Ambassadors

Tony Fini AM has always believed that if you can give back to the community, then one should. Tony came to Australia, like many people post World War 2 with very little, he is very grateful for the opportunities Australia has allowed him and grateful that he is in a position to give something back to the community.

For the past 60 years Tony has fundraised for many causes, associations and organizations. In order to make the best of his contributions to the community, Tony founded the Tony Fini Foundation through which he could personally donate to many charitable organizations. Since its inception in 2008, the main focus has been on medical research and the wellbeing of children.

Indigo Ellis is a proud Noongar Nunga girl who has already made a name for herself in the music industry as a powerful singer/songwriter. She has been performing around Perth from the age of 7 at numerous festivals, events and in competitions both locally and nationally with many accolades to her name.

Most notably, her original debut single Home; a song she wrote at 13 that won her two NAIDOC Awards in 2019 for Best Vocalist and Best Emerging Artist.

Home was also nominated for three WA Music WAM Awards in 2020, collecting a win in two of those categories. Home is a sung in both English and Noongar language. It explores her connection to culture and the idea of piecing together her family heritage, which has links to the Stolen Generations. MORE

Kayelene Kerr is the founder of eSafeKids and is recognised as one of Western Australia’s most experienced specialist providers of Cyber Safety, Digital Wellness and Pornography education workshops.

Formerly a Detective with the West Australian Police, Kayelene is passionate about the prevention of child abuse and sexual exploitation, drawing on over 24 years’ experience of study and law enforcement, investigating sexual crimes, including technology facilitated crimes. She delivers engaging and sought after prevention education workshops to educate, equip and empower children and young people, and to help support parents, carers, educators and other professionals.

Kayelene believes protecting children from harm is a shared responsibility and she aims to inspire the trusted adults in children’s lives to tackle sometimes challenging topics. Commenting on this, Kayelene said, “I believe we can all play a role in the care, safety and protection of children. The health, wellbeing and safety of children should be our highest priority.”

Kaylene is endorsed by the Australian eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.

Kaylene is a proud mum of two boys.

Joshua Patrick is a Member ‘Australian Youth Affairs Coalition’, National SWAN Sibling Ambassador, Carers Australia Media Ambassador, Carer/Disability Advocate & Speaker.

Josh’s journey as a carer began very early in life when his sister Charlotte was born with an undiagnosed genetic condition. She has endured 61 operations, is continuously PEG-fed, and has countless other unexplained physical anomalies which result in her requiring round-the-clock, intensive medical care, much of which Josh provides.

Despite these traumatic memories and the many daily challenges he experiences caring for Charlotte, Josh maintains a positive attitude and a balanced, mature approach to life. He adores Charlotte and lives his life to the full. He said, “My strongest desire is to shine a positive light on caring as I genuinely view Charlotte as a gift and opportunity. For all the small sacrifices and challenging things I have faced, Charlotte has endured far greater hurdles and challenges. I choose to face tough situations positively, seize every moment and opportunity to make the most of the time we have with Charlotte.”

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Colin Pettit is the former Commissioner for Children and Young People in Western Australia, a position he held from November 2015 to January 2022. During his time as Commissioner for Children and Young People, Colin wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the wellbeing of children in Western Australia. He consulted widely with children and young people and led a number of key research projects that helped government, community and other stakeholders understand key issues impacting children and young people.

Colin has spent his career working to improve the wellbeing of children and young people, particularly in delivering education services and programs to children and young people living in regional and remote areas of Western Australia.

Colin has worked with children, young people, families and communities all over the Western Australia as a teacher and then principal in a number of regional schools, before holding the role of Executive Director Regional and Remote Education at the Western Australian Department of Education for three years.

Between 2010 and 2015, Colin was the Secretary of Education for the Tasmanian Department of Education. He is a former President of the Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association and Deputy President of the Australian Primary Principals’ Association.

In 2019, Colin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Edith Cowan University. He is Patron of Children’s University, an Ambassador for Barking Gecko Theatre, a member of the Great to Eight governance committee. In late 2020 he was awarded the ACE WA medal for services to education.

Dr Glenda Kickett, a Whadjuk and Ballardong woman from the Bibbulmun Noongar Nation, is an outstanding advocate for children and young people. Glenda said, “I am passionate about our culture, our children and young people and the possibilities of what can be achieved when we talk with one voice, walk the journey together and how we bring others on that journey”.

