Our Committee

Graeme Miniter

Chairperson

Graeme Miniter was born at the Gnowangerup Mission to parents Roy Miniter and Elaine Miniter nee Brown . He attended primary school in Borden, Mt Lockyer and Spencer Park and high school in Albany. Upon leaving school Mr Miniter has worked for the Education Department as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Department of Indigenous Affairs and the Southern Aboriginal  Corporation as a program manager. He also served as Chairperson of the Executive Board at South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.

Mary Gimondo

Secretary

Mary Gimondo writes grant applications and acquittals and liaises with funding and sponsor bodies and has more than 30 years experience in this field. She is a past secretary of the CBCA WA, has a background as a children’s librarian and has worked for the Education Department and in Public Libraries. Mary has also worked in special and law libraries and recently retired from the Australian Tax Office where she worked as a business analyst. In 2008 Mary was awarded the CBCA WA Muriel Barwell Award for Distinguished services to children’s literature. Mary is also involved with committees within the community.

Ted Farmer

Committee Member

A proud Wirlomin man and the oldest son of Olivia Roberts and John Farmer.
Ted has lived and worked in the Great Southern Region for most of his life.
He finished his schooling in Albany, then entered employment with the City of Albany, the Western Australian Police Service and is now working in the Mining sector.
He has very strong family connections with his immediate and extended families and is wanting to grow as a future leader within his family and for his people.

Kim Scott

Committee Member

Kim Scott is an award-winning Noongar author who has worked extensively in Indigenous education and the arts. Kim’s second novel, Benang (1999), won a number of literary awards, including The Miles Franklin, which he won for a second time with That Deadman Dance (2010) along with the South-east Asia and Pacific Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal and other accolades. His work has been translated and published in China, India, Holland, Japan and France.

Kim was awarded a Centenary Medal and in 2012 was inaugural Western Australian of the Year. He is a member of the West Australian Writers Hall of Fame and in 2022 was declared a State Cultural Treasure. Kim is currently employed as Professor of Writing in the School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts at Curtin University.

Iris Woods

Committee Member

Iris Woods has worked as an Aboriginal Health Worker with the Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service. Prior to that she was an Indigenous Liaison Officer with the WA Department of Education’s Peel District Office where she worked promoting Noongar language and cultural activities and translated many children’s songs into Noongar. She is also a teacher of Noongar language with extensive experience and language skills. In 1995 Iris won the Barry Hayward Outstanding Achievement Aboriginal Individual Award, and was nominated for the Premier’s Active Citizenship Awards, Australia Day 2009, for services to her community. Iris also was Coordinator for Noongar Language Teachers networking in Peel-Fremantle District Education.

Iris is a founding member of the Koolbardies Talking Women’s Friendship Circle where Aboriginal and non Aboriginal women work together to learn about cultural differences and support projects that increase the capacity of Aboriginal youth through the development of life skills. She was an adviser on the Board of Management of the Mandurah Youth Centre, a member of the City of Mandurah’s Aboriginal Advisory Group, and is a member of the Wirlomin Cultural Elders Reference Group. Across the board, Iris is an advocate for the stolen generations, redress and helping others. She is a regular guest speaker on history, language and culture at schools and within the community. Iris also served as the chief advisor for the Noongar children’s television program Waabiny Time on NITV.