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Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE
Co-Chair, Reconciliation SA

Peter is the Dean and Head of School of the David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research (DUCIER) within the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, University of South Australia. Peter has been a teacher and professional bureaucrat for 30 years, with a burning passion for the pursuit of educational excellence for Aboriginal students.

He has worked as a classroom teacher in Western Australia and South Australia, Chair of the South Australian Aboriginal Education Consultative Committee, Ministerial Adviser, Superintendent of Schools, and a Senior Executive at both State and Federal level. For over a decade he worked as an officer in the Commonwealth's Senior Executive Service, where he occupied a number of strategic positions in the portfolios of Aboriginal Affairs, Employment, Education and Training. He also served one term as a Commissioner of the Australian Commission to UNESCO.

In recognition of his contribution to Aboriginal Education he has received numerous awards and honours. In the 2001 Australia Day Honours, he was awarded the Commonwealth Public Service Medal (PSM) in recognition of his outstanding public service in pursuing equality in education for Australia's Indigenous peoples. In 2002 he become a patron of Principals Australia’s, Dare to Lead Program, which encourages and supports Australian school Principals in improving Indigenous education outcomes and working for Reconciliation in their schools. In 2003, the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) awarded him the annual Frank H Klassen Award for his leadership and contribution to Teacher Education. In September 2005, he won the Commonwealth's Department of Education, Science and Training Award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education at the National Deadly Awards held in Sydney. In 2006 he was invited by his peers to become a Member of the Australian College of Educators and was nominated as a Fellow of the Academy in 2007 for his continuing contribution to education. He has recently taken up the Chair of the National Indigenous Higher Education Network and Co-Chair of the South Australian Aboriginal Education and Training Consultative Body.

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Robyn Layton QC
Co-Chair, Reconciliation SA

The Honourable Robyn Layton QC is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia School of Law and in addition is working as a Judicial Education and Programme Development Consultant both nationally and internationally.

Prior to September 2010 she was a Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia until she decided to resign in order to further her present interests. In her earlier legal career, spanning in excess of 40 years, she has been in turn been a solicitor; a barrister; a judge in the Industrial Court of South Australia and a Deputy President of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Her strong connection with Aboriginal issues began in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s after she went into partnership with the Honourable Elliott Johnston AO QC and commenced doing pro bono legal work for Aboriginal people charged with criminal offences. This work was done prior to the setting up of the ALRM. After the ALRM began operating, she represented Aboriginal people on many occasions. This work lead her to being appointed by the Commonwealth to be the solicitor for the Central Aboriginal Land Rights team from 1972-1974, whose report formed one of the foundations to the setting up of the Central Aboriginal Land Council. This work involved extensive travel to Aboriginal communities in central and northern Australia including parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

As a barrister she became involved in the Hindmarsh Island litigation in State and Federal Courts and also in the Royal Commission, acting on behalf of either the ALRM or the women at the centre of the controversy such as Dr Doreen Katinyeri.

More recently her connection with Aboriginal concerns has included the Child Protection Review, a Government Plan to protect children from abuse, “Our Best Investment”, between March 2002-March 2003. This work and report included a specific focus on Aboriginal child protection issues. She has continued this interest as a member and then Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Australian Centre for Protection, University of South Australia since 2005.

Robyn has been involved in and conducted many workshops on the topic of sentencing options for Aboriginal offenders. She is currently a member of the Justice Aboriginal Awareness Committee in South Australia and a member of the Community Protection Panel of the Social Inclusion Unit.

Joel Bayliss

Cr Simon Brewer

Simon Brewer has been the Mayor of Campbelltown since 2006. Campbelltown City Council had been minor participants in reconciliation initiatives up until that point, but have been far more aggressive since then with the active support of Mayor Brewer.

Some of the initiatives Campbelltown has introduced in that time are a Reconciliation Statement in March 2007, support of the annual ACFIA Reconciliation Week BBQ at Thorndon Park, co-naming of some local features, introduction of a NAIDOC Youth Award, interpretive signage of all streets with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander names, Aboriginal cultural awareness training for staff and the introduction of Indigenous Cadetships to Council staff. Several more initiatives are in progress.

