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.

Marie Geissler, PhD – Communications Advisor & Historian, Sydney NSW

Dr Geissler is an art and cultural historian and communications advisor with more than 20 years’ experience in journalism and corporate relations across architecture, design, heritage, science, arts, not-for-profit and education sectors. Her research focuses on Indigenous Australian art and Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) culture.
She is a Visiting Associate Researcher at the University of Wollongong, a Senior Associate Researcher with the National Museum of Australia, a consultant to the University of New England’s NERAM Aboriginal art collection, and an advisor to the UTS Law School Indigenous Knowledge Forum.
Dr Geissler has worked with ASSIPJ since 2013 and re-joined the strategic planning team in 2018. As part of the cultural advisory body and Wisdom Circle, she co-produced Oceania Wisdom for a Climate Chance (2021), screened globally through ICOMOS. She contributes to the ICOMOS Caring for Country Webinar Series and Pacifica Group and collaborates with the ASSIPJ Board on cultural and human rights initiatives supporting ASSI self-determination.