Lenore Dembski

Paperbark Woman – Patron

Lenore has extensive experience in the public, private and community sectors. Her family name is Calma and the Paperbark Woman name comes from her Aboriginal group, the Kungarakan people, who are known as Paperbark people. Lenore was the Director Aboriginal Development Unit in the Northern Territory Government from 1990 until 1997. She has run her own small business since 1997 designing and retailing clothing and textiles, achievements recognised by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Lenore has long mentored Aboriginal people wanting to get into business and often MC’s conferences. Board positions Lenore has held include President of North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, Treasurer of Danila Dilba Medical Service, Chairperson of Yilli Rreung Regional Council of ATSIC, Member of the Board of the NT Employment and Training Authority and member of the ATSI Arts Board of the Australia Council. Lenore is employed in the Northern Territory Public Service.

Shaun Fowler

Ambassador

Shaun has worked in remote and regional Australia for over thirteen years, specialising in remote services delivery and operational and contractual management of employment programs.  He has experience working both on the ground delivering programs – and with the Commonwealth Government, shaping policy and programs.

Shaun is a strong advocate of sharing and tailoring best practice models and has been instrumental in supporting and facilitating collaboration amongst remote employment service providers. Shaun has successfully established industry forums and organised and coordinated national conferences.  In late 2012 Shaun launched Right Hand Remote Solutions to support organisations delivering government funded services, including the Remote Jobs & Communities Program.

Shaun has a keen interest in how social policy and employment programs can improve food security and Indigenous health in regional and remote environments. Right Hand Remote Solutions – www.therighthand.com.au

Emily Gray 

Ambassador

Emily is a School Garden Specialist, Artist and Community Gardener who lives in Darwin. She has worked as a middle and high school teacher aide in suburban and remote schools for the past ten years and is the president of the Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network (2014/2015).

Over the past 5 years Emily has helped establish several community gardens and the delivered workshops centred around permaculture, tropical food gardening and cooking. She also helps coordinate the Darwin Garden Education Network, an informal, local network of organisations and individuals working to support and advocate for the development of environmental and sustainability education in the Darwin Region.Emily is loves experimenting with local food and keeping chickens (when emily grows up, she want to have a pet goat and a few ducks).

Costa Georgiadis 

Ambassador

Costa is an environmental educator landscape architect and passionate food advocate.

He values food and the growing of local produce  as the ultimate builder of community. He inspires and instills  in everyone of all ages and all locations  the confidence to start growing compost, building soil sharing and eating fresh produce as the way toward a resilient and healthy future. Costa believes in embracing and celebrating mother nature’s cycles and seasons and nurturing her balance, beauty and bounty organically. His holistic approach is all about gardening the soil and the soul.

The Foodswell project sings from the food future song book that Costa performs from daily and as Ambassador he looks forward to getting the band on the road.  Costasworld – costasworld.org

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Gianna Bonis-Profumo 

Ambassador 

Gianna is passionate about food and nutrition security issues, specifically those affecting women and Indigenous populations. She is qualified and experienced in Social Sciences, community development, gender-based projects and social programs evaluation. She has been involved in food security projects for over 5 years, working in Aboriginal communities with the Australian Red Cross, and in multiple sustainable food production initiatives.

As part of her Master of Development Studies, she undertook a research-based internship to produce a Briefing Paper on nutrition-sensitive agricultural development focusing on Southeast Asia. This framework, combined with her experience living at Milkwood Farm, inspired the “Food and Nutrition Hub” project proposal, winner of the BCFN Young Earth Solutions! in 2014. Gianna is currently working on implementing the project, by running a pilot programme in one country of Southeast Asia.