Meet our deadly team!

John (he/him) is a Meriam/Gu-Gu Yulangi man, born and bred in Melbourne. John has been writing in the mediums of theatre, television series, documentary, drama, film, and poetry for over 35 years. John has won several State and National awards (including the Human Rights Drama Award). He specialises in creative writing and has sat on Indigenous Advisory committees for Melbourne Arts Festival and Australian Arts Law Centre, and is currently a Board member of the First Nations of Australia Writer's Network.

John is a founding member of Ilbijerri Aboriginal/TSI Theatre Company and was the national consultant for the Australian Red Cross in Diversity and Inclusion.

John is currently the CEO of Barmal Bijirril Fund, a national organisation that works to improve relationships between the philanthropic sector and First Nations communities. John is completing his doctorate of philosophy at the University of Melbourne, where he is a guest lecturer.

Lisa Thorpe is a Gunditjmara/ Gunnai woman from Victoria. Lisa is currently the CEO of Bubup Wilam for Early Learning Aboriginal Child and Family Centre. She has been integral to the inception and development of Bubup Wilam and ensuring the right to self-determination for Aboriginal children and their families. For most of her work, Lisa has been employed in Aboriginal community-based and community-controlled organisations. She has managed and worked on many programs that have directly contributed to providing services for Aboriginal people.

Lisa has a Master’s in Public Health from Deakin, where she worked as an Associate Professor with the Institute Koorie Education for seven years. Lisa is a current PhD candidate.

Lisa is a strong advocate for her people and works tirelessly to ensure First Nation rights to self-determination are met.

Tammy Prior (she/her) is a proud Ballardong Noongar/Yamatji Nanda/Wajarri/Kimberley Nyul Nyul woman with extensive experience, expertise, and networks across regional and urban Western Australia.

Tammy is an Engagement Manager at Thrive by Five for the Minderoo Foundation. She has worked in government and the private sector, supporting and implementing sustainable, social, and community-based initiatives with Aboriginal communities through economic development focusing on tourism, training, employment and procurement outcomes.

Tammy’s most recent focus has been leading the community engagement process with the design and roll-out of an Early Years Initiative, a State Government collaboration on early childhood development, across four communities in WA, consulting directly with communities and State Government and assisting the team in implementing new models of service delivery, in enabling the greatest developmental outcome for kids.

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Tara, (she/her) is a Cham descendant Indigenous to the land now known as Vietnam. She has extensive experience working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and is a fifteen-year veteran. As a Family Services Practitioner, Tara has also worked for The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency and several other not-for-profit welfare agencies. Tara's involvement with the First Nations community in Melbourne was strengthened through her engagement with The Marge Tucker Hostel in Melbourne, where she provided trusted support for at-risk First Nations teenage girls. As Lead Practitioner of Children and Parenting Support Service for Western Melbourne, she established the Booron Program for First Nations parents and their children.

Tara is passionate about addressing the health, well-being, and educational inequities of First Nations peoples. As co-founder of Books n Boots, Tara aims to take the broader community with her in levelling access to learning for First Nations children and their families. Tara is completing a Master of Business Administration.

Marla (she/her) is a proud descendant of the Warlpiri nation. Marla has over 20 years of experience working with First Nations communities in South Australia as a Project officer in community engagement and managerial roles.

Marla has extensive experience as a researcher for the South Australian Department of Health before moving to the Nunkuwarrin Yunti in South Australia to lead the fleet and administration team. Marla also worked in the corporate sector in the Cooper Basin as a Land Access Co-ordinator and currently holds the position of Community Engagement Officer at the Fay Fuller Foundation.

Marla brings years of administrative and logistics/freight experience to the Books n Boots executive team, and her connection to First Nations rural and remote communities is highly regarded.

Joan (she/her) is a retired social worker currently supporting refugees and asylum seekers. Her previous career involved social work in health and disability services, most recently in partnering with the families of young children with disabilities to assist them in accessing the needed resources. As part of this role, she worked with a First Nations playgroup on Bundjalung Country - a role in which she felt privileged to work and absolutely loved. These experiences sparked Joan's passion to volunteer in a role that strives to ensure that every child has equitable access to resources and equal opportunities for learning and development. When she heard about the aims of Books ’n’ Boots, it seemed a perfect fit! In her spare time, Joan advocates protecting the koala population and their habitat in her local area. She also makes Ooray/Davidson plum jam and enjoys kayaking with friends.