Brett original from Victoria and now lives on the Sunshine Coast.

Brett comes to Seed Foundation Australia with over 18 years experience in community services and development, in the areas of Sport and Recreation, Health and Fitness, Youth and Primary Health with in Local Government, not for profit and private sector organisations across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Brett's most recent role was Acting General Manager with North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health on the Sunshine Coast. Prior to that, Brett spent four years with East Arnhem Regional Council in the Northern Territory and nine years with the Australian Football League.  

Brett is passionate about seeing people achieve their full potential and "close the gap," particularly in the areas of health and education.

Rick Phineasa is of Torres Strait Islander heritage. His mother is from Murray Island in the eastern Torres Straits and my father is from Mabuiag (Jervis) Island in the western Torres Straits. Rick was raised in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait community of Bamaga in the Northern Peninsula Area in Cape York. 

Rick has worked in the area of empowering Indigenous youths and families for the past 26 years. He is passionate about “closing the gap” of Cultural understanding in our society and assisting individuals and families to get the best of what they can out of life. Rick has worked for the Federal Government, State Government, private and Non for Profit, Education and Training sector, in various capacities. 

Rick enjoys doing voluntary work in his community, especially with empowering and motivating indigenous people and preserving language and culture. Rick has joined the Seed team as a Stakeholder Engagement Manager in 2018t o open opportunities for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait ISlander students to pursue a career in health and social services.

Lateika is a proud Gumbaynggirr woman from Nambucca Heads, a small coastal town on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Growing up in a small town, there were not many job opportunities, this led Lateika to joining the Royal Australian Navy where she served in various locations and on a number of different ships over 11 years. The last few years in the Navy, Lateika worked in Recruitment and First Nations Pathway Programs. 

From here, this fuelled Lateika's passion for assisting youth, in particular those of First Nations descent, into meaningful career pathways. Prior to joining the Seed Foundation, Lateika spent 8yrs with a Group Training Organisation, specifically assisting First Nations peoples into traineeships with large corporate organisations, ie. Big four banks, Qantas and Australia Post. 

Lateika joined the Seed Foundation in October 2025 as the South Queensland Region Operations Manager, is excited to bring her experience and passion to the Seed family and continue to create meaningful career pathways for our youth through education and training.

Based in our Mooloolaba office. Ian is a Sunshine Coast local, born in Nambour and lives in Coolum Beach. A husband, a father of five and a grandfather of seven. 

Ian has previous experience working in Group Training and 30+ years within the construction industries. He has also run his own businesses and developed his own (world first) garden tool, that he manufactures out of Kunda Park here on the Sunny Coast. 

Ian has found his way back to Group Training and is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

De’arne French is from a little town south of Townsville called Ayr I am Aboriginal and South Sea Islander descent and a Traditional Owner of ‘Birri’ Country in north Queensland (between Townsville and Mackay).

De’arne has worked within education in North Queensland for over 20 years. De’arne is passionate about working with Indigenous students and families in achieving a positive or educational outcome.

De’arne  joined the Seed team as an Engagement Manager in 2018 for the Townsville and Mackay region but is now the Administration Manager for Seed Foundation Australia and Seed Employment.

Gary is based in our Mooloolaba office and has lived on the Sunshine Coast since 1999 with his wife Pam and 2 children Jack and Ella. 

He has enjoyed a highly successful senior management career across the telecommunications and advertising industry but says he found "food for the soul" nearly 10 years ago when he started working in the First Nations space helping support School Based and Adult trainees with some of Australia's leading banks, airlines and personal service organisations.

Seeing the pure joy and excitement when a trainee or apprentice first learns they have been successful in securing a traineeship and throughout their learning journey to completion and further employment really is the most rewarding and satisfying part of what we get to do. There are memories that will live with me for a lifetime and I look forward to helping secure opportunities for the star employees of the future.

Dolly is a descendant of the Pau family lineage of Erub (Darnley Island) in the Kemer Kemer Meriam Nation in the Torres Strait Islands. Dolly has an extensive and impressive career working and advocating for Indigenous people of Far North Queensland.

