QIWRN is a grass roots family and community supported organisation delivered by Yuku Baja Muliku Landowner and Reserves Ltd which is a Cooktown-based First Nations group.

Meet the QIWRN Team

LARISSA HALE

Founder & CEO
larissa.hale@archerpoint.com.au

Born and raised in Far North Queensland, with deep roots in Cape York, I serve as the Managing Director of Yuku Baja Muliku Landowner & Reserves Ltd and the Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network.

Since 2007, I’ve led the development of key initiatives like the YBM Indigenous Land & Sea Ranger Program, YBM Junior Ranger Program, and the Archer Point Turtle Hospital.

The YBM Ranger team manages 22500 hectares of land and adjacent sea country as part of the Yuku Baja Muliku Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. My role varies daily, ranging from facilitating workshops, attending meetings with government / partners - through to working with youth, Women Rangers, fighting wildfires or rescuing saltwater turtles.

Our team also works with scientists from a variety of universities and have comprehensive monitoring projects (biocultural) across our country. I have co-authored a paper with developers of the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI), with the aim to investigate the application of the CVI concept to assess impacts of climate change upon some of our key values. The project was the first attempt in Australia to trial the CVI process with First Nations people. By working with climate change scientists, we were able to develop a process that is Traditional Owner-centric and places our values, risk assessment, and risk mitigation and management within an established climate change assessment framework (the CVI framework).

In 2018, I founded the Queensland Indigenous Women’s Rangers Network, which supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in developing careers in land and sea management. This initiative has created significant opportunities for women committed to preserving our country and culture.

My dedication to caring for our land, people, and future drives my work. I believe that pride in our country is closely linked to the well-being of our communities. Programs like the YBM Junior Ranger Program, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, reflect this commitment to breaking down barriers and fostering environmental stewardship.

My passion for the environment, the Great Barrier Reef, and my culture has led to numerous leadership roles at both national and international levels. I have finished my second term as a Cook Shire Councillor. I was honoured with the Earthshot Prize for Revive Our Oceans in 2022 and received the Women in Technology Award in 2023.

I also hold leadership positions with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, serving as Board Member of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Chair of the Traditional Owner Advisory Group and a Member for the Partnership Management Committee, where I champion the inclusion of Reef Traditional Owners in sea country management.

Outside of work, I am passionate about Indigenous art and the ongoing growth of Indigenous land and sea management. I enjoy fishing, camping, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

KARIN GERHARDT

Executive Director
kgerhardt@barrierreef.org

I am currently working for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation as the Director of the Traditional Owner Partnerships Program, whilst at the same time providing scaling and evaluation expertise to the Queensland Indigenous Women Network (QIWRN). This provides an amazing opportunity to co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in programs that are important to their Country (including sea country).

Throughout my career I have kept a central focus on the evaluation of Indigenous programs and projects and how to resituate the evaluation narrative to one that is important to Traditional Owners. I enjoy research that is community based and fosters participation and ownership of projects by Traditional Owners and this includes adopting more contemporary, participative social science methods which are used in pro-social research or human centred design. My current work with the Gret Barrier Reef Foundation is focussed around Nature Based Economies and how Traditional Owners of the Reef can leverage this business opportunity for ongoing and resilient funding. I also have an interest in junior ranger programs and how to make them more accessible throughout Queensland. Using all of my experience I work to deliver an effective program for Traditional Owners of the Reef and Indigenous Women Rangers which is respectful of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property protocols and places Indigenous knowledge at the centre of management and decision making.

ZEILA WALLACE

Coordinator zeila@archerpoint.com.au

A descendant of Kuku Yalanji Warra and Guugu Yimidhirr Nation, I grew up in a small community called Wujal Wujal in Cape York, Far North Queensland. As a result of my Grandparents' connections to land and sea, I was raised with our Yalanji Culture and Traditions. Married with two beautiful children, I am very proud of them. I love spending time with my family on country fishing, camping, and catching up with friends. I am an Indigenous Artist who enjoys painting, it is very relaxing and calming. My art allows me to share my stories. My art allows me to share my stories.

Throughout my career, I have played many different roles, one of which was being elected as the youngest female Indigenous Councillor for Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council in 2008. As a community builder, I enjoy working with our people to achieve positive outcomes. After moving to Cooktown in 2012, I began working for Yuku Baja Muliku Rangers as a Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements (TUMRA) Coordinator. In my time with YBM, I worked as a Junior Ranger Coordinator and a Ranger. My work in the social service sector has been very rewarding and meaningful to me for the last few years. As QIWRN Coordinator for Yuku Baja Muliku Rangers, I am extremely excited and looking forward to this new chapter in my career, including coordinating the QIWRN mentoring and leadership program.

REBECCA COULOMBE

Program Manager rcoulombe@barrierreef.org

Prior to QIWRN, Bec was an Executive Officer on the Traditional Owner Partnerships team at the Great Barrier Reef Foundation where she served as the Secretariat for the four Traditional Owner Advisory and Technical Working Groups and coordinated the women's leadership program for Reef Traditional Owner women. Bec has worked for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service as a Turtle Ranger at Mon Repos, the largest loggerhead turtle rookery on the eastern Australian mainland.

Bec has a Bachelor of Marine Science and Management and has trained and volunteered with CoralWatch, Dolphin Research Australia, Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue and Seagrass-Watch. In her early career, Bec worked as a legal secretary in Australia and the United Kingdom.