NPY Women’s Council Directors’ Biographies Updated April 2009

MARGARET SMITH (Chairperson) - Imanpa Community, NT

Margaret is a Yankunytjatjara woman from the Imanpa Community, Northern Territory. A highly regarded spokesperson for the NPY region, she is a former Liaison Officer of Imanpa Arts and Crafts, and former Chairperson of Imanpa Community Council.  Margaret has been a member of the Board of Management of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Cross-border Reference Group on Volatile Substance Misuse and she has attended a number of governance training sessions for Indigenous corporations. In 2000 she, in a group of 330 Aboriginal women, performed in the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony.

• Personal interest - “I want to help all the petrol sniffers to get better and to live long and healthy lives. I worry a lot about domestic violence and this drinking life, and substance abuse, and I accepted the position of Chair in order to help improve the situation”.  (Updated April 2009)

JANET INYIKA (Vice-chairperson) - Amata Community, SA

Janet is Vice-Chairperson of NPYWC. A long-serving member and former staff member of NPY Women’s Council, she is also a member of the Amata Community Council.  Janet is a tireless campaigner. In 2002 she gave evidence at a South Australian Coronial inquest into petrol-sniffing deaths on the APY Lands, and in September 2004 she addressed the Australasian Coroners’ Conference in Darwin on the issue.  In early 2005 she launched the then new Opal low octane ‘unsniffable’ petrol at the BP terminal in Largs Bay, SA, with the former Federal Minister for Health, Tony Abbott. The use of Opal has dramatically reduced sniffing in the region.  In 2008 she gave evidence to the Senate inquiry into petrol sniffing in Central Australia.  Janet has also performed in the stage play Ngapartji Ngapartji and was one of 330 Aboriginal women who performed in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

• Personal interest - “I am passionate about mental health and drug and alcohol issues, particularly petrol sniffing”. (Updated April 2009)

JULIE ANDERSON (Director) -Aputula/Finke Community, NT

Julie was a member of the Aputula Community Council for many years.   As a senior member of her community, she promoted Territory Tidy Towns, and twice travelled to Sydney to accept Tidy Towns awards.  Julie spent close to 20 years working for the NT Department of Education at the Aputula School.  She was a cleaner and grounds person before being promoted to Anangu Assistant Teacher, retiring from the Department in 2000.  In the same year Julie was one of 330 Aboriginal women who performed in the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony.

• Personal interest - “As a NPY Women’s Council Director, I am interested in community issues and development, as well as support and advocacy for my people”. (Updated April 2009)

Rene Wanuny Kulitja (Director) - Mutitjulu Community, NT

Rene is a full-time artist. Her work features in many national and international exhibitions and has been exhibited in Belgium and Japan. She works with many media,  including glass and ceramics, paint and tjanpi (grass) baskets. A high profile international artist, Rene has one of her designs featured on a Qantas Boeing 747 jet.   In 2000 Rene was one of the 330 Aboriginal women from Central Australia who performed at the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony.

• Rene has been a member of the (former) Mutitjulu Community Council and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management. 
• She is a founding director of Walkatjara Arts at Uluru and she is the Chairperson of the Maruku Arts Governing Committee. In October 2007 Rene was elected as an NPY Women’s Council Director for a two-year term.
• Personal interest –“I get my inspiration from our culture and country and all our animals and plants. Our culture and language is very strong and is very important to us. I want all our children to grow up to be strong young adults, to carry on looking after our traditional law and eventually be parents themselves”. (Updated April 2009)

MAKINTI MINUTJUKUR (Director) - Pukatja/Ernabella Community, SA

Makinti is a Community Support Officer with the SA Department for Families and Communities.   A former Chairperson of NPY Women’s Council, Makinti is highly regarded by her community. Makinti was a participant at the 2020 Summit: ‘Options for the future of Indigenous Australia,’ held in 2008.   She has held a number of community positions including Municipal Services Officer, Community Liaison Officer, representative on Wiru Palyantjaku, and Anangu Co-ordinator of Community Programs in Pukatja. She continues to assist whenever she can with community activities.  Makinti has also performed in the stage play,  Ngapartji Ngapartji.

