CLC DELEGATES – REGION 3
Northwest
Juanita Rogers
Ms Rogers is a director of the Mistake Creek Cattle Company [check if this is not the Mistake Creek Malngin AC below] and the Kununurra Warringarri Aboriginal Corporation.
She is also a member of the Brumby Plains and Mistake Creek Malngin Aboriginal corporations and the Blue Gloss Pastoral Company.
She undertook ‘grazing for profit’ training since 2016 and wants to learn about governance.
“I live on a small remote community on my country, Bamboo Springs, looking after my family. My mum inspired me to stand for the CLC. I want to better our communities and speak up for better services and infrastructure on outstations.”
Jessie Cook
Ms Cook joined the council to collect and share “information that can benefit our people”.
“My father used to come for meetings and he inspired me to stand.”
She is a community connection officer at Gelganyem, the corporation of the traditional owners of the Argyle mine near Kununurra.
Ms Cook is also a director of the Blue Gloss Pastoral Company, and the Mistake Creek and Mistake Creek Malngin Aboriginal corporations.
“I used to look after Mistake Creek Station with my partner. We cleaned it up. I am proud to be a CLC delegate for my region.”
Dianne King
Ms King has been a director of the Daguragu Ngumar Aboriginal Corporation since 1989 and a CLC delegate since 2018.
“Land council is the key for helping the community. We need more young people to learn what land council is all about. They need to come to council meetings.
I will try my best to push for bigger lights for the oval and more housing at my community. Fighting together with family is the best way to look after each other.”
Leah Leaman
Ms Leaman works with Territory Families as a remote family support officer. She advocates for youth justice, working with the [which?] domestic violence program and the Northern Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency.
She paints with the Karungkarni Art and Culture Centre in Kalkaringi and has exhibited overseas. Her painting Follow the waterways won the Delegates’ Choice Award category in the 2021 Vincent Lingiari Art Award. She is the co-author of an award-winning trilingual children’s book about termites.
She has been a CLC delegate since 2018.
“The history of the old people inspired me to stand for the CLC. My grandfathers were the original people of the Central Land Council in the early 70s and it was the voice of the people, to get their plight out there, get the government to listen.”
She wants the council to keep holding governments accountable for services to Aboriginal people.
“One of the big challenges is to help them to understand. They don’t understand because they don’t live [in our communities]. And now the rent is going up. How is a grandmother with five or six kids to survive on her own, looking after everyone’s kids?”
Timothea Palmer
Details coming.
Sharon Anderson
Ms Anderson is an interpreter, mentor of Yapa childcare workers and a cultural advisor for World Vision’s Unlock Literacy project, where she uses the Warlpiri curriculum. “I’ve been through both ways education. I need to pass on skills I’ve gained.”
She has an advanced diploma in primary school teaching and studies for a bachelor’s degree.
As a trained mediator and interpreter, she helps people in court and in hospital. “When you do mediation you have to be neutral. That way people will respect you.”
Ms Anderson has been a member of the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust’s advisory committee since 2007. She is a member of Lajamanu’s school council, the Jaru Jinta (stronger communities for children) board and the Granites Mine Affected Area Corporation, as well as the APO NT education steering committee.
She was an intensive family support worker with the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation and worked for 15 years as a teacher assistant at the Lajamanu school and interpreter/translator at the Katherine Regional Aboriginal Language Centre.
“I’d like to see strong members on the CLC who can speak up and be a strong advocate. I am passionate about education and children. We have lot of challenges ahead of us for council, like government changing policies and kids out of control. We need to find solutions.”
Geoffrey Matthews
Mr Matthews represents the northwest region on the CLC’s executive committee.
He was born on Mount Doreen Station and works as a grader operator for the Wulaign Outstation Resource Centre in Lajamanu, where he is now also the chair.
He has been an Aboriginal community police officer and a liaison officer with the CLC’s anthropology team.
He was a CLC delegate “in the 1980s, when David Ross was the director” and a deputy chair of the local (government) authority of the Central Desert Regional Council.
“I want to support and make my community proud, and make sure its needs are met.”
Mr Matthews wants “to talk strong, keep kids in control in Lajamanu, sitting down with the council to bring up issues to the minister”.
He loves riding his horse.
Cyril Tasman
Mr Tasman is a member of the Central Desert Regional Council and was an engagement officer and community advisor with the National Indigenous Australians Agency between 2008 and 2024.
He is a director of three Aboriginal corporations: Kurdiji, Granites Mine Affected Area and Arnhemland Progress. He is also a member of the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory.
Mr Tasman has a particular interest in law and justice programs and strong, Yapa-led community organisations.
He is proud of successful projects in Lajamanu, such as the water park, the community mapping, the church, the oval and the ceremony area.