associated with funerals for those in a financial crisis and/or need. The Foundation also offers referrals to grief counsellors and financial counselling services.  Lillian lives in Adelaide, South Australia, and enjoys running dance and drama workshops with local kids at Port Pirie, Port Augusta and surrounding regions.

Tammy is descended from the Ngiyampaa people of New South Wales on her paternal side, whose land extends over 6,600 square miles (17,000 km²), south of the Barwon and Darling rivers, from Brewarrina to Dunlop, including Yanda Creek to the source of Mulga Creek and the Bogan River. Her maternal side is Barkandji, which inhabited an area of 7,500 square miles (19,000 km²), including the Darling River, the town of Wilcannia, the Paroo River and Broken Hill. Tammy is Sissy King's sister.  Tammy is a widow and mother of seven children, who tragically lost her oldest daughter, Gloria Grace Rose, to suicide in 2020. The tragedy happened at the same time the women of Wilcannia planned to travel to Parliament House, Canberra, to draw attention to Bruce Pascoe and his supporters’ dishonourable actions with regard to Aboriginal history and to stop their unrelenting character assassination of people like Josephine Cashman who resisted their activities. Nonetheless Tammy and the other Wilcannia women courageously decided to go ahead with the trip to Canberra. Tammy’s daughter will never be forgotten. There is a dedication to Gloria Grace Rose on the https://onevoiceaustralia.com.au/dedication-to-gloria website. Tammy has dedicated her life to the prevention of youth suicide, particularly in Aboriginal communities where youth suicide is at unacceptable levels.  She believes the Wilcannia women will persevere until their (currently) voiceless people are heard and taken seriously. Tammy is determined to make certain the Aboriginal imposters and the failed Aboriginal leadership, which for decades have been taking advantage of our beautiful people, are held to account for the avoidable suffering they cause in Aboriginal communities and elsewhere. The tragic loss of her precious daughter, Gloria Grace Rose, will forever inspire her. Her memory will survive, as a symbolic representation of the unnecessary harm these people have caused. Tammy sits on the Board of the local Aboriginal Land Council. Before the tragedy, she worked at the after-school homework centre her mother established, but has taken a break since the death of Gloria Grace Rose.

Tanya is a proud descendent of the Ngarluma people of the western Pilbara, Roebourne and Karratha and the Nyigina people from the lower Fitzroy River country, which her people call martuwarra. It is located in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.  Tanya is committed to ending Aboriginal identity fraud and is a tireless advocate for State Wards, past and present. She was denied her identity, like many children removed from their families, and is determined to make a difference. In fact, she is one of nine children, seven of whom were eventually made Wards of the State. Her paternal grandmother lived on Western Australia’s Beagle Bay Mission, and Tanya’s mother and her brother were removed from Roebourne in the Pilbara, WA and were also made Wards of the State.  Tanya sustains an extensive Aboriginal network. She is trusted, known for her courage and recognised across Aboriginal Australia as a leading voice against Aboriginal identity fraud. She runs a number of online support groups, upholds the values of our ancient Aboriginal culture, and is a self-taught genealogist. In recognition of more than 40 years of selfless community service on these issues, Tanya received the 2015 Spirit of Eureka SA Award, in which she was nominated by her peers, unions, community organisations and church groups, who greatly appreciate her advocacy and awareness raising about #SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA to stop the forced closures of Aboriginal Communities, Aboriginal State Wards and Aboriginal identity fraud.  Tanya currently lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She is the mother of five children (three of whom were born in New York, USA), who are her primary motivation. She values her Aboriginal culture and wants her children to grow up in touch with their Aboriginal hunter-gatherer and spiritual heritage.