• Personal Interest – “I have a particular interest in strategic planning so I am interested in the planning behind NPY’s programs and services”.  (Updated April 2009)

PANTJITI MCKENZIE (Director) - Pukatja/Ernabella Community, SA

Pantjiti has spent much of her life living in the Ernabella Community. Pantjiti and her husband set up EVTV which made films on all sorts of subjects.  She estimates that together they made over a thousand films. They also worked for PY Media on the Broadcasting for Remote Aboriginal Community Services program (BRACS).  Pantjiti enjoys acting.  She has appeared in films about bush tucker, bush medicine, the Seven Sisters and she also performed in the stage play, Ngapartji Ngapartji.

• A skilled artist in paint, batik and weaving tjanpi (grass) baskets and a teacher of the Pitjantjatjara language, Pantjiti is also a traditional healer or ngangkari, specialising in treating women’s problems. Pantjiti was one of the 330 Aboriginal women who performed in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony.
• Personal interest – “My particular areas of interest are in prevention of domestic violence on young girls, mental health. I am also passionate about our culture, about keeping our law and culture strong, and passing on strong law and culture to women of all ages, and children”. (Updated April 2009)

CARLENE THOMPSON (Director) - Pukatja/Ernabella Community, SA

Carlene lives near Ernabella at the Black Hill 3 homeland on the APY lands in SA.  She has regularly attended NPY Women’s Council meetings over the years, mostly travelling with her sister-in-law, Nura Ward, whom she credits as her mentor. Carlene can remember one of the first houses built in Ernabella,  which was established as a mission in 1933.  She performed at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony, one of 330 Aboriginal women from Central Australia.

• Personal interest – “Aged Care is of particular interest to me.  It is important that old people are looked after properly and respectfully.”  (Updated April 2009)

Valerie Foster (Director) - Wanarn Community, WA

Valerie is the Vice-chairperson of Wanarn Community Council.  Valerie’s background is in nursing.  She has been a Senior Health Worker for more than 30 years, and worked in various clinics and hospitals.

• Valerie is also a former staff member of NPY Women’s Council. Soon after the Child Nutrition Program started in 1996, Valerie became a Project Officer, working with the Manager, malparara way – meaning together as companions or friends. She stayed with Child Nutrition until 2001.  In 2000 Valerie was one of the 330 Aboriginal women from Central Australia who performed at the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony.
• Valerie has had a number of terms as an NPY Women’s Council elected Executive member or Director during the 1990s, from 2001 to 2002, and again from 2007 to the present.
• Personal interest – “I would like to see more of the younger ones getting involved in Women’s Council so they can take over one day. I worry about our young people. I want them to be happily involved in their community, I try to encourage young people to be busy whenever I can”. (Updated April 2009)

FRANCES NGALPINKGA LAWSON (Director) - Warburton, WA

Frances currently works for the Home and Community Care program (HACC) in Warburton. She assists with the preparation of lunches for school students and old people as well as assisting them with their shopping, washing and laundry.  In 2002 at the AGM held at Wipularrilarri, Frances was elected for one year. In 2007 she was voted in again, for a two-year term. Frances is a wood-carver and artist. Her pictures are of her mother’s country. More recently she started basket weaving, making raffia and tjanpi baskets.  Frances was one of the 330 women from Central Australia who danced at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

• Personal interest – “My particular interests in the work of the Women’s Council are in the areas of tjitjiku mai wiru (child nutrition), mental health, and old people”. (Updated April 2009)

FREDA LANE (Director) - Blackstone / Papulankutja, WA

Freda has served on the boards of Maruku Arts and Papulankutja Artists and has worked in health and with the Native Title Unit of the Ngaanyatjarra Council. A tjanpi weaver, she collaborated on the Tjanpi Toyota, which won the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2005.  She worked for NPY Women’s Council in what was then the Allied Health Service, now the tri-state Disability Service, around a decade ago. Freda also worked at the Warburton School during the years that Warburton operated as an Aboriginal mission.

• Personal interest – “I would like to see more young people across the NPY region helping to make their communities better”. (Updated April 2009)

DENISE BRADY (Director) - Docker River /Kaltukatjara, NT

Denise is the youngest NPY elected Director. She is from Amata in South Australia and lives in Docker River, NT with her husband and young children.  Denise works in her community for Mission Australia as a Youth Worker.   She previously worked for NPY Women’s Council as a Youth Development Officer.  Denise has also undertaken governance training with other NPY Women’s Council Directors. (Updated April 2009)

© 2007 Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (Aboriginal Corporation)

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