Simon is a professional IT Manager who spent many years in the manufacturing sector, but now works in the Aged Care sector. He has a passion for community issues and sees a vital role for local government in the delivery of practical reconciliation initiatives, particularly in the area of community education, preservation of heritage and the promotion of language and culture

Brian Butler AM

William Brian Butler

Product of the Stolen Generation Lifelong advocate for the human rights of Australia’s first nations Aboriginal peoples.

Founding member and chairman of Secretariat National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Inc.

Foundation member and chairmen of South Australian Aboriginal Housing Board.

Zone Commissioner of ATSIC, for South Australia.

Currently the Aboriginal Advocate for South Australia in the Aged Rights Advocacy Service.

Brian subscribes to zero tolerance to racism.

Early childhood education is paramount for the success in all children reaching their full potential.

Brian fights for justice for the aged Aboriginal community and a return of total respect to Elders.

Brian’s concept of reconciliation is that Aboriginal groups and individuals must deal with our differences amongst each other and then work towards creating harmony with the outside world.

Greg Clark SM

Bill Denny AM

Bill Denny AM is a Ministerial Adviser to the Hon Michael Atkinson MP and was recently appointed acting Director, Veterans’ Affairs for South Australia.

He is Chair of the ANZAC Day Committee, the ANZAC Day Commemoration Council and the ANZAC Eve Youth Vigil Committee. He is also Co-Chair of the Vietnam War Memorial Committee, and a committee member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial Committee.

Bill was a member of the Australian Army for 21 years and served in the United Kingdom, Germany and Papua New Guinea. He also saw active service in South Vietnam
During his military service he was appointed as aide-de camp to the Governor-General and was in Government House when the Governor-General dismissed the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975.

Upon resignation from the Army Bill worked in the manufacturing industry, real estate and the retirement village sector. He was also a State Manager of a division of TNT and later held a managerial position with the Toll Express transport.

Bill has a strong sense of social justice and a passion for Aboriginal equality. This prompted him to undertake a Law degree as a mature age student and he  graduated with Honours in 2007. Bill fervently believes that as a nation we cannot hold our heads high on the world stage until all our Aboriginal brothers and sisters enjoy precisely the same opportunities and their non-Aboriginal counterparts.   

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Ivan Copley

Ivan Copley is committed to assisting our disadvantaged youth and Indigenous people. He established the Uniting Church Indigenous Employment Strategy, which for six years provided work related training, career development, and ultimately, employment for Indigenous people. Ivan also founded Turkindi, a group which brought together all the various groups working with Indigenous people. Ivan is also a creative artist whose designs are used on booklets, posters and other publications. Ivan is devoted to reconciliation through delivering cross-cultural awareness training, visiting schools to talk to them on reconciliation and the stolen generations, and his involvement in Sorry Day. A friend and mentor to many Australians, Ivan's untiring efforts and dedication and commitment to our disadvantaged young Indigenous people is outstanding. Sourced from http://www.australianoftheyear.gov.au/pages/bio.asp?pID=170

Ivan is the South Australian Finalist for the Australian of the Year in 2008.

Ivan is also the Chairperson of Turkindi (the Indigenous Information Network of SA Inc), and works with the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the Indigenous Engagement Manager of SA.

"I believe Reconciliation is about Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander peoples and all other Australians resolving the problems of the past, developing and implementing Reconciliation Action Plans and participating in physical interaction. Establishing National Engagement Protocols and setting common pathways into the future for a harmonious Multicultural Society."

Neil Gillespie

Neil Gillespie is the Chief Executive Officer of South Australia’s Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement.

He holds a Bachelor of Business and Masters in Business Administration. He holds Professional Membership at fellow level with the Australian Institute of Management, Australian Society of CPSs and the Australian Institute of Banking and Finance.

He has been a National Director Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with the Australian Taxation Office where he ran a national CPD program in addition to managing the ATAX program delivered by the University of NSW to ATO staff (and the private sector).

Mr Gillespie has also been a TAFE NSW lecturer in accounting, auditing, economics and business law

He is also experienced in Aboriginal Board Membership as he is a Board Member on Reconciliation SA and Tauondi College. He is also a Committee Member on a number of other Aboriginal organisations. He understands and can appreciate the politics within Nunga organisations and the problems with ineffective governance, and more importantly how to improve governance.

Bill Hignett

Bill Hignett is the Coordinator of the Organisers Group at the Australian Education Union in South Australia. As the Coordinator he manages the Organisers Group, the legal defence fund for members and the workers compensation function at the AEU.

