Who I Am
I was born in Hong Kong to Australian parents, with a family history based in Albany, Western Australia. I now live in Perth, land belonging to the Whadjuk Noongar people. I am married with three daughters. I take every opportunity I can to show them the beautiful country in which they live.
I would like to pay my humble respects and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the traditional owners and the Elders past and present who have cared for and kept healthy this incredible country for so many thousands of years.
Working with Aboriginal Organisations
My first experience on Traditional owner country was as the Judge’s associate during the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi native title claim in the Pilbara in 1999. My whole career has been shaped by those three months spent listening to the Elders telling their stories of dispossession but still looking after land and culture. I later spent ten years as a lawyer, five of them at the WA Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, often travelling through country and speaking to clients about their legal rights. More recently, I was Executive Officer at the Forum for Directors of Indigenous Organisations (FDIO) for three years, focusing on building the capability of Traditional owner directors and increasing the cultural awareness of Independent directors.
As Governance Partner at Grass Tree Governance, I will be focusing on sharing the knowledge that I have gained in the last 20 years with Aboriginal organisations in metropolitan, regional and remote areas of Western Australia. In working with current and new clients, I have no doubt that it is me who will be learning the most.
My qualifications – LLB, BA, GAICD
I am university educated, graduating in 1997 with LLB (Bachelor of Law) and BA (Bachelor of Arts – Politics and French) from the University of Western Australia. I graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Director’s Course in 2016.
Would you like to include me in your governance journey?