Reviving Culture

Desmond Crump is the Indigenous Languages Coordinator at the State Library of Queensland. His family origins are from South-West Queensland. As well as Indigenous Languages, Des also has an interest in Queensland history as well as boriginal soldiers in WW1.

Cheryl Leavy is an award-winning writer of non-fiction, poetry, and children's literature. Her children’s book, Yanga – Mother, published by UQP in 2024, was recently shortlisted for an Australian Book Industry Award. Cheryl has also been awarded the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Indigenous Poetry, a Varuna Residency, a Queensland Writers Fellowship and a Queensland Museum Fellowship. Her poetry has been published by Cordite, Griffith Review and UQP, and has been commissioned by art museums here and internationally. Cheryl has served on many boards including the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Writers Festival and the Institute of Modern Art. Cheryl is passionate about using the power of language and culture to advance human rights, with a focus on climate and land justice.

Raised on ancestral Country of the Wakka Wakka and also proudly Gooreng Gooreng, Sandra is a mother and grandmother. Professionally, Sandra leads cultural change as Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement) in Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Queensland. In 2016, Sandra won the Johnno Award for outstanding contribution to writing in Queensland, after a long career in editing and publishing with Magabala Books, UQP, ASP, and freelancing. Sandra now publishes in diverse outlets, her formal qualifications are in the social sciences and creative industries, her worldview is Aboriginal, and in the simplest terms, she joins dots and makes things happen.

Alec Doomadgee is an Aboriginal activist, respected leader and advocate for Aboriginal rights. He is highly regarded amongst his people and peers as a Tribal Lore man and Warrior for the “Knowledge Keepers”. He began his career in radio, later breaking into television presenting and acting, and more recently became a much sort after motivational speaker, Emcee and mentor. Alec was recently seen in the ABC series Cleverman, and starred in the award winning TV series Redfern Now (2012) and co-presented the ABC3 series On the Edge (2010). He hosted music TV show Volumz for NITV and has become a well-respected and much loved TV personality among Aboriginal people. In 2015, Alec performed Street Theatre at the famous Venice Biennale, Italy. Later that year, one of Alec’s career highlights was giving a TEDx talk to a packed out concert hall at the Sydney Opera House and a global audience via a live internet stream. His feature film Zach's Ceremony, which he created and co-produced, is currently receiving critical acclaim around the world.
 

Amanda Hayman grew up in Logan city, Queensland and has Aboriginal cultural connections to Kalkadoon and Wakka Wakka Country. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in contemporary art.  Amanda is also a part of the BlakLash Collective, a small business that provides innovative curatorial approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and artist engagement.  Amanda has over 12 years’ experience of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly in the field of storytelling through art and technology. She is currently the Manager of kuril dhagun, the Indigenous space and public programming unit at the State Library of Queensland.

Associate Professor Sandra Phillips is an engaged academic with research interests in Indigenous story and voice in a range of creative and media forms. Descended from the First Nations of Wakka Wakka and Gooreng Gooreng (QLD), Sandra co-ordinates university-wide Indigenous higher degree by research at UTS through the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. Before a full-time career in the academy Sandra worked in publishing and freelanced in writing, editing, research, evaluation, speaking, and facilitation. Sandra has three adult sons and one granddaughter.