My name is Aaleya Turner I am a Kaurna woman living on Kaurna Country in Adelaide. I am currently in my second year of studying Paramedic Science at Flinders University. I also work part-time in my families business, Southern Cultural Immersion. We strive to promote and nurture reconciliation and cultural respect towards First Nations people.

I began playing netball at the age of five at my local netball club. I now play for Matrics Netball Club. I have been fortunate to represent South Australia at National competitions from the age of 15. At these National competitions I have been successful in being selected in the National Squad in Under 15’s, 17’s and 19’s.

I have been a member of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) netball program since 2020. A highlight of playing netball is being involved in the Nunga Netball Carnivals each year. Competing against talented girls from all over the state has provided the opportunity to strive to be the best player I can. I even had the opportunity to represent Nunga SA at interstate carnivals in Victoria and Queensland. I played with an awesome group of girls and competed against some top level players.

SASI, my netball club and Netball South Australia have provided many opportunities to improve my skills, knowledge and passion for the game of netball. What I love mostly about my journey with netball is the lifelong friendships I have formed with my team mates.

Amanda Reid is a proud aboriginal woman, 13-time World Champion in cycling and snowboarding and a three-time Paralympian in two different sports. Winning a gold medal at the 2020 Paralympics to add to her sliver from Rio. Amanda is passionate about supporting and promoting people with disabilities, particularly those in Aboriginal communities, letting them know that they are capable and can achieve great things having been an athlete for many years.

My name is Bianca Crisp, and I am a proud descendant of the Wiradjuri people of Cowra, New South Wales. I am a competitive open water swimmer, specialising in the 10km marathon swim. I have represented Australia as a member Australian Dolphins Swim Team in the 5km swim at the 2023 and 2024 World Swimming Championships. Ultimately, my goal is to represent Australia in the 10km at the LA 2028 Olympic Games. Alongside my athletic pursuits, I am deeply passionate about my studies, graduating from Griffith University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Health Science. My aspiration is to pursue the Doctor of Medicine and become a specialised medical practitioner, dedicated to closing the gap and making a positive impact in the lives of First Peoples.

I’ve grown up in Wagga Wagga, NSW. I have represented Cycling Australia multiple times at an international level. Alongside my sport, I love to connect with people and be adventurous.

My name is Calab law I am an indigenous Australian athlete. I am coached by Andrew Iselin, my favourite event is the 200m and my end goal is to become the Olympic champion. So far in my career I have made a world championship semi-final and placed third at the last world u20 championships with a PB of 20.42. One quirky fact about me is that I can eat 3L of ice cream in one sitting. The Share a Yarn program is perfect for me because I'm really passionate about meeting new people, learning from different people and helping inspire others to follow their dreams.

Clarence (also known as CJ) was born in Darwin and is a proud Yanyuwa, Garrawa & Kuku Yalanji man, member and Co-Captain of the Darwin Salties & member of the Australian Rollers wheelchair basketball squad. He started playing wheelchair basketball at Darwin Basketball Association (DBA) in 2005 and has played overseas in the US, Spain and Germany over the last 8 years.

Hi, I am Emily Watts currently living on Wiradjuri land, my Aboriginal ancestors lived on Devils River Taungurung Land north east of Yea Victoria. I have been cycling competitively for 7 years now and in that time have won 3 national championships. Up until recently I have been balancing study, sport and work but this year I got the opportunity to sign with a Belgium team and combine my sport as my job. I have been living in Belgium for 3 months now and am absolutely loving the experience and the level of racing. I will be based overseas for most of the year with small stints back home when I have race breaks and back home when the season ends in September.

Hi my name is Mariah Williams and I am a proud Wiradjuri woman and a current member of the Australia Women’s Hockey team. I was born and bred in Parkes NSW and lived there until I was 14years old. My love for hockey started there, but once I hit year 9 of my schooling, my family decided to move to Newcastle to further pursue my hockey career. I attended and finished my schooling at Hunter Sports High School where I participated in the Specialized Hockey program. My hockey career started to take off when I debuted for the Hockeyroos at the age of 17 and am still in the program currently at 27 years old. I am currently doing my Cert 4 in Youth Work as well as working for Waalitj Foundation as a Deadly Sista Girlz Mentor and am an Ambassador for Whatability.

