Josephine Fred – Port Vila, Vanuatu,
President Vanuatu Women’s Handicrafts

Josephine Fred is a respected Ni-Vanuatu cultural leader, master craftswoman and advocate for the preservation of Vanuatu’s traditional knowledge and women’s economic empowerment. As President of the Vanuatu Handicraft Markets Association in Port Vila, she represents more than 40 women artisans from provinces across Vanuatu, supporting the continuation of kastom weaving, textile arts and traditional cultural practices. For many years, Josephine has championed the role of women in safeguarding and sharing Indigenous knowledge, ensuring that customary skills are passed to younger generations while creating sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities. Her leadership has strengthened connections between artisans, cultural institutions and international partners, promoting Vanuatu’s rich artistic heritage on regional and global platforms.

Since 2019, Josephine has been a key cultural partner and creator in the ‘Yumi Olgeta Crafting a more inclusive democracy’ initiative and logo design. Working closely with Chairwoman Waskam Emelda Davis and lead craftivist Helen Fraser, she has coordinated the contribution of Ni-Vanuatu women and men through kastom weaving, cultural exchange and community storytelling. These contributions symbolise kinship, belonging and Wan Solwara (One Saltwater), reconnecting Australian South Sea Islander descendants with their ancestral homelands through creativity and shared cultural practice.

Josephine’s work exemplifies the power of cultural diplomacy, demonstrating how traditional arts can strengthen reconciliation, regional partnerships and intergenerational knowledge exchange across the Pacific. Her leadership continues to inspire women, preserve Vanuatu’s living cultural heritage and foster enduring relationships between Australia and the Pacific region.

Houkje Hart – Community Engagement & Development

Houkje Hart is a third-generation Australian South Sea Islander of African American, First Nations and German descent. She is the eldest grandchild of Phyllis and Zane Corowa, acclaimed community pioneers who founded the Tweed Heads Australian South Sea Islander United Council (ASSIUC) in 1975, establishing an enduring legacy of cultural advocacy, recognition and community leadership.

With over three decades of experience in social services, Houkje brings extensive expertise in community engagement, advocacy and service delivery. Her distinguished 29-year career with Social Welfare Services included supporting vulnerable individuals and families, navigating complex government services and promoting equitable access to essential support. Her dedication was recognised through multiple customer service awards.

Her professional experience also extends across television production, retail and hospitality, strengthening her leadership, communication and organisational capabilities.

Having resided in the Tweed region for over two decades, Houkje maintains strong local community connections and contributes to ASSIPJ’s regional outreach efforts, supporting opportunities for community engagement and strengthening the organisation’s presence across the Northern Rivers region.

A longstanding community representative and volunteer, Houkje has supported ASSIPJ since 2010, contributing to fundraising, cultural initiatives and program delivery.

As a Wantok Strategy Team member, she brings intergenerational knowledge, lived experience and a commitment to strengthening cultural identity, social inclusion and opportunities for future generations.

Freya Jansens MBA – Public policy, International relations advisor, Sydney NSW

Freya has supported ASSIPJ with policy writing and field development capacity building since 2019. Freya attained a Masters of Business in the Administration (MBA) from the University of Oxford as a General Sir John Monash Scholar, a Rotary Global Grant Scholar, and a Forte Fellow.

Freya represented the University of Oxford in the global Map the System Systems Thinking competition and was part of the winning team for a research project on violence against women and modern slavery in Papua New Guinea.  She has published her research in the Australian Journal of Political Science and is an experienced gender policy analyst.

Freya has previously worked in the Australian Federal Government and studied at the University of Sydney, with a focus on public policy and international relations.

Freya’s ongoing community development work, specifically regarding the Pacific labour mobility schemes, has expanded ASSIPJ opportunities and reach with the development and implementation of social impact initiatives derived from a strong cultural framework for First Nations and Pacific communities.

