Who We Are

MurriMatters Staff

Scott Gorringe is a Mithaka man from far western Queensland. Scott is both passionate and resolute about bringing people together around approaches to complex challenges. He is best known for his trustworthiness, humility and unbridled and unparalleled passion for driving cultural awareness and change.

Along with 5 other Mithaka people, Scott led the Mithaka Native Title process for 12 years to a successful Consent Determination decision in October 2015. He believes the challenge is to reconnect with self, others, and the environment. Scott has a master’s degree from the University of Queensland, studied at The University of British Columbia in Canada. He is Director of Murrimatters Consulting, Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, and Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council grant (ANU).

The National and International experiences broadened Scott’s knowledge and understanding of other Indigenous societies which places him at the forefront of articulating ground-breaking and cutting-edge strategies which have been created to assist First Nation Peoples’ ongoing willingness to foster and drive self-determination.

As MurriMatters CEO, Scott in conjunction with our supporting consultants and Associates is jointly responsible for :

• Facilitating many of our Engoori and Deficit Discourse workshops
• Delivering keynote addresses at both on National and International level
• High level critical pathway development facilitation including bespoke mediation services

Scott and the Murrimatters Consulting team have extensive knowledge and understanding of engagement across the various cultural groups within Australia. Our passion and philosophy lie in bringing forth people’s strengths to assist them to create and lead the change they want in their lives.

Graeme Hincksman is an outstanding consultant with a master’s degree in Leadership from UNSW, specialising in acute and complex transformation. He has consistently succeeded in delivering whole-organisational cultural improvement, both as a leader and consultant, in a multitude of diverse, high-functioning contextual settings. His extensive leadership experiences, consulting, and coaching and mentoring experiences has provided him with numerous opportunities which has led to the development of expert analytical capabilities as well as the capacity to make informed evidence-based decisions. He has a proven and extensive track-record in providing quality services whilst maintaining outstanding standards both professionally and personally.

Kate Gorringe is a proud Mithaka Woman from Far West Queensland, yet now calls beautiful Gubbi Gubbi Country on the Sunshine Coast home.

After Kate graduated from school, she commenced work as an administrator at numerous Aboriginal Health Centres based in Charleville before moving to Brisbane and becoming a Community Nursing Coordinator in Mooloolaba serving the needs of many stakeholders.

During this time Kate has completed certificates in Business Administration and Fitness & Personal Training. The key to Kate’s success so far is her ability to build healthy working relationships through her honest & positive persona. This is underpinned by her excellent communication & organisational skills. Her passion to help others, especially the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community continues to drive and motivate Kate to further develop her outstanding personal and professional skill sets. Her vast knowledge developed by coordinating many varied and diverse projects has proved invaluable in creating and developing professional and personal pathways for our Yimburu staff and clients.

Vaidehi Sergeant has worked for 20 years in the APS across a few agencies before becoming a consultant. I am focussed on delivering results by translating strategy into delivery through building relationships, strong teams, and implementing business improvement and better governance. I have led high profile projects across several APS agencies to deliver outcomes through exercising leadership and establishing trust with stakeholders.

An Aboriginal woman born and raised on Yuggera country; Annette has maternal blood lines to Northern Territory and also acknowledges her paternal Dutch heritage.

Annette graduated with a Bachelor of Adult Education majoring in Aboriginal Cultural Studies and Language Literacy and Numeracy with awards for her academic excellence in the field.

Having over 30 years’ experience in positions focused on improving the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Annette continues to work with community and young people. Annette has worked across various sectors including education, health and justice and believes these are the critical areas requiring major support before we can look at equality and equity. She has contributed to a vast range of works such as Indigenous health research, develop and coordinate the creation of a national indigenous college, implementation of Reconciliation Action Plans in the workplace, deliver Cultural Awareness and Integrity training, facilitate cultural auditing, business case development, facilitating educational training and developing education lesson plans and tools. Annette’s passion is facilitating workshops to share knowledge that leads to a better understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and highlight inadequacies and issues that need to be addressed.

