We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Brooke Collard is a Ballardong/Whadjuk Noongar woman, and proud mother of a toddler. As a producer and writer, Brooke is creating opportunities for authentic representation for those who have been marginalised in media, such as stories of First Nations people and LGBTQIA+. Brooke currently works as a Games & Narrative Designer with Awesome Black, a First Nations game company that centre First Nations voices, stories, and creatives in everything they do.
Brooke and their partner Gary Hamaguchi won the AACTA Regional Pitch for 2023 with their project ‘Reclamation’, a Noongar Horror. In 2023 Brooke collaborated with Common Ground for their educational series ‘First Nations Bedtime Stories’, and she produced short film ‘Marlu Man’ which is in development as a feature film. In 2022 she was shortlisted for web series Digital Originals with ‘Red Dress Woman’. Brooke also has a successful podcast series with SBS Radio, ‘Noongar Wellbeing’ which has over 16,000 plays. Brooke wrote and produced web series ‘Yokai’, and award-winning short film ‘Aboriginal Warrior’.
She is also in development for ‘Anangu Way’ with emerging director and writer Tace Stevens. Brooke is also a part of the Goolarri Writers Group, the only group of its kind in the country which supports First Nations writers in developing their ideas. She has also worked on projects such as TV series ‘The Great’, movie ‘Sweet As’ and many others. With a primary focus on facilitating stories that encourage others and help on the journey of healing. Brooke is a firm believer in “No Stories About Us, Without Us.”
Rona is a proud Kaytetye woman from Central Australia who works with high impact organisations to create systems that centre First Nations people, knowledge and solutions.
Rona is the founder of Common Ground and brings 7 years
of professional experience working across First Nations organisations and not for profits. Rona was previously the Director of First Nations at YLab, a social enterprise that puts young people with diverse lived experiences at the centre of designing and developing innovative and impactful solutions
to complex social issues. Over her career, Rona has worked in policy at the Central Land Council, the Research Unit for Indigenous Languages at the University of Melbourne, Reconciliation Victoria, and the Foundation for Young Australians.In 2020, Rona was a finalist for the Victorian Young Achiever awards, was awarded a Westpac Social Change Fellowship. In 2019 Rona won a Diana Award and was named a 'Woman of the Future' by Women's Weekly.Through her work with First Nations communities across Australia, Rona aims to create future systems that centre First Nations people, knowledge and cultures.Rona currently resides in Mpartnwe on Arrernte Country.
We are a First Nations not-for-profit that exists to centre First Nations people, Country and truth-telling. We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
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