Melina Fakatava (née Togo/Tuku), Western Sydney NSW

Melina is an Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) community leader and former Board Member of Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson). Melina is of First Nations, Ambae, Santo Island in Vanuatu, and she is also of Greek heritage. She maintains a strong connection to her ancestral lands through found family, cultural exchange and community participation.

While serving on the ASSIPJ Board, Melina supported community governance, engagement and events, providing cultural protocol guidance and strengthening relationships between elders, youth and partner organisations. She is a committed advocate for cultural continuity and the recognition of Australian South Sea Islander histories and identity in New South Wales.

Melina brings over 20 years of experience in office administration, logistic management and customer service, and has contributed to cultural awareness and National Indigenous Television (NITV) initiatives in television as an assistant producer and production assistant. A dedicated supporter of the Wantok initiative, she also assists with on-location project management and community coordination.

She proudly carries the legacy of her mother, Carriette Pangas (née Togo), a founding elder of ASSIPJ whose painting inspired the organisation’s logo design, and continues to support intergenerational knowledge sharing across her community.

Helen Fraser – Artist, craftivist and psychologist, Melbourne, Victoria

Helen is an accomplished Melbourne-based embroidery artist, craftivist and psychologist, leading with expertise the Yumi Olgeta: Crafting a More Inclusive Democracy. The project is co-designed with Australian South Sea Islander and First Nations communities, and Helen works closely with the ASSIPJ Board, Aboriginal kastom weavers and ni-Vanuatu women, including Josephine Fred, President of the ni-Vanuatu HandiKrafts Association, bringing together art, history and community learning. Their workshops gently open conversation about Australia’s Blackbirding labour trade (1847–1908) and its lasting impact on Australian South Sea Islander families.

Central to the project is the understanding that weaving and embroidery are kastom age-old practices passed through generations. Stitching and weaving act as grounding and healing processes, allowing participants to sit together, share stories, break bread and restore cultural connection. Guided by Helen’s inclusive teaching, slow stitching becomes a space for reflection, intergenerational exchange and respectful listening.

Since 2019, thousands of participants have engaged across local, state, national and international settings. The program is Australian South Sea Islander, multicultural and First Nations-led, demonstrating how creative practice can become civic participation, transforming needle and fibre into tools for truth-telling, empathy and collective action toward a more inclusive and just society.

Sylviana Malapa – Cultural Translator, Canberra ACT

Sylviana is an indigenous woman and a daughter of Amel Lil Nasara in the tribe of Northwest Malekula island in Vanuatu. Sylviana is a cultural advisor and has amassed a wealth of experience (over 15 years) in working across Pacific Island Communities in Australia.

Adding to her experience of Cultural Advisor, Sylviana is also an interpreter and a translator, working mainly in English, French, Bislama (Vanuatu) and Pidgin (Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands).

Sylviana’s portfolio includes but not limited to working with Federal and States governments – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Community Services and Department of Justice – Seasonal Workers, including private sector and local community at large.

Sylviana is also providing crucial translation and interpretation work to media outlets such as SBS and ABC platforms.

Raechel Ivey (née Togo/Tuku) – Elder and Cultural mentor, Mackay, QLD

Raechel is a proud third-generation Australian South Sea Islander and Yugambeh Elder based in Mackay, Queensland. She is ASSIPJ’s regional representative for Mackay and serves as an Elder mentor and cultural advisor, supporting cultural safety, leadership and intergenerational knowledge sharing within the community.

For over 20 years, Raechel has worked as a cultural leader, curator, and mentor, supporting Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Australian South Sea Islander artists through exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and educational pathways. Her work centres on strengthening cultural identity, youth development and sustainable creative careers while maintaining respect for Elders, history and cultural protocol.

Raechel is also recognised for her reconnection work with Vanuatu, becoming one of the first Australian South Sea Islanders to secure dual citizenship after tracing her ancestry to great-grandparents taken during the 19th-century labour trade. She maintains strong relationships with Ni-Vanuatu communities and Pacific networks, continuing to support cultural exchange, storytelling and truth-telling that honour shared histories and community wellbeing across generations.