Our Story
Meet Our Board
The Board of Directors is not simply a governance body. It is a circle of women whose leadership is grounded in lived experience, cultural knowledge and community responsibility.
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Our Board is made up of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women who carry the stories of their families, their Nations, and their communities. They are mothers, aunties, grandmothers, sisters, carers, advocates and survivors. Our governance is not abstract, it is shaped by real experience of navigating systems, overcoming barries and holding communities together in times of crisis. We understand the emotional, cultural and systemic realities our community face because we have lived them.
Our ways of knowing, being and doing are embedded in our kinship systems, community dynamics and cultural protocols. We know that our solutions must be culturally safe, community-led and grounded in self-determination.
Kathy Ahmat
Kathy Ahmat is a proud saltwater woman from the turquoise waters of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait), with ancestral ties that flow through the Kulkalgal nations, the Central cluster, and to the Maluiligal nations, the western cluster of islands. She is a direct descendant of the warrior King Kebisu of Tudu Island, renowned for his military leadership. She carries forward a legacy of community leadership established by her ancestor. Kathy’s deep connection to her cultural roots informs every aspect of her work. She draws on traditional values such as respect for Elders, respect for cultural heritage, Lore, integrity, shared responsibility, and humility when engaging with her community and making decisions as a leader.
With over 30 years of experience in business and administration, primarily within the private, mining, and resources sectors, Kathy possesses substantial expertise in human resources and business administration. As an Indigenous Resourcing Officer, she recruited Indigenous employees. She was based mainly in the Perth Corporate office, and she also traveled to the Pilbara mining sites for on-site interviews. She loved the red dust country and soon left the Corporate office to work on various construction jobs in the Pilbara. During her eleven-year tenure with an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation in the native title sector, Kathy worked closely with Elders and community leaders and was part of a dynamic team that achieved multiple successful native title determinations demonstrating her ability to bridge cultural understanding and corporate governance for actual outcomes.
Kathy is presently engaged in the Domestic & Family Violence Specialist Courts, where she supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals navigating the civil court system. This initiative, a pilot project led by the Department of Justice, began in 2023, with Kathy playing a key role in shaping and developing her position from the outset. In her role, Kathy provides non-judgemental moral support to clients, helping them understand the court processes as well as the specifics of Domestic Violence Orders. In her role, Kathy is dedicated to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of victims of domestic and family violence offering guidance and support to help them navigate the challenges they face. Her approach ensures a balanced focus on both protecting victims and addressing the behaviour of individuals using violence. Kathy quickly recognised gaps within the system, particularly noting the shortage of culturally safe referral services available to those she supports. As a founding member of the First Nations Women’s Gathering Limited—an organisation created by First Nations women for First Nations women—Kathy is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence. She has played a pivotal role in establishing this community-controlled organisation, advocating for culturally safe support services and ensuring that women’s voices remain central to all initiatives. In her capacity as a director, Kathy brings extensive administrative, corporate, and cultural insight, demonstrating unwavering dedication to empowering her community. Kathy’s leadership is characterised by a commitment to upholding the values of her ancestors, fostering self-determination, and ensuring that the voices and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain at the forefront of her work.
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Gina Mills
Gina Mills is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with strong family ties to the Kulkalgal nation in the Central cluster and the Mululigal nation in the Western cluster of islands. Many years ago, she left Thursday Island in pursuit of employment opportunities in Cairns, where she has since made her permanent home. Gina is married with three children and six grandchildren.
Gina began her journey in the education sector when her own children started school. She took on the role of Teacher’s Assistant, where she provided support to Indigenous students and their families.
Gina found this work deeply rewarding, recognising her value as a role model who was trusted by the families she assisted. Her responsibilities included visiting parents in their homes and fostering positive relationships. These strong connections helped facilitate open communication between parents and school staff. Gina observed gradual improvements in staff attitudes and their understanding of how to engage with First Nation people. Although Indigenous parents initially feared attending school, Gina’s efforts in building positive relationships encouraged them to participate in school events, especially cultural and sports days, where they proudly supported their children.