Glenda is highly respected for the significant contribution she has made to the West Australian community, and nationally. Her current role is Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Engagement /Therapeutic Services – Aboriginal Children and Families at the Australian Childhood Foundation and she was previously Executive Manager at Djooraminda-Centrecare for thirteen years. Glenda is the Chairperson of NAIDOC Perth Inc., Vice Chairperson of Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, Co-Chair Social Reinvestment WA, Member of the Noongar Child Protection Council, and Chairperson of Glass Jars, Shooting Stars Australia, Netball WA.

Glenda has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Western Australia, a Master of Arts in Indigenous Research and Development from Curtin University and a Doctor of Philosophy through the School of Social Work at the University of Western Australia.

It is an honour to have such a Champion in our Valuing Children team.

Adjunct Professor Anita Ghose has spent over twenty years at both state and national levels designing, developing, delivering, transforming and evaluating services and systems to enhance outcomes for children and young people. This has included Non Executive Director and Board roles, taskforce and steering committees as well as research, public policy, strategy and governance oversight.

Anita commenced her career as a Physiotherapist in Western Australia in the acute health system, followed by leadership roles with WA Country Health Services in the East and West Kimberley region. Anita also held executive roles working across the early childhood, school-age, disability, mental health, education, justice, Aboriginal health, and primary health sectors. Her contemporary and global knowledge, established networks and thought leadership insights on children and young people are well recognised. She has a deep appreciation of the social determinants of health and wellbeing, interdependencies across systems, the key fundamentals to shifting the trajectory for children and young people and has experience in social impact and outcomes measurement.

Anita is the mother of two school-age children, a passionate advocate on the rights of the child and a dynamic and respected thought and industry leader.

Dr. Sandy Chong, a Harvard University Alumna is the winner of 2017 US Stevie Awards for Women in Business; 2015 Singapore Management Consultant of the Year; 2016 WA Multicultural Recognition Awards. An active contributor of the Sustainable Development Goals, Sandy strongly believes that education & leadership are key to economic empowerment for youths & women. Appointed Global Ambassador of The Inspiring Rarebirds, International Mentor of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Sandy has served as Special Rapporteur at the 105th International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva. Her passion for connecting business with philanthropy helped raise funds for UN Women, Special Olympics Australia & Homeward Bound.

As President of the Office UNAAWA, Sandy is passionate about making a difference, she believes that human talent is expansive and is driven by making meaningful impact and lifelong learning. What an empowering woman caring for future generations!

Claire Orange is a mum of 4 boys, an author, media spokesperson, director of DiGii Social and BEST Programs 4 Kids, speaker and is passionate about striving for better outcomes for children everywhere. From writing social and emotional wellbeing resources for children, their families, schools and therapists through to speaking nationally and internationally on children’s social and emotional wellbeing, Claire is dedicated to raising the bar in children’s preventative mental health.

Claire has worked for 25 years in many settings and in many roles – all focused on helping children towards better language and learning, social, emotional and behavioural outcomes. From schools, to curriculum writing, working in private practice, alongside Paediatricians and Child Psychiatrists through to hospitals, Claire has come to the realisation that a firm foundation of wellbeing is the ultimate predictor of social, emotional and learning success throughout life. Claire is a true child champion and we are so fortunate to have her be a part of our VCI family.

We are delighted to announce that Dr Sue Packer, AM; Australian of the Year is supporting the Valuing Children Initiative as an Ambassador. With over 40 years of valuing children – Dr Packer is a true Valuing Children Champion!

Since starting her career as a paediatrician in 1972, Dr Sue Packer AM has worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights of children. Sue has been a leader in child abuse prevention and treatment and a champion of the importance of early childhood environments in the healthcare system and in the wider community.
Sue was one of the driving forces behind the acknowledgement of the importance of creating child-friendly spaces in hospitals and the value of play in recovery.
Presenting papers at conferences internationally and still volunteering on a number of boards to improve health and well-being of children, Sue maintains an interest in the adult lives of children she has seen. Sue stands up for the rights of children at every opportunity and encourages others to do the same.

It is an honour to have such a Champion in our Valuing Children team.

As a Senior Lecturer at Curtin University's School of Education, Dr Dobson is a champion for children and young people through her teaching and researching roles.

Passionate about our future generations, Dr Dobson's recent research explores trauma-informed practice, wellbeing and the voice of children. We look forward to collaborating with Dr Dobson and making a positive impact in valuing children and young people.