Our Board

Meet our Board

Co-Chair

  • Co-Chair

    Yama. I am Aunty Helene Burns, proud three rivers country woman, freshwater and Salwarra meri. I am privileged to live, work and play on Gubbi Gubbi and Jinibara country.

    My working life has seen me in both Government and Non-government sectors for the past 30 years. I have taught in classrooms and on Basketball courts because I am passionate about the journey stories of the individuals and groups I work with.

    For me, being on the board of Mob 4 Mob QLD means that I will be able to work directly with Community and relevant stakeholders when a learning opportunity is identified. As a Community-controlled peak disability organisation, Mob 4 Mob QLD will be able to take these learning opportunities and ensure that the stories, strengths, learnings and wisdom of mob are recognised, shared and recorded Proper Way – the way our mob have done things for over 60, 000 years.

Co-Chair


  • Co-Chair

    I am an indigenous male with a disability which I believe gives me a unique perspective on fighting for the rights of not only indigenous people but also other marginalised and disadvantaged people. I became a member of Queensland Advocacy Inc. in the year 2000. My disability type is Cerebral Palsy Spastic Quadriplegia. My childhood years were spent in an institution setting in Brisbane. My family came from Rockhampton but has lived in the Cherbourg Community for over 20 years.

    I am a team player, well spoken, loyal, passionate and determined in my beliefs to maintain and defend the fundamental needs of people with disability in Queensland. I have been an active volunteer member and team leader of Club Rainbow (formally Radio Lollypop) at the Royal Children’ Hospital at Herston since 1994.

    I have recently undertaken and completed the 3-day Social Role Valorisation (SRV) training with Peter Millier, senior trainer. This training has assisted me along the way to deepen my understanding of the bigger picture of social and systems advocacy. I also intend to undertake P.A.S.S.I.N.G. in October this year.

    Since I was 22 years old I have been passionate about advocacy from a grass roots understanding. My experiences range from working closely with people with disability, families and senior management of many community organisations.

    I am currently the Chair of the Client Consultative Committee with the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland and have been for the past five and a half years.

    The experiences I have gained throughout my life will assist me to contribute to furthering QAI’s mission statement, values and beliefs.

Co-Vice Chair


  • Co-Vice Chair

    Uncle Paul Constable Calcott, is a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri peoples from Central NSW.

    He contracted Polio at the age of 18 months back in 1960, and this is what has driven him as an advocate for his community around disability rights.

    He now lives on the Queensland Sunshine Coast on Karbi Karbi land with his partner of 25 years , and as he says , has the privilege, honor and responsibility of being a recognised community Elder.

    Uncle Paul has been working in the disability sector for almost 40 years with the past 15 years specifically with his own community, First Peoples living with disability and their carers .

    In 2010 while working with an NGO based on the Sunshine Coast , he started an Artist group for local First Peoples living with disability, the purpose of the group was to address issues such as social isolation and create a cultural safe environment for people to connect and build resilience via art, cultural connection and sharing stories, this started him on an incredible journey that he feels helped him grow as an artist and grow as an Aboriginal man, as well as look at he’s own personal life of living with a disability in a far more positive light and stronger sense purpose, in supporting other members of the community become stronger via connecting to culture and community through their art and sharing their stories of strength

    Uncle Paul has utilised art on national and international platform to support community around Disability rights, culturally respectful models of support, and help to assist others to have a voice, and be seen as valuable contributors to arts, culture and community.

    Uncle Paul has had the opportunity to travel to regional and remote communities throughout Australia, and share stories and learn about the different disability perspective held in multiple community’s and how art is the common denominator and link between us all, its ability to help us share our stories of strength and connection to country and culture .

    Uncle Paul has coordinated and facilitated around 14 art exhibitions over the last 10 years, providing opportunities for First Nations artist living with disability to showcase their work, including economic participation in their community.

    In 2019, while working with the First Peoples Disability Network Australia, Uncle Paul coordinated and facilitated an art exhibition called “Culture is Inclusion “ of works by 12 individual artist living with disability, at the United Nations in Geneva, followed by Parliament House Brisbane, for International day for people living with disability , that same Year Uncle Paul was awarded a National Human Rights award for, Disability Leadership and Rights Activism.