Some of my achievements throughout my career are:
- 2013 Australian Youth Olympics Winners
- 2013 Hockeyroo Debut
- 2013 Deadlys "Rising Star" award winner
- 2015 Australian National Senior Squad
- 2016 Rio Olympics
- 2016 Junior World Cup Bronze Medal & Captain
- 2019 Hockeyroo Joint Highest Goal Scorer
- 2021 Tokyo Olympics
- 2022 World Cup Bronze Medal
- 2022 Commonwealth Games Silver Medal

Marissa "Riss" Pohlman's incredible journey began when she discovered boxing as a way to escape a difficult childhood marked by foster care and homelessness. Boxing quickly became her passion and transformed her life as she embarked on an amateur boxing career at just 17 years old. The turning point in Riss' career came when she received the prestigious 2021 Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship, which provided the financial support she needed to pursue her dreams.

Riss draws her strength from her coach Kel Bryant OAM. Bryant, who operates a not-for-profit boxing gym aimed at developing national champions, serves as Marissa's greatest inspiration. She also credits her challenging childhood and the hardships she faced as the driving force behind her determination to succeed against all odds.

Marissa is the first ever Aboriginal woman to qualify for the Olympics in the sport of boxing. Riss is deeply committed to caring for the land and advocating for community-led land management initiatives.

My name is Scarlet Jauncey, I am a proud Yawuru woman. I have played netball since I was young along with my three sisters. I am currently a defensive player for the Hamersley Comets Team, Under 19s State (Captain), West Coast Fever Academy and a WAIS scholarship holder. Last year I was selected into the Under 19s Australian Squad and am striving to make this team again this year. My ultimate goal is to play for Super Netball as well as represent Australia in the Commonwealth games.

TBC

I am a proud Woromi/Wannarua woman. My grandmother was apart of the stolen generation which lead to my family only recently finding out of our Indigenous heritage, and a huge gap in knowledge. This past year after losing my grandmother, I made a goal for myself to try and fill that gap and learn as much as I can about my culture to share with my family and continue to connect with my culture. Which is why I am so beyond grateful to be selected for Share a Yarn.

I am a 2 time Oceania Champion, one title being under 18’s (2019) and the other Opens (2022). In 2020 and 2021 I qualified for the World Junior Championships which were set to be held in Kenya, Sadly Australia didn’t send a team over to compete due to COVID. This year I was selected to compete for Australia at the Oceania Cup.

I’m a proud Wurundjeri woman raised on Wiradjuri country in regional NSW. I have been cycling since I was 2 years old and racing competitively since I was 5 years old. I am a member of Dubbo Cycle Club after graduating from Western Region Academy of Sport. I was selected for a NSWIS scholarship and am currently training and racing in Sydney under the guidance of Head Coach, former Olympian Sean Eadie. He has been instrumental in my recent selection and success in the Junior World Track Championships in Israel in 2022. I have recently moved into women’s elite category and look forward to new challenges and reaching new goals.

I am Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay by birth. Optimist by nature. A former athlete through history. University graduate through western education. Journalist through necessity and a storyteller through diligence.

I am a recognised Kabi Kabi Traditional Owner and a proud descendant of the Wakka Wakka, Nughi of Moorgumpin and Bindal tribe's in Queensland. I have completed a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Queensland, Masters of Teaching following a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Criminology and Sociology at the University of Melbourne. I have held positions as the Indigenous programs Coordinator and Humanities teacher at Trinity Grammar School before starting a Business Analyst Internship then accepting a Junior Associate role at McKinsey and Co.

I am passionate about education and combining my personal cultural standpoint in a way that brings both the First Nation community together with the rest of Australia. I have written and delivered Cultural Insight Education Workshops for over 10 years in the private, public, institutional and not for profit sectors to all demographic groups. This has led me writing a curriculum to a year level at Trinity Grammar School that sees all students participate to gain a greater understanding of the political, historical, educational and cultural aspects within the First Nation Australian context.

I also have experience with mentoring programs aimed to support First Nation and disengaged youth attending secondary school which stems from my involvement in facilitation at The Reach Foundation, AIME, NASCA, Raise the Bar Academy and Queen's College.