Coaching and mentoring

Andrew Pierpoint is President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association – the peak body for School Leaders across Australia. He previously was President of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association for four (4) years. Andrew has had extensive experience, over 37 years, in High Schools as a science teacher, Head of Department (Science), Deputy Principal and Principal as well as having several system positions in the support of Principals. Throughout his career, Andrew has worked in complex rural and remote communities through to large regional and metropolitan schools. He has led communities and reference groups at district, regional, state and national levels.

Andrew’s special interests are the provision of high-quality professional learning for school leaders, school leader wellbeing and is personally highly active in school sport – particularly cricket and golf. Andrew has demonstrated a passion for State (Government) Education in Australia driven by the values of social justice and equity and possess an excellent understanding of the Principalship from firsthand experience. Most importantly, Andrew has a genuine desire to make a meaningful difference for school leaders in the application of their ever increasing, complex roles in schools and the broader communities they work in.

As the Founding Director of Yalari, Waverley Stanley knows about the power of education. In 1980, as a young Indigenous boy living in the remote community of Murgon, Queensland, he was given the opportunity to attend Toowoomba Grammar School for his high school education.  It was this opportunity that started him on the Yalari journey. 

Waverley has worked extensively throughout Queensland as an Indigenous Support Officer for Education Queensland.  He has presented and facilitated workshops and conferences for Indigenous people throughout Australia, in leadership and education.  It is through Waverley’s passion for the empowerment of Indigenous children and his vision to bring about generational change, that Yalari was established in 2005. 

Yalari is a not-for-profit organisation that offers quality secondary education scholarships at leading Australian boarding schools for Indigenous children from regional, rural and remote communities.  Today, Yalari has over 200 students on scholarships nationally and an alumni group in excess of 350 who are attending university, working or undertaking further study.

Waverley lives and breathes Yalari and has been a vital force in transforming the lives and futures of young Indigenous Australians.  He has been recognised as the recipient of awards including the Churchill Fellowship, the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Nth region) and as a Queensland finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards. Most recently, Waverley was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) within the Australian honours system.  He received this honour for “significant service to the Indigenous community through support for education”.

Yalari draws its support from individuals, companies, philanthropic foundations and government departments, but it is Waverley who is on the ground working to create change. He travels endlessly to raise funds and awareness, and to interview children from the furthest reaches of Australia who have applied for a scholarship.   

Waverley is committed to creating pathways of opportunity and empowerment for Indigenous youth, believing they can achieve successful and positive outcomes for themselves, their families and the Australian community.

Mark Corrie is the Current Principal of Tyrrell College F-12 which is situated in the North Western Part of Victoria – Sea Lake. Mark is of Torres Strait Islander, Maori and English ( don’t know if you need that bit in there to suit the narrative)  heritage who grew up in Cairns Far North Queensland. In 2005, Mark graduated from the Deakin University with a Bachelor of Education – Primary P-10. Since then, he has worked in a range of leading teacher roles before moving into acting principal positions and other leadership roles within the North West Region. Apart from his Principalship, Mark is also passionate about working with schools in using an indigenous perspectives to facilitate positive, sustainable workplace cultures and environments that create positive climates for learning.

Mark is a strong advocate for building authentic relationships because this creates authentic relationship and puts people at ease. It builds trust and safety it shows empathy when we sit and listen and not owning the space by talking about self all the time. It centres on being personable enough and finding commonalities in life, so people feel trusted, safe and heard.

Coaching and mentoring qualifications and recent involvements:

• Stronger Smarter Lead Facilitator Course
• Leading With Strengths Facilitator Course
• Murri Matters Facilitators Course
• DET Leading System Wide Coaching Courses
• DET System Leaders Mentoring and Coaching Courses
• Executive Coaching and Mentoring with a variety of Government Agencies ranging from DHHS, Law, Social Work, DET around managing complex challenges and logistics and creating positive sustainable workplace cultures.

Associates

Caroline Hughes

Caroline Hughes is a Ngunnawal woman, traditional owners of the ACT and Region. She is a successful and highly effective Indigenous leader of a dynamic educational and student support Centre at CIT. She is committed to vocational education for over twenty years and have had the wonderful opportunity to work specifically with and for my people through CIT since January 2002. She is a strong effective leader who believes in flexibility, whilst ensuring a high standard of work ethics.