For ten years, Gina served as a Transition Support Officer in the secondary school system. In this role, she assisted students from the Cape, Gulf, and Torres Strait Island communities as they prepared to attend boarding schools in the Cairns district. Gina travelled with a support team to remote communities to discuss the opportunities available at these boarding schools. She played a vital role as a contact point for parents, ensuring the safety and school attendance of their children. In recent years, Gina has served as a community Elder and Bench Elder for a local Community Justice Group. She has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander defendants in both the Adult and Children Murri court, which links defendants to cultural and support services to help them make positive changes and reduce offending behaviour. Murri Court is a Queensland Magistracy initiative designed to sentence Indigenous offenders in culturally appropriate ways, focusing on community-based sentencing and reducing recidivism. In her role as a community Elder, Gina, together with a group of Elders, undertook visits to Lotus Glen Correctional Centre. During these visits, they spent time with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who were incarcerated there. These visits were an important link to the outside world, and the men valued the opportunity to yarn with the Elders, finding comfort and support in the connection to culture and community that these visits fostered. Gina’s dedication to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remains strong. She is an advocate for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and a founding member of the First Nations Women’s Gathering Limited. She brings to the table her wide community network, experience working with families, cultural knowledge and Eldership.
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Audrey Knight
Audrey has more than 35 years of experience working in the public sector in Canberra, Cairns and Perth in First Nation’s People’s Programs and services including:
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Aboriginal Hostels Ltd;
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Department of Health;
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Native Title Tribunal; and
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Department of Communities [Women’s Policy].
Audrey is a proud Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother born and raised in the beautiful sea country of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Her qualifications include:
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Certificate IV Life Coach (The Coaching Institute, Melbourne, Vic.)
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Certificate IV in Training & Education;
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Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous Community Management (Curtin University); a lifetime of cultural, community and corporate knowledge;
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Cultural Competence training with both community and corporate entities.
Audrey’s life coaching skills have been honed with specialist further training in the Anthony Robbins Intervention model including:
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Social and emotional wellbeing;
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Relationship intervention; and
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Moving clients from stagnation and uncertainty to high performance and confidence.
As a founding member of the First Nation’s Women’s Gathering, Audrey is compelled to be part of supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women and children, escaping Domestic Family Violence.
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Julianne Boneham
Julianne is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with ancestral ties to Erub (Darnley Island). She brings a blend of clinical expertise, community leadership, and business acumen to her work in Indigenous health and governance.
Beginning her career as a nurse, Julianne has dedicated more than 25 years to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her frontline experience gives her deep insight into culturally safe care, community needs, and the systemic barriers affecting Indigenous health across Queensland.
Julianne has served as a Director on the Board of Wu Chopperen Health Service, Northern Aboriginal Torres Strait Health Alliance, FNQ Medicare Local and Cairns Hospital & Hinterland Health Service, where she has contributed to strategic planning, clinical governance, risk oversight, and culturally informed decision‑making. Her leadership is grounded in cultural knowledge, accountability, and a commitment to strengthening community‑led health services.
Alongside her governance work, Julianne is an experienced small‑business owner, bringing practical strengths in financial management, operations, and sustainable growth. This combination of clinical experience, cultural authority, and entrepreneurial capability enables her to offer a balanced, strategic perspective to any board or advisory role. Julianne is driven by a commitment to self‑determination, health equity, and economic empowerment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and she continues to champion culturally grounded approaches to leadership and service delivery.
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Jasmine King
My name is Jasmine King and I am a proud Guugu Yimithirr, Butchella and Jirrbal woman with a Bachelor of Psychology and professional experience in child protection across both statutory services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations. My work has involved walking alongside families navigating trauma and family and domestic violence, holding complex risk while keeping cultural safety, kinship, and community responsibility at the heart of my professional practice.
As a Board Member for FNWGL, I bring frontline insight into the systemic realities facing First Nations women and children, alongside a deep commitment to culturally grounded, community-led healing. While my own journey of cultural connection continues to grow, I believe strongly in the role of culture in healing and self-determination. I am dedicated to strengthening systems in ways that protect future generations and honour identity, connection, and community.
Create lasting change by influencing policy, service delivery, and community attitudes through the voices and leadership of First Nations women.