    Uncle Paul facilitates and supports the NuunaRon Art Group for artist living with disability, and continues to advocate for people with disability to be seen and recognized as contributing members to a rich diverse society, making a valuable and unique and diverse contribution to their culture and the arts

    As an Artist, he is recognised for his work both national and international with his artwork in both private, corporate and government collections around the world, Including the Australian Embassy Switzerland, Canadian government, Queensland treasury, New Zealand government, and private collections in London, the United States, Germany, the Middle East , Thailand and Malaysia

    Uncle Paul has used his artwork in prestation’s he has made at the United Nations New York and the United Nations Geneva to highlight issues facing First Nations Communities living with disability and human rights issues for the LGBTIQ+ first Nations Communities.

Co-Vice Chair


  • Co-Vice Chair

    I am a proud Tharawal woman of the Yuin Nation. My mother was born and raised on Country in Nowra NSW. I was born on Country and grew up in the Campbelltown region. I moved to Queensland in 1997 and have been living on Gubbi Gubbi Country where I have volunteered and worked in our Community for the past 26 years and raised my three children. I have lived experience as a career of a child living with ASD, PTSD and PDD-NOS as well as struggled with my own chronic disease and disability.

    EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS

    • Over 23 years experience in business retailing

    • Visual artist for over 20 years

    • In 2004 I worked at Gympie High School as a CEC for three and a half years where I worked with our Aboriginal students and Community over that time

    • I have over 20 years of experience as a cultural facilitator of art, dance, beading, craft and bush tucker workshops in schools and at Community events

    • Currently a Director with North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health since 2007

    • Currently a sitting Elder in Murri Court with the Maroochydore MCJG since January 2021

    • Currently a founding Director with Mob 4 Mob

    EDUCATION

    Cert III Business Management

    Cert IV Business Governance

    Cert IV Aboriginal Dance Performance

    I have been a visual artist for over 20 years. As a First Nations artist living with a disability, I have had various art achievements and opportunities over the years. Initially I sold art at the Goodwill Games 2001 and was chosen at the Games as one of 12 artists throughout Australia to have one of my pieces added into a collection of postcards. I have exhibited art in numerous exhibitions on the Sunshine Coast, various Brisbane exhibitions, at Parliament House Brisbane for International Day for People Living with Disability and internationally at the United Nations, Geneva in Switzerland in 2019 for the ‘Culture is Inclusion’ exhibition for International Day for People Living with Disability, where I was sponsored to attend by First People’s Disability Network Australia. I performed our cultural farewell dance, ‘Guri-in-da-narmi’ for the closing ceremony of the United Nations where peoples from all over the world attend.

    I’ve been a founding member with the NuunaRon art group on the Sunshine Coast for First Peoples artists living with disabilities. NuunaRon has brought artists living with disabilities together, but in a way became a kind of healing centre for our mob with disabilities visiting from other Community organisations to attend, help heal and grow, which was surprisingly unexpected.

    An objective for Mob 4 Mob as the peak body, is to yarn with mob and advocate for Community on Country to help make positive changes for our First Nations Peoples living with disability. I am very passionate and proactive in advocating for the health and well-being of our First Nation Peoples and I am driven in helping to obtain better outcomes for carers and mob with disabilities.

Mob 4 Mob is led by a Board of Directors with disability. Board members must be Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders and/or South Sea Islanders with disability. The Board is run by Co-Chairs. We believe in doing things in a culturally safe way so we include men’s business and women’s business perspectives in all Mob 4 Mob decision making, with a focus on disability business.  

Our Board currently includes people from South Sea Islander, Torres Strait Islander, and LGBTQ communities.

Members of our Board serve 3-year terms. Each year, Mob 4 Mob members vote for at least 1/3 of the Board of Directors.  

If you identify as First Nations mob with disability and are interested in joining the Board, please give us a call at 1800 MOB 444 or complete this Expression of Interest form and we will contact you.