How We Are Governed
Southern West Yiradyuri Clans Land, Water and Sky Country Aboriginal Corporation is governed by a Traditional Owners Board of Directors, an Elders Council and a Kinship Committee. Each body has its own roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority.
For significant, complex or sensitive matters, these bodies come together as the Corporation’s Governance Group to ensure decisions are informed by cultural authority, community voices and strong governance.
Southern West Yiradyuri Clans Land, Water and Sky Country Aboriginal Corporation (the Corporation) is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) and governed by its Rule Book.
Southern West Yiradyuri People hold the allodial rights to our Country, which have never been, and never will be, ceded. The Corporation exists to give effect to these responsibilities through strong governance, cultural authority and collective decision-making.
Purpose of the Corporation
The principal objective of the Corporation is to promote, protect and enhance the health, wellbeing, equity, culture and connectedness of Southern West Yiradyuri People. This objective is underpinned by the care for and protection of Gunhi Dhaagun (Mother Earth), and by making culturally informed decisions that support future generations and Wiradyuri Nation building.
Board of Directors
To administer the Rule Book and oversee the affairs of the Corporation, a Board of Directors is appointed. The Board is responsible for strategic leadership, accountability, compliance and oversight, and for ensuring the Corporation fulfils its objectives in a culturally appropriate and legally sound manner.
The Board includes representation from each apical ancestor through the appointment of a Director and an Alternate Director, ensuring broad family representation and shared responsibility in decision-making.
Ethan Williams
Jo Curphy
Keith Morgan
Mark Williams
Elders Council
The Elders Council is a Council of Southern West Yiradyuri Clans Land, Water and Sky Country Aboriginal Corporation (the Corporation), an Indigenous corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth). The Corporation is governed by a Board established under its Rule Book.
The Elders Council is the cultural heartbeat of the Corporation. Guided by wisdom and grounded in Yiradyuri lore, law, values and expectations, it provides cultural authority and expertise directly to the Board and Corporation management to support the fulfilment of the Corporation’s objectives.
Comprising respected Elders elected by members, the Council brings deep knowledge shaped by generations of lived experience. Through advice and guidance, the Elders Council helps shape priorities, inform decision-making, refine project plans, and ensure that all initiatives align with cultural traditions and the best interests of Community and Country.
The Elders Council also safeguards the spiritual and cultural wellbeing of the Corporation by providing guidance on cultural protocols, ceremonial practices and matters of cultural responsibility. Acting as advisors and advocates, the Council strengthens the connection between ancient traditions and contemporary governance, ensuring that the voice of Elders remains central to the Corporation’s work.
Through their leadership, the Elders Council ensures the Corporation continues to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors while creating sustainable opportunities for future generations and keeping the spirit of Country strong.
The Elders Council is guided by the Elders Council Charter.
Elders Council representatives
Uncle Ray Woods
Uncle Ian Goolagong
Aunty Donna Murray
Aunty Judy Johnson
Note: The Elders Council comprises between 3 and 7 representatives. Members may be Traditional Owners or Aboriginal Kinship members of Southern West Yiradyuri Country.
Guided by Lore, Strengthened by Kinship
Since colonisation, First Nations peoples have experienced significant disruption, including displacement from traditional homelands. Despite this, our connections have endured through strong family and kinship ties, even when living away from Country.
According to Yiradyuri lore, each person carries a responsibility to care for Country and protect the knowledge systems that flow through it, regardless of where they now reside. At Southern West Yiradyuri, we acknowledge and honour the deep contribution of our Kinship Community who call Southern West Yiradyuri Country home. Through their care and dedication, knowledge systems have been sustained, lore has endured, and Country continues to be nurtured and respected across generations.
This vital role of kinship in caring for Country and sustaining knowledge is formally embedded within the Corporation through the establishment of the Kinship Committee. The Committee provides advice and perspectives from Aboriginal kinship members, ensuring broader community voices inform decision-making and governance.
Through their ongoing contribution, the Kinship Committee supports the preservation of Southern West Yiradyuri Country and helps guide the Corporation’s work in a way that is culturally grounded, inclusive and respectful of shared responsibility.
Download the Kinship Committee Charter
Kinship Committee
Stephen Johnson
Melissa Bilney
Brittany Carter
Note: The Kinship Committee comprises between 3 and 5 representatives who are Aboriginal kinship members of Southern West Yiradyuri Country.
Southern West Yiradyuri Clans Land, Water and Sky Country Aboriginal Corporation operates under a governance model that brings together cultural authority, community representation and elements from both traditional and contemporary corporate governance. This model ensures decisions are made in accordance with Yiradyuri lore, law, values and expectations, while also meeting regulatory, accountability and operational requirements.
The governance model is designed to support strong leadership, transparency and collective responsibility, recognising that caring for Country and making cuturally grounded decisions that will have a positve impact on future generations requires both cultural authority and sound decision-making structures.
Our three-tiered governance model brings more voices into decision-making and strengthens accountability, transparency and good governance. Together, the Board of Directors, Elders Council and Kinship Committee form the Corporation’s Governance Group, providing collective oversight and guidance on significant and complex matters.
