Board Members

Shireen’s forty-year career experience is invaluable as a founding board member and driving force behind the ASSI.PJ political perspectives. Shireen’s expertise cover as a former board member for Justice Health, AHMRC – Ethics Committee and The Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation. In the 1970s Shireen worked for the Department of Social Security in Townsville, Queensland and her involvement with the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care included membership of the Finance Committee.

Shireen was a Commissioner of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) from 1991 to 1993 and sat on the NSW Parole Board for 9 years (1994 – 2003). Shireen has extensive experience in the management of non-government services for the Aboriginal community including the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Media Association and the Aboriginal Medical Service in Townsville and AMS Redfern board. 2009-2012 saw her sit on the First Nations advisory panel to the City of Sydney introducing the word ‘Invasion’ to the preamble of Sydney City.

As our first celebrated jazz artist Shireen has performed with The Pacific Main Stream jazz band, internationally acclaimed Johnny Nicol and the New York Jazz Qt Mimi Jones – Camille Thurman. Shireen’s portrait hangs in the Australian Museum, Old Parliament House and she has been the subject of three Archibald prize nominations (2016,2017,2018). As an Aboriginal/Kanak artist Shireen’s work is influenced by her involvement in Black affairs on a global scale.

Awarded:

2019: Blackmores Mercie Whellan Womens + Wellbeing – Life time achievement Award.
2016: NSW Council for Pacific Communities ‘Overall Outstanding’ and ‘Education’ Award.

Ms. (Waskam) Emelda Davis is a second-generation Australian South Sea Islander who has worked for federal, state, community and grassroots organisations in Australia where she has exhibited diverse expertise in community development, education, training, media, and marketing.
As chairwoman of the Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson) (ASSIPJ) since 2009 under Emelda’s leadership ASSIPJ have revived the focus on ‘the call for recognition’ for the descendants of Australia’s Blackbirding trade through the coordination of seven ‘Wantok’ national workshops between 2012-2015, and the development of the National Australian South Sea Islander Association constitution adopted at Tweed Heads New South Wales (NSW 2015). Holding a Masters of Arts degree from the University of Technology Sydney Emelda was awarded partial funding through the Networking Tranby ARC Scholarship for her work on Children of the Sugar Slaves – ‘Black and Resilient.’ Emelda is founder of The Black Collective AU working group in 2018 and was key advocate in 2019 towards the establishment of the Australian Museums – Pacific Cultural Collection Advisory Panel of which she sits followed by the appointed to the Board of Trustees for the International Coalition Sites of Conscious and Sydney NSW – International Council on Monuments and Sites committee. More recently Emelda is a committee member for the COVID-19 response Health Directory for Pacific Communities coordinated by state representative NSW Council for Pacific Communities and Multicultural NSW.

Achievements include:

2020 CALD Advisory Panel for Women’s Business
2020 Women for Election Australia, Ambassador
2020 Parliament of NSW Community Recognition Statement – Legislative Assembly
2020 Premiers Multicultural Community Medals (Settlement Services International NSW Human Rights Medal)
2020 Masters of Arts (FASS) Children of the Sugar Slaves ‘Black & Resilient’
2017 Rotary Inspirational Women’s Award
2017 Inspirational Wall Medal, Ultimo – Public School Sydney NSW
2016 NSW Women of the Year (Sydney Local)
2015 NSW Council for Pacific Communities Award

As the director for Onyx Management Group since 2004, Emelda has worked consistently and diligently in resourcing Indigenous, Australian South Sea Islander, Pacific, POC and broader community practitioners to deliver projects on a multitude of platforms producing film, television, sports, event management, music and entertainment projects for grass roots, corporate and private sectors.

Danny has maintained his position as director and vice chair with ASSIPJ since 2011 effectively working as a contributing board member, events logistics and assistant facilitator for events as recent as the ASSI 25th Anniversary dignitary flag raising and inaugural Sugar Fest 2019 hosted at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Darling Harbour. Danny has worked closely with his electorate to further the inclusion of ASSI history as part of the Inner West Council (IWC) and Christian Brothers Lewisham School social justice programs. With Danny’s support the Australian South Sea Islander flag is raised permanently at the school in solidarity with First Nations flags and annually on ASSI National Recognition Day (25th August) at the Petersham Town Hall. More recently Danny has successfully completed the Multicultural Queensland governance training course with the intention of further studies as essential training and board responsibility. Danny’s managerial skills has seen his strong participation across the below capacity building forums.

