who we are

Kevin is a proud Wakka Wakka and South Sea Islander man, born and raised on Butchulla Country (Hervey Bay). As a trained Social Worker and Lecturer at the Carumba Institute at Queensland University of Technology, Kevin brings rigorous professional training in trauma-informed support, systemic advocacy, and community development. 

His position as a director at the Institute for Collaborative Race Research has established him as a respected voice on issues of race, racism, and culturally appropriate support systems for First Nations peoples. As a Social Worker, Kevin also provides Cultural Supervision to organisations in the Brisbane area, ensuring services operate with cultural safety and respect.

Kevin's approach to supporting families of disappeared Aboriginal people is informed by his own successful navigation of complex legal and administrative systems. After experiencing workplace racial discrimination, he successfully pursued justice through the Queensland Anti-discrimination Commission, giving him firsthand insight into the challenges our community members face when seeking accountability from institutions. 

Since then, he has supported numerous First Nations peoples in their pursuit of justice through various processes, including at the Queensland Human Rights Commission and Queensland Police Service.

Kevin is deeply engaged in First Nations advocacy across multiple platforms. He has served as MC for significant events including the Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) National Conference, the South Australian Aboriginal Workforce Network, and the Triple A Brisbane NAIDOC Ball. He is a regular voice on Brisbane's Triple A flagship radio program 'Let's Talk' and brings his perspective to broader audiences as a commentator on Network Ten's Gogglebox series.

Kevin's unique combination of academic expertise, lived experience navigating discriminatory systems, cultural supervision practice, and public advocacy positions him to identify systemic barriers and develop effective strategies to overcome them. His commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families seeking justice for disappeared loved ones is grounded in both professional knowledge and deep understanding of the institutional failures our communities face.

Ginny is a proud Gomeroi and Kooma woman who carries with her the rich heritage and stories of her ancestors, infusing her work with a deep-seated commitment to her community. From a young age, she was inspired by the resilience and wisdom of her Elders, fueling a lifelong passion for community support and advocacy.

Ginny's connection to The Disappeared Project is deeply personal. When her brother Jai disappeared in May 2024, her family came together to fight for answers, refusing to let him become another statistic. With the support of her family and drawing on her experience in community engagement, they persistently pushed for action from law enforcement, ultimately helping to secure arrests. Jai's case is one of many—too many—First Nations families experience this trauma.

This devastating experience revealed to Ginny the systemic failures that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families face when a loved one disappears. It also showed her what's possible when families receive proper support and advocacy. Ginny brings invaluable firsthand understanding of the emotional, practical, and systemic challenges families navigate during the most traumatic moments of their lives.

Professionally, Ginny has worked extensively in community engagement and stakeholder relationship management, building connections between Aboriginal communities, government agencies, and organisations. She is also a creative and accomplished Fashion Designer, bringing an artist's perspective to her advocacy work. Her ability to bridge cultural and institutional divides comes from years of fostering meaningful relationships that deliver results resonating deeply with the communities she serves.

Ginny's lifelong commitment to systemic change and advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is informed by the wisdom of her Elders. Her unique combination of lived experience, professional expertise, deep cultural connections, and creative vision makes her an essential advocate for families facing the unimaginable. 

Through The Disappeared Project, she transforms her family's tragedy into a force for change, working to ensure other Aboriginal families receive the support and advocacy her family had to fight for.

Dr. Amy McQuire is a Darumbal and South Sea Islander writer, academic, and journalist from Rockhampton, Central Queensland. Her two decades of work in Aboriginal media has established her as one of Australia's most respected voices on injustice and state-sanctioned violence against Aboriginal people.

Amy was awarded a PhD from the University of Queensland for her dissertation "Speaking Back to Silences: Media Representations of Disappeared Aboriginal Women." This groundbreaking research earned both a Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Thesis and the prestigious Lowitja Institute Student of the Year award.

Her essay on the Act of Disappearing won the Hilary McPhee award for brave essay writing and forms part of her acclaimed book "Black Witness: the Power of Indigenous Media" (University of Queensland Press). This collection won a Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous writing and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and two NSW Premier's Literary Awards.

Over the past five years, Amy has observed numerous inquests into disappeared and murdered Indigenous people, developing expertise in the coronial process. Her recognition as an expert witness in two separate coronial inquests into disappeared Aboriginal women speaks to the depth of her knowledge.

Currently serving as a senior lecturer in Queensland University of Technology's Carumba Institute, Amy brings the critical skills The Disappeared Project needs to challenge how our people are represented. Her research directly informs TDP's approach to ethical storytelling and media advocacy, her coronial expertise guides families through that traumatic process, and her investigative journalism shapes how we build evidence and pursue truth. 

Amy's rare combination of academic rigour, lived understanding of media silences around disappeared Aboriginal women, and unwavering commitment to dignity ensures that The Disappeared Project doesn't just document cases—we transform how disappeared Aboriginal people are remembered and how their families are supported in demanding justice.

Martin Hodgson (Yuin) has spent over 22 years as Senior Advocate for the human rights organisation Foreign Prisoner Support Service. 

In this role, he has represented more than 500 clients across over 30 countries, specialising in representing Aboriginal people and their families, negotiating the release and transfer of international prisoners, and advocating for those who have been kidnapped or disappeared. His work has been featured in more than twenty books and recognised as a finalist twice in the Australian Human Rights Awards (2012, 2013).

Martin's expertise has been acknowledged as an expert witness by the US Supreme Court, the Australian High Court, and His Majesty's High Court of Justice. His decades of experience leading legal teams has resulted in representation of high-profile cases including the Bali Nine, Amanda Knox, the Al Jazeera Three (Peter Greste), and Kevin Henry, demonstrating his capability to navigate complex international legal and human rights systems.

Central to Martin's work is his advocacy for Aboriginal families whose loved ones are missing, murdered, or have been forcibly disappeared. He currently represents many families including those of Monique Clubb and Jayo Rivers, assisting them to navigate police processes, engage with politicians and media, and understand the coronial inquest system. Martin was instrumental in ensuring Aboriginal woman Queenie Hart, who had been murdered in Rockhampton, was returned to her family and buried appropriately in her community of Cherbourg.

Martin's unique combination of international human rights expertise, legal systems navigation, and deep commitment to Aboriginal families facing trauma makes him an essential advocate within The Disappeared Project. His understanding of institutional barriers, media engagement, and decades of experience supporting families through the most difficult moments directly informs TDP's approach to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are not abandoned.