I’m honoured to step into the role of National Service Manager for 13YARN, leading a dedicated national team supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country. As a proud First Nations woman from the Cannemegal/Warmuli clan of the Darug Nation, this role holds deep personal meaning for me.
13YARN is a service built on trust, culture and care. I believe healing lives in relationships - to each other, to culture and Country. I’m committed to strengthening culturally safe practice, supporting the wellbeing of our Crisis Support Workers, and working alongside our national team, partners and communities to ensure people are met with understanding, dignity and respect when they reach out for support. Together I am confident we can continue to strengthen 13YARN as a place of connection, safety and hope for our communities.
Alan is a proud Murranbulla Marra Yanyuwa descendant from his grandmother’s country near Ngukurr in the N.T. Alan grew up in Darwin and has a background in public health gaining invaluable experience in various roles within the public health system including working in acute mental health, respiratory, renal, as well as rehabilitation and outpatient wards including home visits.
Whilst previously being employed as an Aboriginal liaison officer within a mental health setting, Alan further gained a sound understanding of mental health through a client centered approach, understanding the cycles of psychosis and the benefits that social and emotional wellbeing has on an individual. Alan has knowledge in risk assessment and recognising how to evaluate current social determinants present which he applied during case management.
Through lived experience, Alan understands the different ways trauma can manifest within an individual, family and community and its devastating effect if not addressed and managed effectively with the right services and supports. He has been fortunate to have travelled to most parts of Australia and engaged face to face with communities and services on country, both rural and remote and gained insight into the unique issues and barriers affecting those communities.
Within his role, he has a strong community and stakeholder engagement focus and advocating for change within the crisis support and social emotional wellbeing sector. Alan encourages all organisations who invite change, have strong service delivery who are focused on empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders closing the gap and a suicide free nation for the present and future to reach out to 13YARN and let’s have a yarn.
Dallas has worked in Aboriginal Affairs most of his working life most recently with the Aboriginal Housing Office in NSW. He has worked with Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations to raise their sustainability to gain and keep National Registration through a contractual and Housing Provider Framework Process. Dallas has also successfully managed the three Regions within the AHO which gives makes him highly visible throughout NSW. Dallas is very well respected in community by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. When he is not working hard he is a popular DJ.
We are very excited about Jia joining the 13YARN communications team as the Digital Media Coordinator to support and tend to all the 13YARN social media and digital platforms for the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander line.
Jia is a Gamilaroi man from Gunnedah NSW who has experience working on several first nations communications and community engagement projects providing cultural awareness within Accor. He also has experience working on several other community programs in a communications capacity that have provided services to the first nations communities of NSW in the health and arts sector.
COUNTRY(MOB): Nunukul, Quandamooka
Leilani is already well known within the sector for her work and leadership in Suicide Prevention and Mental Health she is a powerful advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led, culturally informed practices within mainstream services. This has been built from her own personal lived experience of losing many loved ones to suicide and her own mental ill health. Living with depression, anxiety and suicidality Leilani navigates workplace obligations and her own wellbeing.
Through her leadership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre she will continue to work closely with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to support and empower their voices and participation in key policy reform, program development and advisory roles across both the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention sector.
Rachel is a proud descendant of the Yuin Nation and is the Chief Executive Officer of Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, being a part of the organisation since its commencement. Driven by lived experience of systemic neglect as a child carer, Rachel aspires to contribute to creating systemic change to the mental health system, especially for children and caring arrangements to achieve the highest attainable standard of mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Rachel has over a decade of experience in the health sector including the optometry industry and community-controlled sector at the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and senior roles at Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Social Policy) and Masters of Business Management from the University of Wollongong.
Rachel was recognised by Lifeline Canberra as the 2022 Rising Woman of Spirit for her outstanding community spirit and resilience in the face of adversity, through continuing to push for reforms to ensure other children do not experience the same systemic neglect.
Rachel is a board member of Fearless Women and an Independent Member of Capital Health Network’s Audit and Risk Committee.
COUNTRY(MOB): Wathaurong/Gunditjmara
Tania is Managing Director and Founder of Tiimanno Consultants. Tania is a proud Wathaurong/Gunditjmara woman who is based in Geelong.
Tania is a registered psychologist and has been Chairperson of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association since 2013.
Tania is also a Director of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership in Mental Health (NATSIMHL) group and a member of the AHPRA Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Health Strategy Group.
COUNTRY(MOB): Bardi people in Western Australia
Pat Dudgeon is a psychologist and professor at the Poche Centre for Aboriginal Health and the School of Indigenous Studies at UWA. Her area of research includes Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.
She is the director of the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention at UWA. She is also the lead chief investigator of a national research project, Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing that aims to develop approaches to Indigenous mental health services that promote cultural values and strengths as well as empowering users. She has many publications in Indigenous mental health, in particular, the Working Together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principals and Practice 2014.
13YARN and Lifeline Australia acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
13YARN Photography by Wayne Quillam 2022, Australia