Engagements:

2020 Governance Training Multicultural QLD, national participant
2019 Australian National Maritime Museum, guest speaker
2018 NAIDOC Day ‘Because of her we can’-Christian Brothers Lewisham, guest speaker
2018 Petersham Town Hall inaugural ASSI flag raising keynote
2015 National ASSI Association Constitution adoption – Tweed Heads
2014 Findem Baek Famili – Solomon Islands, guest speaker
2012-2015 Wantok national conferences speaker/assistant facilitator

Shola is founder and treasurer (2009) for national representative Australian South Sea Islanders – (Port Jackson) (ASSIPJ) and is the first ASSI to be accepted into the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford London in pursuit of an MBA in ‘Impact Investment.’ Shola is hopeful that the course will greatly further his capabilities in not-for-profit organisational management and impact of his community. Shola’s young career has seen his engagement across global major banking institution and an acquired skill base in corporate valuations – private equity and debt – investing in private markets – firms and markets – entrepreneurial finance – impact investing – strategies for impact – political economy for business leaders.

Achievements include:

• MBA Map the System- Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Oxford winner and global finalist in international systems mapping initiative. Achieved top five placement out of 3,500 entrants across 1,100 academic institutions.
• The MBA Impact Investing Network & Training (MIINT) Program- Bridges Impact Foundation Oxford finalist and Finance Curriculum Developer for global impact investment competition. Included the sourcing and analysis of social and environmental enterprises.
• Leading for Impact (2020 Cohort)- Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Selected to a cohort of just 20 students across the University of Oxford deemed as “impactful future change leaders”. Program specialising in social and environmental leadership.

Awarded:

2017: Inspirational Wall Medal, Ultimo Public School, Sydney NSW.
2013: The Vernon Wade Terry Award – Winthrop University Div:1 USA.
2013: Lifetime member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honour Society.
2013: Deans Honour List – Winthrop University Div:1 USA.
2001: Jacksons Landing Scholarship (age13)

Binette’s current role as a Groups Executive for a global hotel chain has seen her expertise acknowledged as an ‘essential worker’ playing a key role within the hotel management COVID-19 response team. Binette has worked for some seven years for the private sector which also included small business manager role for a Beautician as part of an individual staff daily roster. Since founding ASSIPJ Binette’s duties see her as a valuable volunteer as part of the office administration, bookkeeping, event coordination and social media platform management. Binette has a strong determination in self-development and participated as part of the inaugural 2016 Women’s Leadership workshop hosted by ‘We Are All Sydney’ initiative run by NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. This year Binette chose to refresh her leadership role by participating in the JBD 2020 Leadership updated version of the program.

Nominee: Regional Accor Hotel Awards NSW/ACT (2016)

Achievements:

2020 We Are All Sydney – Leadership course.
2020 Accor Hotels COVID-19 response management team.
2019 inaugural Sugar Fest 2019 location coordinator.
2019 Australian Maritime Museum, ASSI 25th Anniversary dignitary flag raising guest speaker.
2015 Employee and Team Player of the Year.
2014 Accor Hotels, Most Valuable Player Quarter 2.
2014 Blue Mountains Hotel Management School Indigenous Scholarship finalist with Accor Hotels.
2013 Wantok national conference assistant administration.

Melina has dedicated her life to raising the profile of her mother’s history as a Blackbird descendant from the northern rivers NSW. For the better part of a decade Melina has assisted the ASSIPJ project administration with skills derived through her experience as an assistant producer across National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Onyx Management Projects built from grass roots perspectives of cultural diversity and the interconnectedness for First Nations and Australian South Sea Islander communities. Melina’s community capacity building has assisted greatly with the ASSIPJ/Wantok national conferences and dignitary events that have worked in collaboration with state and national government agencies to further the recognition of ASSIs. Melina’s mother Carriette Pangas (nee Togo) was a founding elder of ASSIPJ and designed the business logo that represents the brown silhouette of burnt sugarcane and memories of our island homes, leaders and freedom.

Engagements:

2019 inaugural Sugar Fest stalls coordinating committee.
2019 Australian National Maritime Museum, dignitary coordinator.
2019 Fiji inaugural Indentured Labour Conference team leader contingency.
2016 B.L.A.C.K workshop Tweed Heads assistant administrator.
2014 Vanuatu Government delegate 150th Anniversary since Blackbirding.
2013 Wantok national conference community engagement.