Prior to taking up his position in the AEU, Bill was a teacher in South Australian country schools. In 1970 he was called up for National Service and saw action in Vietnam. He was the last Australian teacher to return from active duty in Vietnam.

He was instrumental in developing the Aboriginal Education Workers Award in 1987 which was the first culturally based award in Australia. In 1982 he worked with Peter and Pat Buckskin to negotiate with the ALP to include the appointment of Aboriginal Education Teachers in their election platform prior to winning government. In 1994 he also worked with Pat Buckskin on a Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Project to develop appropriate career structures for Aboriginal non teaching school and pre-school positions in schools and preschools in Australia.

In addition to his responsibilities at the AEU, Bill is President of the South Australian Government Superannuation Federation, a board member of Reconciliation South Australia, a member of the South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial Committee and a member of the RSL project team providing support and assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and their families.

Chris Keating

Chris Keating is a Senior Policy Officer with Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia (DASSA).

From 1995-2010 Chris worked for the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, as Director of the Catholic Justice and Overseas Aid Office and as Senior Adviser to Archbishop Philip Wilson. He was Executive Officer of the Adelaide Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.

Chris studied Politics and Political Philosophy at the Flinders University of South Australia, and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Oxford (UK). He is a graduate of the Advanced Geneva Training Course in International Human Rights Law and Advocacy conducted annually by the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

For more than 10 years, Chris has been an active member of many non-government human rights, social justice and reconciliation organisations. Chris was a member of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, the Catholic Church’s national human rights and social justice agency, and was a member of the Native Title Supporters Coalition - South Australia, a founding member of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) in SA, a founding member of Justice for Refugees SA, as well as a founding Board-member of Reconciliation SA.

Chris is married, has two teenage sons, and a young daughter.

Steven Marshall MP

Steven Marshall has been the State Member for Norwood since March 2010. He has been involved in public service and community initiatives his whole life. He is the founding Chairman of Compost for Soils, a program instigated in SA that has subsequently been implemented nationally.

 In acknowledgement of this and other work he has done for the environment in 2009 Steven was nominated the SA Great South Australian of the Year (Environment Category).

Steven is a member of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, an organisation helping to build stronger ties and healthy relationships between Aboriginal Communities and Parliament.

Steven is currently on the Board of the Spastic Centres of South Australia (SCOSA). He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for Services to the Disability Sector in 2001.

Prior to becoming Member for Norwood, Steven was involved in the manufacturing business, running his family’s furniture manufacturing business from 1997. After successfully selling the business in 2001 Steven worked in various board and executive positions for a range of South Australians. Immediately prior to entering Parliament, Steven was employed as the General Manager of the Textile Division of iconic South Australian wool exporter – Michell Pty Ltd.

Klynton Wanganeen

Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement

Klynton Wanganeen was recently appointed the Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement and has taken leave from his position as Director of the Aboriginal Education Employment Policy Co-ordination Directorate of the South Australian Department of Further Education Employment Science and Technology (DFEEST). Klynton also acts as a consultant to DFEEST’s, Aboriginal Policy Co-ordination and is currently the Chair of the Narungga Nations Aboriginal Corporation, Chair SA Congress of Native Title Committees and member National VET Indigenous Task force.

Mr Klynton Wanganeen is a descendant of the Narungga and Ngarrindjeri nations and many of you will know him as the former South Australian Zone Commissioner for ATSIC, responsible for Land, Water and Development, Economic and Social participation.

Klynton Wanganeen has a bachelor of Teaching (Adult Education), Graduate Certificate in Management; Advanced Diploma in Community Services Management and a Trade Certificate in Welding.

He has an intimate knowledge of the Aboriginal community of South Australia, and knowledge of state and national Aboriginal issues, especially through his involvement and participation on regional, state and national bodies.

Sharron Williams

Is a Narungga/Kaurna woman; who has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Family Support Services in Adelaide for ten years. Sharron’s experience has included 15 years with Correctional Services through a range of strategic and policy development positions which included being the first Indigenous Public Relations Officer within the Correctional Services System within SA. The Aboriginal Family Support Services Inc (AFSS) was established in 1978 as the SA Aboriginal Child Care Agency Forum Inc (ACCA) in order to have an Aboriginal organisation involved in matters relating to child welfare. Prior to 1978, Aboriginal children were often being removed from their families and communities without the consent or even consultation with extended family members.