Wayne Bergmann
Wayne Bergmann is at the forefront of Indigenous rights as Chief Executive Officer of the Kimberley Land Council.  Mr Bergmann has been able to pursue his passion of Indigenous empowerment, while working at the helm of the Kimberley Land Council, one of Australia’s leading organisations dealing with Aboriginal land rights and land resource issues.

This passion comes from his strong cultural connections gained while growing up in Derby and from his Nykina and Nyul Nyul ancestry.  Mr Bergmann has gained extensive knowledge from his varied background, in which he has worked as a boilermaker, Director of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre and as a qualified lawyer.  Mr Bergmann’s focus is on working with and supporting Indigenous people in getting back their country, caring for their country and gaining power over their futures.  This is evidenced in his commitment to securing the rights and interests of Kimberley Traditional Owners through the Native Title system.

Leslie-Ann Conway
Mrs Conway has Noongar, Yamatji and Wongai affiliations and lives in Kalgoorlie.  She is the Executive Manager of an Indigenous Maternal and Infant Health Care Centre which caters for ante and post natal mothers and infants up to 5 years old.

Mrs Conway has extensive experience in change management in Indigenous organisations particularly in governance and has assisted organisations through periods of transition, while ensuring staff maintain suitable responses to the priority issue of service delivery to the community.

She has worked with and in government agencies involved in social priorities relative to Aboriginal people. She has worked previously with Commissioners, Chairpersons and Councillors of the Mulga Mallee ATSIC Regional Council, as a Solution Broker with the ICC and assisted in the development of local Shared Responsibility Agreements. 

She is a member of the Strong Families Reference Group, local Aboriginal Justice Agreement Group, Emergency Relief Community Collective, the Aboriginal Collaborative Council for Applied Research and Evaluation (with TICHR),  the Aboriginal Child Health Network and is the newly elected Goldfields representative on the WA Aboriginal and Education Training Council.

Colleen Drage
Ms Drage identifies as a Nunda woman who lives in Northampton.  She is a grass roots community worker with a positive community profile and problem-solving attitude. 

Ms Drage works as a community coordinator in partnership with local Aboriginal organisations. She has also worked within the mining industry as a mentor in the recruitment of Indigenous employees to meet mining industry standards, including the provision of appropriate licences and development of life skills to work in a fly-in fly-out environment. 

She is a member of the Mid West and Gascoyne Aboriginal Healing Project and is employed as a Coordinator - Aboriginal Programs with both Wila Gutharra Aboriginal Corporation and Wandalgu Arts Aboriginal Corporation.

Ms Drage volunteers through the Reach Foundation in Northampton and Geraldton to mentor Indigenous trainees and provides advice to Western Australian Police in Northampton on cultural matters affecting the local community.  She is a support worker and assists families through the Strong Families and Strong Culture program.

Since 2001 Ms Drage has acted in the role of Mid West representative on the committee which administers the Pallottine Aboriginal Scholarship Trust. This trust awards post-secondary scholarships to Indigenous people.  For 14 years she was an active staff member of Wandalgu Hostel which supported the education of Indigenous primary and secondary students.  Ms Drage has lived all of her life in the mid west working in the community in which she grew up and remains close to family cultural connections.

Raylene Gordon
Ms Gordon lives in South Hedland and identifies as a Kariyarra person.  She is an active member of the Kariyarra Native Title Working Group Party and has been part of the group since its establishment.  Ms Gordon previously worked at the Wangka Maya Aboriginal Languages Centre in South Hedland as a language specialist.

She believes that the establishment of the Council is an exciting concept and provides an ideal opportunity for Aboriginal people to share their knowledge and provide a two way exchange of information between the State Government and the Community.

Ms Gordon is fluent in the Ngukumarnta and Yindibarndi Indigenous languages.  It is a passion of hers to work for Aboriginal people, represent them and come up with fresh ideas that will make a positive change for the future.

Michael Hayden
Mr Hayden identifies as being a Njaki Njaki Noongar and lives in Perth.  He has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Indigenous Community Management and Development and is employed at the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts as a program officer delivering Indigenous art, culture, language and broadcasting programs to communities in the West Kimberley and Pilbara regions.

Mr Hayden was integral in initiating the development of the recently launched One Sky, Many Paths, WA Indigenous Youth Leadership Program.  He has won a number of awards including, 2004 WA Youth of the Year, WA Young Leader of the year, 2005 WA Young Citizen of the Year Award, 2004 National NAIDOC Youth of the Year and was a 2004 WA Finalist for Young Australian of the Year.

He is a member of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council and is a previous member of the Wheatbelt Aboriginal Justice Committee. He manages the Njaki Njaki Cultural Heritage Program involving the recording of Njaki Njaki Noongar traditional knowledge and conducting intergenerational camps on country.  He has a strong interest in Aboriginal Culture and Heritage, Aboriginal social justice and politics and Aboriginal anthropology and archaeology.

Glenda Humes
Ms Hume’s family connections are with the Gunditmara people from the Western Districts of Victoria and the Jarwoyn people from the top end.  She has been married to a Noongar man for the past 40 years and lives in Bunbury.

Ms Humes is the CEO of the South West Aboriginal Medical Service and has a law degree and a Masters in Indigenous Social Policy.  She identifies four big issues for Indigenous people within Western Australia – employment, housing, health and education.  Other issues for consideration are income-management and the continuing trend to imprison Aboriginal people despite recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in custody. 
 
Closing the life expectancy gap is of paramount importance as is raising the socio economic status of Aboriginal people, keeping men out of gaol and keeping Mums and babies healthy. 

