SENIOR ELDER & BOARD MEMBER - GREG UGLE
Greg is a Whadjuk and Ballardong Noongar Traditional Owner and author who has dedicated most of his life to Aboriginal culture. As a member of the Stolen Generation, Greg learned his culture from family and friends before he was taken at 10 years old and after he was evicted from Kurrawang mission at age 18.
Greg has been an active member of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) for over 20 years. Until recently, he was the Chair of the Cultural Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Whadjuk Aboriginal Regional Corporation, where he was responsible for making decisions to protect Noongar culture.
Through the CAC and the SWALSC Whadjuk Working Party prior to that, he has provided cultural advice on hundreds of projects in Perth and its surrounds. Greg is a member of the Metronet Noongar Reference Group, providing advice through the Noongar Cultural Recognition, Cultural Input into Place Making and Noongar Place Names programs, as well as helping to develop Cultural Context Documents for each project.
Greg was previously a Board Member and subsequent Director of Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service for many years and was heavily involved in the Eastern Goldfields Regional Aboriginal Advancement Council.
Greg is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association and co-creator of the BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program.
SENIOR ELDER & BOARD MEMBER - MAY MCGUIRE
May McGuire is a Noongar Elder, a Traditional Owner of Whadjuk and Yued Boodja, and a widely respected Noongar community leader.
May was born in New Norcia and separated from her parents at just 9 years old as a member of the Stolen Generation. She spent the next five years at New Norcia Mission before being allowed to rejoin her family at age 14 to commence work.
May later studied health at Marr Mooditj College and in 1987 was selected to attend the award ceremony for the prestigious World Health Organisation Sasakawa Health Prize for Primary Care at the United Nations in Geneva with Professor Aunty Joan Winch.
After completing her studies, May went on to work in health and community wellbeing roles for the Aboriginal Medical Service, later the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service (DYHS), in Perth. May is a Life Member of the DYHS and sat on its Board for several years. May has also worked for the Welfare Department, Kellerberrin Hospital and the Aboriginal Visitors Scheme, supporting inmates in the prison system.
May has participated in many cultural projects in Perth including the Gnarla Moort (Our People) exhibition by the City of Perth. May is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association.
CHAIRPERSON - WALTER McGUIRE
As a descendent of several tribal groups in the South West of Western Australia, Walter is a Traditional Owner of Noongar Boodjar which includes the Whadjuk lands on which Perth stands and the adjacent Ballardong and Yued Boodja.
Walter is a strong advocate and example of self-determination. He is a Founding Director of Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences, a nationally award-winning tourism and cultural services business, and he has a long history working in Aboriginal education, health, housing, policy and mentoring for the Commonwealth, WA State Government and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations.
Walter is the current Chair of the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) and a Committee Member of the Wadjemup Aboriginal Reference Group, a Cabinet-appointed advisory group to the Rottnest Island Authority. He was previously the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services Aboriginal Corporation and a Committee Member of the Western Australian Indigenous Health Ethics Research Committee.
Walter holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous Community Management and Development from Curtin University and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. He is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association and has Chaired the organisation since its inception in May 2022.
VICE-CHAIRPERSON - MEG MCGUIRE
Meg is a Kungarakan Traditional Owner whose ancestral homelands lie in the Finniss River region of the Northern Territory, although she has called Perth her home for over 40 years.
Meg is a writer, artist, musician and Founding Director of Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences. Meg commenced working life as a Special Librarian with the Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs and quickly expanded into Ministerial work, Aboriginal programs, medical research and community engagement roles in employment, education, health and policy sectors within urban, rural and remote Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Meg is currently an Appointed Member of the Executive Board of Destination Perth, a regional tourism organisation made up of industry representatives appointed for their skills and experience in the tourism industry. She was previously the Chair of the Kungarakan Culture and Education Association.
Meg holds two degrees from Curtin University, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Librarianship) and a Graduate Certificate in English (Creative Writing), and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. She is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association.
BOARD MEMBER - callum haines
Callum is a fifth-generation Australian with Celtic ancestry that can be traced to Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Callum has a strong interest in restoration of the natural environment and recently retrained to obtain professional qualifications in landcare and conservation at TAFE.
Callum was previously employed as an Electrical Reliability Engineer for a large global mining conglomerate and was responsible for coordinating teams and maintaining an annual management budget of $10+ million across two large mine sites in the Central Pilbara.
Callum is the Coordinator of the Friends of Glen Forrest Superblock Group, where he organises community landcare activities, engages with local residents and liaises with government agencies to support the long-standing volunteer group. He is a former Treasurer of the Helena River Catchment Group Inc, where he digitised a 20+ year old paper accounting system, and a former Committee Member of Centrals Football Club in Newman.
Callum is a licensed electrician and has qualifications in telecommunications, high-voltage power transmission and conservation. He is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association.
BOARD MEMBER - ILONA MCGUIRE
Ilona is a Noongar and Kungarakan Traditional Owner and conceptual artist whose interest in pre and post-colonial histories informs her writing, performance and visual work.
Ilona has exhibited at the John Curtin Gallery, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), The Orangery Gallery and Stala Contemporary Art Gallery, and has enjoyed residencies with Cool Change Contemporary and Rumata Artspace in Indonesia. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Curtin University and was a 2023 Finalist in the John Stringer Prize.
Ilona was previously employed as Artistic Associate at Fremantle Biennale and was responsible for overseeing production of major programs including First Lights, which has presented in Albany, Esperance, Ningaloo and Exmouth, Cowaramup, Darwin and Bowral (NSW). Ilona was also the Lead Artist for Biennale’s 2021 Festival, with her artwork Moombaki headlining the event with 160 drones showcasing the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) and traditional Noongar storylines.
Ilona has previously worked as a Tour Guide, sharing Noongar culture with visitors, schools and corporate groups, and she has held positions at the West Australian Ballet and Regional Arts WA and PICA’s Artist Advisory Board. She is a Founding Member of Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - FRANCESCA FLYNN
Francesca is an English-born Australian citizen who has called Perth home for over 13 years after emigrating from Manchester in the UK.
Francesca is an environmental scientist and program manager with 18 years’ experience in contaminated land assessment and remediation. She is the Founder of Evergreen Consultancy WA, a small boutique consultancy that specialises in strategic project development for the environment and tourism sectors.
Francesca was previously employed as the WA Geoscience and Remediation Lead at a global engineering firm where she managed a team of 30 scientists and an annual portfolio of $15 million.
Francesca has previously held positions at the Australian Contaminated Land Consultants Association, Mundaring Chamber of Commerce, Kalamunda Mountain Bike Collective and Kalamunda Tourism Reference Group. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science (Distinction) from the University of Manchester and two Bachelor of Science degrees in Environmental Science and Psychology.
Along with Greg Ugle, Francesca is a co-creator of the BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program and is responsible for overseeing its development and implementation with the BNAA Board and Senior Elders.
