Ambassadors

Shelley Ware is a proud Yankunytjatjara and Wirangu woman from Adelaide but currently lives in Melbourne. She has worked as a radio and television presenter on both local and national AFL football news shows, particularly as a panel member of NITV’s Marngrook Footy Show and as a weekly guest on The Point discussing AFL issues. She is a member of the Carlton FC RAP and the AFLW All Australian and Rising Star Selection committees. Shelley also works as an educator at Kew Primary School in Melbourne where she has coordinated a Literacy Intervention program and is currently the middle and senior school Art teacher.

Richard is one of Australia's finest novelists, winning the Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He donated one of his prizes to our Foundation saying: "If one of those books helps a few children to advance beyond the most basic literacy to one that is liberating, then I will consider the money better spent.”

Thomas Weatherall is a Kamilaroi writer and actor. His debut play Blue premiered in 2023 at Belvoir Theatre as part of Sydney Festival in a sold-out and critically acclaimed world premiere season in which he also starred.

Thomas won both a Silver Logie and an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama for his performance as Malakai in Netflix’s Heartbreak High. After making his professional acting debut in 2018 in ABC’s award-winning series Deadlock, Thomas began a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at QUT and joined the lead cast of RFDS and was subsequently named as one of Casting Guild Australia’s Rising Stars for 2020.

Thomas was inspired to join the ILF as an Ambassador because he truly values literacy and storytelling.

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Artist Ryhia Dank is a Gudanji/Wakaja woman from the Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory. You may recognise Ryhia by the name Nardurna.

Ryhia's identity is deeply rooted in her roles as a mother, partner, business owner, and creative individual.

Ryhia connection to Country and family is a profound source of inspiration for her work and fuels her desire to preserve and nurture her relationship with the land.

As an ILF Ambassador, Ryhia is inspired by Indigenous literacy and hopes to champion, “Community Empowerment and Ownership, Learning Materials and Accessibility of Books, Cultural Preservation and Celebration, and Continuous Education and Literacy Development.”

Aboriginal artist A. Professor Wayne Quilliam is an internationally acclaimed storyteller, curator and cultural advisor. Wayne’s 30 years of experience working in Communities has allowed him to create and curate over 300 photographic and visual art exhibitions, nationally and globally. In 2020, Wayne’s debut book Culture is Life was released, a photo documentary on contemporary Indigenous culture and among many of his awards he was nominated as a Master of Photography by National Geographic.

Kim is a multi‑award winning novelist. Benang (1999) was the first novel by an Indigenous writer to win the Miles Franklin Award and hat Deadman Dance (2010) also won Australia’s premium literary prize. Proud to be one among those who call themselves Noongar, Kim is founder and chair of the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project and, with Noongar Elder Hazel Brown, wrote Kayang and Me (2005). He is a member of the WA Writers Hall of Fame, and in 2022 was declared a state Cultural Treasure. Kim is currently Professor of Writing at Curtin University.

Gregg is a gifted artist, storyteller and musician, and he features the didgeridoo and guitar in his performances at schools, libraries and festivals. He is a descendant of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi people. He is the author and illustrator of Silly Birds, Kookoo Kookaburra, Mad Magpie, Cunning Crow, Awesome Emu, My Culture and Me, Hello and Welcome, Today's Sun and Common Wealth. His stories proudly address his Culture: including friendship; kindness; tempers; bullying; being humble; and social change. Gregg is also the illustrator of the classic story Tiddalik the Frog, and has poetry with his illustrations in the anthology A Boat of Stars.

He is very proud to be helping the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to bring books, laughter, confidence and fun to remote Communities around Australia.

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Jessica is one of Australia’s most popular singers, songwriters and actresses. Jessica has spent time in many remote Communities and understands the challenges and barriers to literacy that exist in these areas. “Kids in these Communities are smart and often speak 2‑3 languages, but English is often not their first language and they can therefore struggle to cope at school.”

Emma Donovan, a highly celebrated, ARIA‑nominated, award‑winning Indigenous singer and songwriter has been touring the country for over 20 years.On her mother’s side, Emma is part of the famed Donovan family of singers of the Gumbaynggirr people, of what is now known as Northern New South Wales. On her father’s side, Emma is of the Yamatji people of what is now known as Western Australia.Emma has toured and recorded with the best in the Australian music scene including Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers, Yothu Yindi, Paul Grabowsky, Jen Cloher, Spinifex Gum and the late Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter.

Jared is a Nukunu person and author, playwright and academic, whose books include Sweet Guy and Calypso Summer, for which he was awarded the Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship. Jared facilitated a 2016 ILF Create Initiative workshop with Tiwi College and said the forthcoming book created by the students “provided readers with the joy, connection and youth of the Tiwi people, country and culture”.

Dr Debra Dank is a Gudanji/Wakaja woman and a multi‑award winning author who has worked in teaching and learning for many years. Debra is currently an Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia. Debra's book, We Come With This Place waspublished in 2022.

Dr Kirsten Banks is a proud Wiradjuri astrophysicist and science communicator. She loves to share her passion for space and astronomy with people young and old, both in person at public talks and by making short and fun educational videos on TikTok. Kirsten is doing a PhD at the University of New South Wales studying the nature of ancient stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and hopes to inspire the next generation of young scientists to help answer the Universe’s big questions.

A proud Kamilaroi, Barkindji, Ballardong and Whadjuk woman and one of this generations most versatile personalities, Bianca Hunt has been honing her skills in the media industry for over a decade. A TV presenter, media personality and  interviewer, Bianca's career spans sport, travel, fashion and music journalism.

Bianca has appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, co-hosted NITV's Yokayi Footy and was a travel reporter for SBS's Going Places with Ernie Dingo. Bianca has been the face of ad campaigns for Bonds, LinkedIn and Intrepid Travel, and has also made regular appearances at Australian Fashion Week. Bianca is a TEDx presenter and in 2021 founded Agnt Blak, a groundbreaking talent agency for First Nations people.

In a career spanning 40 years, Ann has illustrated over 80 books. In 1988, she and her partner Ann Haddon established Books Illustrated, promoting Australian picture books and their creators through exhibitions and events in Australia and overseas for 35 years. Ann is passionate about picture books and sees visual narrative and art as a universal language to tell story. It’s been at the heart of the many creative ILF projects she’s been involved with, working with children in Communities all over the country. In 2020 both Anns were awarded Member of the Order of Australia for their work in Australian Children’s Literature, and in 2022 she was nominated Australian Illustrator for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

David is an award‑winning children’s author whose Fox Swift series, co‑written with Cyril Rioli led to a life‑changing trip to the Tiwi Islands. With Shelley Ware he co‑facilitated the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022 ILF Create Initiative writing workshops, that produced the wonderful Japarrika trilogy and Tiwi Seasons with Marius. Through the ILF he has seen first‑hand how reading opens doors.

DOBBY is a rapper, composer, producer and drummer. He proudly identifies as a Filipino and Aboriginal musician, whose family is from Murrawarri and Ngemba lands.

He is a multi-instrumentalist and uses his unique signature ‘drapping’ - rapping and drumming at the same time.

In 2020, DOBBY took out best video for I Can’t Breathe at the FBi SMAC Awards which has continued to remain the unofficial anthem of Australia’s Bla(c)k Lives Matter movement and used throughout schools in Australia as material alongside curriculum to assist in educating students.

After joining the ILF as a Busking For Change Ambassador in 2023, the ILF could not be more excited to welcome him to our team as an Ambassador for all of our work.