ALNF Ambassadors

ALNF Ambassadors assist us to empower the most marginalised Australians to reach their full potential by raising language, literacy and numeracy standards. ALNF's successful projects and programs rely on the dedication, commitment, vision and energy provided by our Ambassadors.

Tom Calma

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

Mr Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and has worked in the public sector for over 30 years.

Until his appointment on 12 July 2004 as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, for an appointment of five years and Race Discrimination Commissioner since July 2008, Mr Calma managed the Community Development and Education Branch at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) where he worked with remote Indigenous communities to implement community-based and driven empowerment and participation programs. In 2003, he was Senior Adviser of Indigenous Affairs to the Minister of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and from 1995 to 2002 he was a senior diplomat in India and Vietnam.

Commissioner Calma is also a White Ribbon Day ambassador, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, held on 25 November each year. Commissioner Calma is also a national patron of Wakakirri National Story Festival.

Deborah Thomas

General Manager, ACP Women's Lifestyle Magazines, Editorial Projects

One of the country's most successful and experienced magazine editors, Deborah has been at the helm of Australia's biggest selling magazine, The Australian Women's Weekly, for a decade and editing ACP's most popular women's magazines for over 18 years.

After successfully editing magazines such as Cleo, Elle and Mode (now Harpers Bazaar), Deborah was appointed Editor-in-Chief of The Australian Women's Weekly, Australia's highest selling magazine and a national icon, in September 1999. She is also a sought-after media commentator, with regular spots on the Today show, A Current Affair and 20 to One. A regular on radio, Deborah co-hosts the weekly Health and Wellbeing Show on radio 2GB.

Currently, Deborah sits on the council of the National Library of Australia and the Queensland Food, Fibre and Agribusiness Council. She is a board member of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre and a patron of the Taronga Foundation.

Dedicated to promoting and mentoring young women, as well as providing credible information on a range of topics, including health, family and community issues, Deborah has also been a member of the Walkley Advisory Council (2005-2007), an AusAID Ambassador for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2003) and a member of the steering committee for Promoting the Value of the Arts for the Australia Council (2002).

Bronwyn Bancroft

Bronwyn Bancroft was born in Tenterfield, Northern New South Wales. Her father, Bill, was Bundjalung, Djanbun clan and her mother, Dorothy, is Scottish and Polish.

Bronwyn works as an artist across many mediums. Bronwyn's work is held in Australian collections, such as the National Gallery of Australia, Macquarie University, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australian, Australian Museum and Artbank, as well as in overseas collections such as Newark Museum USA, Prime Minister of Turkey, The Kelton Foundation USA, Volkerkunde Museum, Germany and Westpac USA.

Bronwyn has been heavily involved in the protection of artists' rights, representing artists as a chairperson and board member for the National & Indigenous Arts Advocacy Association (NIAAA 1993-1998), chairperson of Visual Arts Committee, NSW Ministry of the Arts (1996) and Council Member of the National Gallery of Australia (1992-1997). Bronwyn is a current board member of AIME, has rejoined Viscopy as a director and has been appointed as an Independent Director to Copyright Agency Limited.

Bronwyn was awarded the Professional Development Grant from the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council in 1985 and a Creative Artist's Fellowship in 1991-2 and 1999-2000. She received the May Gibbs Fellowship from the Dromkeen Centre for Children's Literature in 2000. Bronwyn has recently been awarded the Yarramundi Scholarship at UWS where she is currently completing her Doctorate.

Deborah Cheetham

Deborah Cheetham, Soprano, composer and author of the internationally acclaimed play, White Baptist Abba Fan, has established her place as an artist in great demand. Since her international debut in 1997 Ms Cheetham has performed in the theatres and concert halls of Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and throughout Australia.

Career highlights include performances at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games and the 2001 Centenary of Federation concerts; for which she received the Centenary Medal of Australia in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Arts.

In April 2007 Ms Cheetham was awarded a prestigious two-year fellowship by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts board of the Australian Council for the Arts. With the support of this fellowship Ms Cheetham is currently writing Australia's first Indigenous opera. This groundbreaking project is designed to create a pathway for Indigenous singers who dream of pursuing a career in classical vocal music.

Paul Knight

Paul Knight's family are from the Wodi Wodi people originating on the South Coast of NSW. Paul is the Managing Director of Djenbella Group Pty Ltd a small consulting firm specialising in business development, strategic planning and employment and Djenbella Tours. He also holds the position of NSW State Manager for the Australian Employment Covenant. Paul was previously the Executive Director of Tranby Aboriginal College, the oldest independent Indigenous education institution in Australia.

Paul possesses nearly 20 years of management experience and training in business development, strategic planning, Aboriginal cultural appreciation programs as well as equity and diversity programs. He also has over 7 years of experience in providing Australian Indigenous cultural education tours and community consultation forums.

Simon Swanson

Simon Swanson is one of Australia's most experienced insurance executives having worked for 30 years across the full spectrum of life, general and health insurance. Half his career has been spent offshore in the Asia Pacific region. Simon has successfully led the largest life insurer in three countries, including Australia.