I have a long sporting history that continues today. I have spent my junior years in the elite talent AFL pathways playing TAC Cup, representing Vic Metro at u/16's and u/18s as well as captaining the Australian Indigenous u/16s, Flying Boomerangs on our 2008 South African Tour. I was also a part of the elite talent cricket pathways representing local competitions, Hatch, Victoria and The Australian Aboriginal XI as a 16 year old. This led to receiving a full scholarship to attend Melbourne Grammar School and was part of the 2008 APS Premiership side for 1st XI and XVII. I chose to pursue a career in football and played VFL football for Port Melbourne and Coburg, NTFL for Darwin Buffaloes and played Premier A VAFA and represented the Big V on the 2017 Ireland tour. I unfortunately have had some bad luck whilst on the field and have required seven knee operations (3xACL Reconstructions, 2x Meniscus tears, 2x clean outs), dislocated both shoulders twice, fractures in lower back, foot, hands, fingers and shins and have also had a heart operation. During this time I also attended the AIS for Boxing. In 2020, I shifted towards endurance sports and podiumed twice in the 2xu Triathlon series before completing the Geelong 70.3 Half Ironman. I have since returned to football and will be playing football in country Victoria in 2023 getting the last few seasons out of my body before shifting full time to Triathlon and Ironmans.

Jessica Skinner is a Proud Barkindji (Aboriginal) and Maori woman, who is the current Assistant Coach of the Women’s Indigenous All Stars team, Head Coach of the First Nation Gems Women’s National Championship team, the Head Coach of the NRL Indigenous Women’s Academy and the Assistant Coach of the Australian Womens Jillaroo World Cup Team. Jess has been in the women’s space of rugby league for over 10 years coming through from the grassroots level. In 2019 she was projected into the elite space as the Assistant Coach with the Australian Women’s Prime Ministers 13 team and the 2021 Inaugural Knights NRLW team.

Outside of rugby league, Jessica is a mother of two children, and has spent the last 12 years working for the NSW Department of Education as a teacher in her community of Trangie NSW, with a Bachelor of PhysEd. Jess is passionate about her culture and providing opportunities for young people in remote communities to achieve their dreams and aspirations in the game of rugby league at the elite level.

Kiya (hello), I am Tahlia Taylor-Kickett, a proud Noongar woman from southeast of Perth, WA. Proudly born and connected to Wongatha country in the heart of the goldfields, descending from Yawuru and Gurindji ancestors.

I spent most of my childhood to late teen years getting involved in any sporting code I could, representing from grassroots to a State and National level for the Northern Territory in Netball, Basketball, AFL, Soccer and Touch Football.

As I grew into my adult years I found a passion off the field, mentoring and highlighting the health and wellbeing of emerging athletes at both the grassroots and top levels of their careers/sporting journey.

Jacara is a proud Muthi Muthi / Gunditjmara woman who grew up on the banks of the dhungala river in her hometown of Mildura.  Growing up she pursued a Jnr and Senior career in Softball representing her states ,South Australia, The Northern Territory ,as well as her country.  Jacara then reunited with Football later in life and was able to play at the VFLW level and continue her connection with the sport through her coaching.  Jacara started coaching her local tee ball and coach pitch teams at 12 years of age and moved into coaching Football with her community club , The Fitzroy stars, which ignited her pathway through NGA coaching pathway’s, NAB league and now with the Essendon Football Club as the AFLW development coach and VFLW assistant coach.  Off field she has over a decade’s worth of experience as a Mental Health Social Worker and is the current Indigenous Player Development Manager in the men’s programs with EFC.  Jacara is passionate about athlete development and building environments that promote equity and accessibility to all.

TBC

Ben Austin OAM was an elite Australian swimmer. Born in Wellington in 1980, he blazed in a trail of success in competitive swimming. In 2000, he qualified for the Sydney Paralympic Games where he won two silver and two bronze medals. In Sydney he achieved top five world ranking in the 100m and 50m freestyle and butterfly events.

In the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, the first Commonwealth Games to fully intergrate athletes with disabilities, Ben broke four world records and won two gold medals in the 100m and 50m freestyle events. In the 2004 Athens Paralympics Games he became one of the first swimmers in his S8 category class to break the one-minute barrier for the 100m freestyle and won two gold medals in the 100m freestyle and 4x100m medley events. In recognition of his performance at the Athens Games he recieved the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games he won a gold medal in the Men's 4 x 100m medley.

Competing over ten years in three Paralympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and two World Championships, with each medal and record won he expanded the horizons of his ambition. Over the course of his career, Ben won 12 Paralympic medals, set 15 world records and 81 national records. As a Young Australian of the year finalist, Ben sought to faciliatate an awareness of the potential success through the Paralympic movement. An inspiration to his generation, Austin continues to demonstarte leadership to the global and local community.