In her current role Ms Humes was in a position to respond quickly to the number of suicides in Narrogin and was able to send a team of social workers and Aboriginal family to the town for support.  She has been involved in a number of committees and councils which have provided advice to Federal and State Government Ministers.

Robert Isaacs
Mr Isaacs is from the Bibilmum Noongar Language Group and lives in the Perth Metropolitan area.  Mr Isaacs works for the Department of Housing and Works.  He has been awarded the OAM and is a Justice of the Peace.  He is widely respected and recognised for his contributions to Aboriginal health, Aboriginal affairs, employment, education and the community.

Mr Isaacs was previously a Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister for Housing and Aboriginal Affairs and became the first Aboriginal person elected to local government as Councillor and Deputy Mayor for the City of Gosnells.

Ms Isaacs has received many awards including Multicultural Community Services Ambassadors Award 2008, Australian of the Year Finalist 2006, Centenary Medal of Honour 2003, Western Australian Aboriginal of the year 2001 and many more.

He has held a number of key positions on different committees and boards including Foundation Member, President and Chair of the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, Chair of the Marr Mooditji Aboriginal Health Workers College and founder of the Aboriginal Medical Service Dental Clinic.

Mr Isaacs is passionate about building a genuine, respectful and reciprocal relationship between Aboriginal people and the WA Government and believes this to be the way forward in sharing better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Rhonda Murphy
Ms Murphy is a Walmajarri Gooniyandi woman from Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley.  She has a degree in Indigenous Community Health, lives in Perth and is Principal Consultant of Yarmintali Consultancy.

Ms Murphy has more than 20 years professional experience in operational, community and policy development in the community sector, Indigenous affairs, disability sector and community education.  She has completed projects in the metropolitan area, regional and remote Western Australia and on a national level.

Ms Murphy identifies a number of issues of importance to Aboriginal people including families, youth, employment and education, community capacity and development. She has demonstrated project management experience in all of the areas identified.

Ms Murphy has completed major contracts for a number of agencies including the Department of Housing and Works, Disability Services Commission, Department of Child Protection, WACOSS, Carers WA and Kim Bridge and Associates.

Ms Murphy is committed to Aboriginal people being respectfully involved in appropriate community engagement processes and the development and delivery of culturally responsive services to address Aboriginal disadvantage.

Harvey Murray
Mr Murray lives in the Cosmo Newberry Community and is employed as a CDEP Project Officer.  He is Chairperson for the Cosmo Newberry Aboriginal Corporation and has been for the past 18 years.  He is extensively involved in his local community particularly in a consultative role.  Mr Murray has served 16 years as a Governing committee member of the Ngaanyatjarra Council, 16 years as a Director of Indervon and was a Director of Aboriginal Air Services Alice Springs.

Mr Murray was involved with negotiating the Regional Partnership Agreement between Ngaanyatjarra Council, the State Government and the Commonwealth.  He will bring to the Council a raft of experience at the ‘grass roots’ level of running a remote Aboriginal community.

Through the CDEP program he coordinates keeping the community clean and tidy for it to be a place where children can be happy and attend school on a regular basis.

Eddie Oxenbridge
Mr Oxenbridge was born in Wyndham and is recognised by Elders and Indigenous communities in the region.   He recently moved to Perth for family commitments after spending most of his life in the East Kimberley Region and maintains a strong connection.

Mr Oxenbridge is employed as an Indigenous Community Education Officer with the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Commerce.   He works as part of a team implementing community education initiatives relevant to Indigenous consumers and traders in Western Australia.  He was previously Team Leader for Save the Children Australia's Kimberley Operations.

 Mr Oxenbridge believes the true voice of the Aboriginal people is often missed and overlooked.  He believes strongly that only Indigenous people can solve Indigenous problems.  As an Aboriginal man, he seeks to raise a voice, not in rhetoric and rage or political agenda, but rather with a constructive tone to achieve meaningful and achievable outcomes.

Mr Oxenbridge is proud of his achievements as previous CEO of three Aboriginal communities and has left them in a more stable financial position than when he arrived.  He believes that governance is the key to stability in many communities.

Bill Stephen
Bill Stephen came from Thursday Island in the Torres Straits, to Western Australia in the mid 1970s looking for work.  Originally he went to work on the Port Hedland – Marble Bar railway and at Finucane Island then moved to the Broome region working as a pearl diver at Kuri Bay.

From 1993 to 2002, Bill was the WA representative on the Torres Strait Islander Regional Authority National Representative Body and is still actively involved as a State representative.  Bill served in the Torres Strait Light Infantry in World War II, with active duty in Papua New Guinea at Mt Hagen.

At 73 years of age Bill is recognised and highly regarded as a Traditional Elder by Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Western Australia. He continues to practice traditional Torres Strait Islander dancing, cooking and actively promotes the sharing of cultural traditions and history to the wider community.

Bill is the Chairperson of the Saam Kareem Torres Strait Islander Corporation and Mallingbarr Aboriginal Corporation. He also has associations with a number of Torres Strait Islander community organisations around the State.

Vanessa Kickett
Ms Kickett is a 29-year-old woman who lives in Perth. She is employed by the Water Corporation as the Manager of Aboriginal Heritage Approvals.

Ms Kickett has recently completed the Indigenous Leadership Australia Program which was run by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.  She is an active member within her community being a member of the Swan Indigenous Reference Group, South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, Aboriginal Legal Service and the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service.

Ms Kickett has extensive experience working within the Native Title arena in the South West and North West regions.

She believes that being a member of the council will give her an understanding of the way forward that the Government is heading into to overcome Indigenous disadvantage in health, housing, education, heritage and culture, law and justice.