Dolly started with Seed Foundation Australia on the 27th June and is based in Cairns.

Dolly brings a wealth of knowledge (notably building the capacity of workers in the health sector) and is excited to be working with the Seed Foundation Australia Team to further increase the capacity of Indigenous workers in the health sector.

Jacinta Jones, is a  Pathways Support Officer based in Townville and covers Palm Island, Ingham, Mt Isa & Ayr.  I am a proud Aboriginal woman local to Townsville with ties to the Kalkadoon people in Cloncurry/Mount Isa in North West Queensland. 

Although I come from a predominantly Employment background, helping our youth in the community is where my passion is.

As a parent, watching my children work towards their goals, and the barriers they overcame by finding the support they needed, and supporting them to succeed has motivated me to help and support our Indigenous youth, our next generation by empowering them to become Proud, Strong and Successful.

I am looking forward to my new position and using my skills and experience to help further educate the next generation as they transition into education, employment and succeeding in life.

Angela Bracken (nee Levinge) is a Pathways Support Officer based on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Born and raised on the Gold Coast with connections to the land of the Kombumerri people, known as ‘Saltwater people’.

I have over 22 years in Employment Services, primarily in the Disability Employment Sector in both not for profit and the private sector, working in different roles from Consultant, Program Specialist and most recently as a Team Leader. Prior to working in Employment Services, I have worked in the Queensland Police Service and also as a Project Officer with an Aboriginal organisation on the Gold Coast.

I am passionate about providing guidance, support and assistance to those I am working with but also providing support to my colleagues as we navigate pathways for our youth. 

I am very excited and grateful to be part of the Seed Team and look forward to providing guidance, support and assistance in creating new pathways for those transitioning into education and employment.

 am a proud Kombumerri woman who grew up on the Gold Coast, with a career journey shaped by both education and employment services. I began as a primary school teacher, where I nurtured young minds and encouraged a love of learning, before moving into employment services as a consultant for three and a half years. These experiences gave me a deep appreciation for the power of education and opportunity to transform lives.

Today, I work as a Pathway Support Officer for the Gold Coast Region, where I support individuals to build confidence, develop strong work ethics, and embrace growth mindsets. I am passionate about lifelong learning, self-improvement, and helping others see the possibilities that education and determination can unlock.

My guiding principle is simple yet powerful: Always believe in yourself.

Born and Raised in Western Sydney, NSW, Brooke now resides on the Sunshine Coast. Brooke identifies as Aboriginal from both the Darkinyung and Dharug Tribes that reside within the Region of the Blue Mountains, NSW. 

Graduating Year 12, Brooke then went onto completing a Business Administration Certificate whilst in Full Time Employment for 3 years within the Recruitment and Labour Hire Industry as a Employment Consultant in the Blue Collar Sector. Brookes' current experience has been working as a Employment Consultant for the last 12+ Months in government and Indigenous Sectors. 

Brooke really enjoys going to the beach, reading books, watching/listening to murder documentaries/podcasts, starting new hobbies before she finishes the last ones, shopping and cooking. Brooke joined the Seed Team Early December 2021. She is passionate about working with and assisting young Indigenous students in achieving a pathway plan for their future and setting them on the best path to a fulfilling future. Brooke is also passionate about utilising further education to assist them in achieving a clear indication of Future Employment within the Education and Health Industries.

Brooke goes by the fewing quotes:

"Learn from your mistakes"

"Treat People how you would like to be treated"

"Stay Positive, Work Hard and make it happen".

Chloe Hookey the  Administration Coordinator at Seed Foundation Australia and Seed Employment. I am Townsville born and raised with connections to the land of the Waanyi and Ngadjon people. 

My employment background is in administration working primarily across areas such as human resources (people services and recruitment) and learning and development (short-course/accredited training and apprenticeships/traineeships). I am thrilled to join Seed Foundation Australia, where I can play a role in fostering and witnessing the success of our First Nations youth in their employment and career pathways.

