Oliver Costello is a Bundjalung man from the northern rivers of NSW, with a diverse range of personal and professional expertise in culturally connected stewardship of Country. He is currently focused on First Nations knowledge and practice in caring for Country through regenerative cultural practices that support preparedness, recovery and resilience in relation to fire, floods and storms. He has extensive experience working within the Indigenous land and sea management, conservation and cultural heritage management sectors and has been particularly interested in empowering Aboriginal perspectives on fire, threatened and culturally significant species. Oliver set up the Firesticks initiative in 2009 and was a founding Director of the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation in 2018.

He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation and is the Vice President of the Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium.

Richard Geddes started the Program Manager role with Jagun Alliance in 2022. Richard grew up in Brisbane on Yagera country and since 2001 has called Bundjalung country home. He has over 20 years’ experience working in conservation land management across Australia in fire management or program management roles with the NSW Hotspots project, Bush Heritage Australia, the Australian Government and various Aboriginal ranger programs across the country. Prior to that he ran his own conservation land management business supervising ecological restoration and revegetation projects across Bundjalung country. Richard is currently a member of the Northern Rivers Bushfire Management Committee. Richard is passionate about getting people back on country to look after it through cultural fire and land management.

His favourite animal is the cheeky Brown Falcon ‘Garkanj’ (in Dalabon language) who likes to pick up burning sticks and spread fire in Northern Australia which keeps the rangers on their toes.

Rich Heywood is a proud Githabul/Arakwal man descended of Millie Boyd. 

He worked for NSW Parks & Wildlife for 18 years in land management and helping to mitigate and suppress bushfires. Rich is happyto be working with Jagun and connecting the pathways his grandma spoke to him about for many years, places he hopes to show his own daughter in the future. 

He has extensive experience with using fire as a land management tool all over Australia in many different topographies and ecosystems. 

Rich is stoked that Jagun is helping to rebuild partnerships and connection between clan groups across the Northern Rivers and working on preserving sacred sites to teach the next generation of their importance.

Marcus Ferguson identifies as a Bundjalung, Nyangbal man of the Lower Richmond River. He has a special connection throughout Bundjalung Country. As a young man he took interest and developed a deep passion for understanding cultural landscapes, caring for country and learning from his Elders. His focus is on revitalising Indigenous Conservation and Land management and brings his 25 years’ experience working as Senor Cultural Sites Officer and Advisor for local communities as Jagun Alliance’s founding board member and Cultural Advisor. He has been instrumental in supporting Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) Ranger groups and founded the Ngunya Jargoon IPA in Wardell.

He is an acclaimed artist and enjoys painting landscapes throughout the broader Bundjalung lands. He is a respected historian and specialist cultural knowledge educator across the East Coast of Australia.

Uncle AJ is a Gullible Elder who worked with Gugin Guddbah Land Council for 20 years. He’s also work with bush regenerators and helping them to apply a cultural context to their work. He’s also interested in training up Aboriginal people to work on Country and sharing the importance of language and culture.

Uncle AJ has always loved building connections and working with Country and is happy to see the success of Jagun Alliance.

David comes to Jagun Alliance with a wide range of experience with community-based resource management, particularly in Nepal, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Australia.

Prior to joining Jagun Alliance he worked with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for almost 10 years as manager of its North Australia Program, supporting Indigenous land management across the tropical savanna landscapes of Northern Australia and with Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation as Land and Sea Program Manager in northern Queensland.

Overseas he worked with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Chief Technical Advisor to the Mt. Elgon Conservation and Development Project in Uganda, with TNC as Director of its Palau Country Program, and with community forestry projects in Nepal and Papua New Guinea. Prior to that he worked for 15 years in Australia (Tasmania, NSW and Queensland) in a range of positions focusing on forest management on both public and private lands.

Silas Telford is a proud saltwater man, born on the Tweed River and raised predominantly on Bundjalung Country with a deep love, passion and connection to his country. Silas has worked in the conservation and land management/ bush regeneration industry for the past 10 years. During this time, he has developed a sound knowledge of practical conservation activities and best practices in bush regeneration. He has been a team leader delivering and implementing indigenous community-based conservation, fire and restoration projects throughout the Far North Coast of NSW strongly believing in the significance and importance of working on country, in particular the positive health solutions for both people and the land/sea. After a brief stint with his young family on the Northwest slopes of NSW, Silas is back on the coast working as a Ranger for Jagun Alliance.

Silas aspires to be a primary producer of indigenous bush foods and to continue to teach his children to care for country, whilst also pursuing his passion for the creative arts.

Phillip is a Gullibul man from the Bundjalung Nation who grew up in Kyogle.

He’s excited to learn more about Bundjalung culture and practice and get hands-on experience working on Country.

Phillip likes playing Rugby League for the Kyogle Turkeys and kicking’ back with the bruvas!

Kobi is a proud Gumbaynggirr man from Coffs Harbour with a passion for conservation, land management & natural history. He has previous experience working at Invite as well as a stint in aquaculture farming Barramundi in the Northern Territory!

Kobi's always eager to learn about biology, botany and more. As well as getting out on Country to help heal it and rebuild connections, he loves music and playing a few tunes on the guitar.

Alice is a Githabul Bundjalung woman, raised in Woodenbong by her parents Colleen Donnelly & Wilfred Close. She’s passionate about bringing back ancient practices previously denied from her people, restoring cultural fire by taking her people back on-Country and teaching young jarjums how to hunt. Her grandfather Lionel Donnelly was the last cultural fire custodian in Woodenbong.

Alice loves cooking Bush Tucker for everyone, in particular cooking Kangaroo, Bunihny (echidna) Goannas, Turtles, Possums & Jubal (witchetty grubs).

Malachi is descended from Nunukal and Wiradjuri people and grew up on Bundjalung here in the Northern Rivers.

In his spare time he likes spending time with family, boxing at the local ring in Tweed and going to the beach.

He’s ready to learn new things about how the old people worked with country to do things like cultural burning (and pay the bills at the same time). Malachi’s looking forward to travelling around the region and making new connections with mob.

Malachi also works at Banaam on cultural intelligence.

Tristan Evans is a Waanyi man from North Western QLD born and Raised in Grafton, NSW on Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung Country. He is currently a Ranger with our team and has 10 years bush firefighting experience with the NSW Rural Fire Service where he was one of the youngest Officers in the state and NT fire and Rescue. Previously he had been employed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service helping manage National Parks for everyone to enjoy. Tristan has a passion for culture and an eagerness to help others look after and learn about country. In 2017 he was awarded Crew Leader of the year being the youngest to receive the award and in 2022 the National Emergency Medal for his efforts protecting the community during the Black Summer Fires.

Cait lives on Gullibul Country and was born and raised on Bundjalung Country. She studied Anthropology and Bush Regeneration and holds a particular love for the Big Scrub. She comes to Jagun Alliance with a range of experiences working in the not-for-profit sector, focussing on program coordination and the management of relationships and contracts. She is passionate about building structures that support organisational integrity and cultivate meaningful work environments. 

She loves bushwalking, veggie gardening and dancing amongst the fireflies, when they want to dance with her. Her favourite bird is the Wompoo Fruit Dove, and her favourite tree is the Hoop Pine.