As a Ngunnawal woman, she is passionate about heritage, environment and our culture, including language in the ACT and surrounding areas. As a traditional custodian it is my inherent responsibility to my ancestors and future generations to work collaboratively to identify and implement processes that protect and nurture.

Throughout my career she has informed, interpreted and developed legislation, policies and procedures that impact people of various ages, race, cultural backgrounds or circumstances. She has  contributed to and supported the implementation of whole-of-government initiatives across the ACT. This is highlighted through my active membership of peak bodies such as the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body. As a member of ATSIEB my responsibilities include contributing in advice, guidance and direction of ministerial matters. My experience includes membership of the Steering Committee Our Booris, Our Way and the review into child protection in the ACT. Throughout my career she has liaised with Ministers and Senior Officials to influence, guide and nurture Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander matters.

Caroline is the Ngunnawal Co-Chair of the Dhawura Caring for Country Committee. This committee is comprised of traditional custodians that work with EPSDD to provide guidance, direction and decisions to the Environment Division on environmental and land management matters in a partnership model that ensures better management of Ngunnawal country.

Angela Walsh: Director Create Space Consultancy

Angela Walsh (she / her) is a highly experienced consultant, project manager, mentor and leader who has led and managed major multi-year International, National and State and Territory projects driving intersectional systemic change enabling the prevention of genderbased violence, gender equality and anti-racism. Angela has worked with UNICEF, UN Women, and INGO’s in Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Thailand and with National, State and Territory Governments and NGO’s across Australia. Angela is a strengths and values-based practitioner that feels deeply privileged to work with Murrimatters to bring people together to enact social, community and organisational change through high quality facilitation, mentoring for self and systems reflective practice, and the co-design of localised approaches and models through Engoori. Angela has extensive skills and expertise in the areas of:

• The development of high quality and effective local, national and international approaches, frameworks, models, resources, project plans and strategic plans.
• Innovative and effective project management and planning.
• Co-design, development, and facilitation of workshops and trainings.
• Knowledge synthesis for evidence-informed and promising practice.
• Co-design of multi-year workforce development strategies for enabling and sustaining organisational change.
• Professional mentoring, coaching and guidance for group / organisational capacity building.
• Developing Communities of Practice to sustain change.
• Co-design of multi-year monitoring and evaluation frameworks to document and share learning for sustainable change. Angela lives with her family in Naarm (Melbourne) and pays respects to the ongoing sovereignty of the Wurundjeri people over these lands, committing to care for and respect these lands.

Tobias Adams – Director Leading with Strength

A proud Kullilli man from Queensland, Tobias Adams is an experienced and accomplished facilitator, public  speaker and consultant with over a decade of experience in developing and facilitating youth and adult learning programs throughout Australia including the Leading Strong, Leading Smart Program, the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program, North Queensland Youth Engagement Program, Learn  Earn Legend Indigenous Youth Summit, Oxfam Change Course, Youth 2020 Summit, Australian Youth  Forum consultations, the National Youth Roundtable. As a specialist in cultural competency and  leadership programs, Tobias focuses on strength-based approaches that explore and use first nations knowledge and processes. He has earned a strong reputation, founded on humility and relationships, with a proven track record of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, not-for-profits and governments right across Australia.

Nadia Albert: Co-Director Create Space Consultancy

Nadia Albert works in the areas of intersectional, whole of system and community-led change for enabling gender equality, preventing family violence, respectful relationships and anti-racism. Nadia brings strengths in critical analysis and research; project management; program and resource design; implementation support and design; communication, facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills; monitoring and evaluation. Nadia brings experience of working in partnership with, and strengthening the capacity for social and organisational change, with a diversity of sectors including education, children and families, health, mental health, youth, women’s, justice and the arts. Nadia’s practice is grounded in strengths and values-based practice; self and systems reflective practice; facilitating space for robust and courageous conversations; facilitating co-design through the engagement of multiple perspectives through participatory and egalitarian processes; community-led developmental and meaningful evaluation design.