Im Karla Adidi, I am from Townsville QLD, As of today I am employed as the new Admisnistration Officer!! So excited to be working with Seed Foundation and meeting each and everyone one of you. I am a proud Torres Strait Islander of Saibai Island (Tribe- Suibaidham) and Maori (NZ) in Tauranga (Iwi- Ngai Te Rangi - Nga Te Arawa). I have 4 beautiful children in my life, who I love and absolutely adore! My administration experience started with Seed Foundation, I completed a Cert III in Health Services Assistance & Cert II in Community Services with CNG @ Bamford Medical Centre then expanding my employment oppurtunities to the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services (Garbutt) as a full time Medical receptionist. Im Currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work at James Cook University. Call me a busy women but I love to multitask and am up for a challenge!

Tayla grew up in Townsville, with her parents originating from Cloncurry and Longreach. She has strong family connections spanning from the western regions to the south.

Prior to joining Seed, Tayla worked as a barista. After completing high school, she recognised the importance of education and building knowledge. Transitioning from school into the workforce was a nerve-racking experience, particularly when compared to others who entered with more developed skill sets straight out of school.

Danielle is an experienced administration and workforce services professional with a diverse background spanning employment services, government recruitment, labour hire, registered training organisations, education and vocational training.

Throughout her career, she has supported employers, apprentices, trainees, students and jobseekers across a range of industries. Her experience includes recruitment and workforce coordination, apprenticeship and traineeship administration, training and compliance, stakeholder engagement, records management and the development of practical administrative systems.

Danielle brings a strong understanding of the relationship between employers, training providers, government programs and the individuals they support. She is particularly skilled at identifying inefficiencies, improving processes and creating clear, practical systems that reduce duplication while supporting operational and compliance requirements.

Known for her approachable manner, attention to detail and ability to build trusted relationships, Danielle combines strong administrative capability with a genuine commitment to helping people access meaningful employment, education and training opportunities.

Taryn grew up on Victoria's beautiful Mornington Peninsula and is a proud mum of three. Taryn recently relocated to Mackay, where she has gained new experiences and strengthened her passion for supporting young people and local communities.

With over10 years of experience in Employment Services, including eight years in management, Taryn knows how to lead teams, solve problems and support people with complex needs. She is passionate about creating welcoming environments where the clients feel heard, respected and encouraged to work towards their goals.

One of Taryn's proudest achievements was leading three employment service sites to improve from low star ratings to five-star ratings. All three maintained this result until the rating system was paused during COVID-19. This success reflects her ability to bring people together, build strong teams and achieve meaningful outcomes.

Taryn was also chosen to develop and lead two pilot programs with the Department of Justice. These programs supported ex-offenders by helping them build confidence, get ready for work through training, and secure ongoing employment in the community. Both programs achieved positive results before ending due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Taryn brings energy, empathy and practical leadership to everything she does. She is committed to helping young people recognise their strengths, overcome challenges and create positive futures for themselves.

My name is Kaylee Barke, and I grew up in Townsville, on the traditional lands of the Bindal and Wulgurukaba peoples. As an Aboriginal woman, discovering and connecting with my culture later in life has been an important part of my journey. It has helped me better understand who I am, why I am the person I am today, and the importance of identity, belonging, and connection to community.

With a background in student support and education support, I am passionate about helping young people feel supported, valued, and empowered throughout their educational journey.

I am a family-oriented person who values respect, kindness, connection, and community. My own life experiences have shaped my passion for supporting young people. Growing up, I would have loved to have the support, guidance, and encouragement that I am now able to offer others.

This is what motivates me in my role today: to be someone young people can turn to, someone who listens without judgement and encourages them to believe in themselves and their potential. I understand how important it is to feel supported in discovering who you are and where you belong. I hope to help young people feel proud of their identity, connected to their culture, and confident in their future.

“Be the support you once needed, the voice that encourages, and the person who reminds others of their worth and potential.”