Our people
Uncle Rick Nelson
CHAIR & SENIOR ELDER DJAARA
Uncle Rick is the Senior Djaara Elder within the Upper Loddon Region and son of Uncle Brien Nelson. He is the Chair of Nalderun’s board and it’s under his guidance and oversight Nalderun’s programs run. He is a Cultural advisor for the broader community on various matters concerning the local Djaara and First Nations Community. He co-ordinates Nalderun’s Kuli Business (Men’s business) for high school aged youth – which is where he takes men and boys to to learn through connection to Culture and Country. He also leads Waaman Tours – taking the broader community out on Country to visit sites of significance.
Pauline Bloch
DIRECTOR
NON-INDIGENOUS
Grace Coff
FIRST NATIONS YOUTH LEADER & BUSH TUCKER PLACE CO-MANAGER
YORTA YORTA
Grace Coff is a deadly Yorta Yorta woman who has had the honour of working in Community for the past 4 years. She helped start up the program for the young First Nations youth in the local high school. She also did a short course in xero and worked as the book keeper for 2 years. Now she works as Co Manager at Me Mandook Galk Bush Tucker Place and has started experimenting with product making with the plants we grow.
Andrea Distefano
YUWALI PROGRAM COORDINATOR
NON-INDIGENOUS
Born on Wurundjeri Country to Italian-settler parents and based on Djaara Country, Andrea Distefano is the Yulawil Program Co-Coordinator at Nalderun. She works alongside First Nations Youth Mentors, Tanisha Murray and Chase Norfolk. Her favourite part of the role is getting the opportunity to learn from young people and take their lead on how programs are delivered.
Uncle Ron Murray
DIRECTOR
WAMBA WAMBA
Uncle Ron Murray is a Wamba Wamba man (Swan Hill area) living at Yapeen, on Djaara country. He is a cultural educator, storyteller, musician, didgeridoo maker and wood sculptor. Ron has an international reputation as a didgeridoo soloist and also performs as part of the Celtic-Indigenous fusion duo, Kinja, with fiddler/vocalist Sarah James. He has an MA (Education) from RMIT University. His thesis looked at how Indigenous knowledges and positive stories can combat racist attitudes in the wider community. He has previously been employed by Victoria Police, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and has worked for over 30 years delivering cultural healing programs in the youth justice sector. Ron is a sought after cultural presenter/ performer at conferences, in educational settings and at festivals.
Aunty Paulette Nelson
ELDER & CULTURAL ADVISOR
WAMBA WAMBA
Aunty Paulette is a Dja Dja Wurrung woman and sister to Uncle Rick Nelson. The Nelson family have an unbroken and documented connection to this Country of the Mt Alexander Shire. Aunty Lette has vowed to carry on the Cultural work that was started by her father, Uncle Brien Nelson.
Jean McMohan
MEETING PLACE TEACHER
YORTA YORTA
Jean (she/her), a proud Yorta Yorta woman living on Djaara Country in so-called Victoria. She works at Weenthunga in the Women’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing Space. Jean brings 25 years of experience as a First Nations educator across community, education, and health sectors. She stands alongside Kath as an educator at the Meeting Place backing and educating First Nations students from local primacy schools out on Country. She is completing her Masters in Narrative Therapy and Community Work and is passionate about collective narrative practice, decolonising justice, and healing through connection to Country. A queer woman and parent, Jean loves spending time with her partner, kids, and animals on Country.
Sas Allardice
BUSH TUCKER PLACE CO-MANAGER
NON-INDIGENOUS
Sas Allardice is an Ally who is a part of the collaborative leadership team at the Me Mandook Galk Bush Tucker Place. She loves working alongside the deadly team of First Nations Youth to care for Country whilst also helping develop a Bush Tucker Nursery and a variety of value added products with the plants we grow.
Kelly-Ann Blake
DIRECTOR
WADAWURRUNG
Kelly Ann (she/her) is a proud Wadawurrung woman with Dja Dja Wurrung kinship connection. Her professional background includes roles as a Biocultural Project Officer, community leader, and Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University. Kelly Ann is the founder of Kaal Kaal Murrup – Dingo Spirit Cultural Consultancy. She believes in healing Country and Country healing people. She has been involved with Nalderun since it began and it’s a big part of her children’s life story, connecting her and her family to mob and Djandak.
Kath Coff
CEO
YORTA YORTA
Kath is a proud Yorta Yorta woman, community leader and educator. As well as her role as CEO, Kath is the main mentor who supports staff, assists with co-ordination of events, organises supports for Aboriginal students and their families and is a teacher at the Meeting Place. She lectures, consults and teaches at TAFE and higher education and runs Indigenous Relational Worldview Trainings to the broader community. She is a PhD candidate at Melbourne University.
Tanisha Murray
FIRST NATIONS YOUTH MENTOR
Tanisha Murray is an Aboriginal woman living on Djaara Country. She is a First Nations Youth Mentor and Yulawil Program Co-ordinator at Nalderun. Alongside this work, she is a practising artist. She values the way her culture shapes her creative practice, bringing meaning and connection to her work. Tanisha is also a member of Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Youth Advisory Group and Amplify Committee.
Mahesh Kandasamy
PROGRAMS MANAGER
NON-INDIGENOUS
Mahesh is a woman of South Indian heritage living in Djaara Country. In her work life that spans over 25 years, Mahesh has meandered through the banking, social enterprise, microfinance, and community housing sectors. Mahesh's academic qualifications include a Master in Organisation Dynamics and a Master in Sustainability and Social Change. Mahesh is passionate about using her culinary skills to entice groups and communities to come together to engage in deep conversations guided by mutual tenderness and curiosity, which may lead to meaningful shifts in their lives.
Bed Reid
DIRECTOR
PALAWA
Ben Reid is a First Nations man living on Djaara Country. He is a Youth Mentor and Board Director at Nalderun, where he supports young people to build leadership, and connection to culture helping them to feel proud in their identity. He also works at the Me-Mandook Galk Bush Tucker Place, propagating and sharing native plants with the community. Ben is passionate about education, justice, and creating spaces for Mob to thrive.
Chase Norfolk
FIRST NATIONS YOUTH LEADERS & BUSH TUCKER PLACE CO-MANAGER
BUANDIG
Hi, my name is Chase Norfolk and I am a proud Buandig man and I am in love with my culture and I work at Nalderun. I am a manager at the bushtucker place and I also run a day a fortnightly with Uncle Rick Nelson for the young indigenous men from the Castlemaine secondary collage high school. I help with food runs for the Aboriginal community and I also help the sbat students through a cert II in horticulture and get them ready for the work force.
Camillo Demarco
WAAMAN TOUR SUPPORT & BUSH TUCKER PLACE CO-MANAGER
Camilo Demarco is a Uruguayan man living on Djaara country working in multiple roles within Nalderun. He works closely with Djaara Elder Uncle Rick Nelson on his cultural tour social enterprise Waaman Tours as well as various other programs specifically with men and young fellas. He is also a co-manager at the MeMandook Galk Bushtucker Place and is committed to creating inclusive spaces where people can gather, support one another building connection and resilience.
Zoe Scoglio
OUR LEARNING WAY
NON-INDIGENOUS
Zoe is a settler with Southern Italian and Anglo ancestry who is living, loving and learning on Djaara Country. Much of their role at Nalderun is to support Kath and the relationships with the broader non-Indigenous community. This includes supporting partnerships, grant writing, comms and trainings. She’s also part of the local Castlemaine Self Reflection Conversation Collective who hold conversations about allyship and colonisation in partnership with Nalderun.