Lois Peeler is of Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri heritage by her mother and Wurundjeri Heritage by her father. She is the Executive Director and Principal of Worawa Aboriginal College.

Lois’ up-bringing included family life on the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve and the river flats of Mooroopna where activism for improved conditions for Aboriginal people was deeply embedded. She grew up surrounded by strong men and women who, based on their lived experience, led the fight for equal rights for Aboriginal people to education, healthcare, housing, legal services and social justice.

Lois has had a diverse career in the music industry, public service, community development, social activism, tourism, community development and Aboriginal education. One of the original members of The Sapphires, an all-girl singing group from the 1960s, she is also acknowledged as Australia’s first Aboriginal model and TV presenter.

A dynamic contributor to Aboriginal affairs Lois has held many positions in the government, community, corporate and philanthropic sectors. Following a successful career as a fashion model, and a stint of living overseas, Lois began her career in the community sector as Assistant Director of the Aborigines Advancement League leading to senior positions in the State and Federal public service (spanning 16 years in public sector Aboriginal Affairs).

Lois entered the public service as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands where she managed the first Aboriginal Ranger Program. She became Director of the Aboriginal Employment Unit within the Office of Merit Protection of the Victorian Public Service Board where she had responsibility for a number of staff and managed implementation of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy across the Public Service.

Upon departure from the VPS, Lois became the elected Chair of the Binjirru Regional Council of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) responsible for the eastern region from Wodonga to Cann River in Gippsland. She held the community elected position of Chair for three consecutive terms. She was appointed as a Director of the Indigenous Land Corporation, Land Enterprise Australia and to the board of Parks Victoria.

Lois headed Aboriginal Tourism Australia for more than a decade leading Indigenous tourism development. She was a member of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee to SOCOG for the Sydney Games and co-authored the Respecting our Culture (ROC) tourism accreditation program for the Australian Tourism industry. The ROC program continues to be in use across the tourism industry today. Lois is author of Aboriginal Oral History of the Flats and co-author of Yorta Yorta Language Heritage.

Lois was a founding member of the national Federation of Aboriginal Women and held the position of secretary. She was also a founding member of Koorie Women Mean Business and appointed to the Victorian Women’s Advisory Committee. She was a trustee of the Fairley Foundation and appointed to a term as Acting Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People (Victoria).

In 2003 Lois received The Centenary Medal for her work in tourism. In 2014 she was made a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for her significant service to the Indigenous community as an educator, advocate and role model. In 2017 she was Senior Victorian of the Year and in the same year she was awarded a Doctor of Social Science, Honoris Causa, by RMIT University. In 2020 she was inducted into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll. Lois is currently Chair of the Department of Justice Eastern Metropolitan Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (RAJAC), a member of the Aboriginal Justice Caucus and statewide Aboriginal Justice Forum and Chair of the Aboriginal Independent Prison Visitors Program.

Lois has a strong commitment to the education and preservation of Victorian Aboriginal history and culture. She has delivered an annual Oration for both the University of Melbourne (2020) and Swinburne University (2020) where her respective topics were on Aboriginal Oral History and Enduring Legacies. In her current role as Principal of Victoria’s only Aboriginal school she has established a Dreaming Trail, History Walk and is currently involved in the development of an Aboriginal Resource Centre and Professional Learning Institute to focus on Victorian Aboriginal history and culture and achievements. Lois was recently appointed to the Museum Victoria Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee.

International President
Rotary Club of Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany

Knaack is the CEO of Knaack KG, a real estate company. He was previously a partner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises, a 125-year-old family business.

He is a founding member of the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek. Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation.

A Rotary member since 1992, Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training leader, and district governor.

He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and was co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.

Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society.

Marion is principal at consultancy Core Management Solutions (CMS), specialising in governance, strategy, and risk, after a business and executive career in small business, television, telecommunications, local government and logistics.

She is a non-executive director with over 25 years’ board experience and is currently president of Melbourne Rotary’s Centenary year where she has been both a director and vice president. Her Rotary recognitions include a Paul Harris Fellow award and the Royce Abbey award. She is currently involved in the District response to the bushfires and the establishment of the trauma recovery network.

Marion consults into a variety of organisations and delivered the award winning program, The Effective Director, to senior NAB executives. She was a council member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors for eight years and currently facilitates a number of their courses including their signature, Company Directors’ course. She also delivers their Director Essentials to regional centres and she initiated the series, ‘Boards of Tomorrow’.

Marion is a Williamson Fellow and graduate of Leadership Victoria. She has had significant senior executive roles improving the top and bottom lines, and managing complex transformational change.

She holds a number of business and financial qualifications including an MBA from Melbourne Business School, post-graduate qualifications in finance, media and project management and a foundation degree in science from Aberdeen University.

Tilman is a physician whose work addresses the public health dimensions of nuclear technology, especially the urgent planetary health imperative to eradicate nuclear weapons.

Tilman is the founding chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize 1985), and Honorary Principal Fellow in the School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne. He was international medical advisor for Australian Red Cross 1996-2019, worked on hepatitis B control, immunisation and maternal and child health in Indonesia and Pacific island countries with the Australian and NZ government aid programs, Burnet Institute, UNICEF and WHO.

ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize “… for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”. ICAN is the first Australian-born Nobel Peace Laureate. Dr Ruff has been active in the Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia) which established ICAN since 1982 and is a past national president.

He was one of two civil society advisors to the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, the first civil society representative on Australian nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty delegations, and a civil society delegate to the landmark intergovernmental Conferences on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in Norway, Mexico and Austria (2013-14). In 2017, he led the IPPNW delegation in New York through the negotiation of the historic United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into legal force on 22 Jan 2021.

Setsuko Thurlow, born Setsuko Nakamura, is a Japanese Canadian nuclear disarmament campaigner and hibakusha (i.e., Japanese for atomic bomb survivor) who survived the bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.

On the morning the first atomic bomb was dropped, Ms.Thurlow, then aged 13, reported for her first full day of duty in Japan’s increasingly desperate war effort. Together with 30 other girls, she had been recruited to assist with code breaking at a military office in Hiroshima.

The major in charge of the unit was exhorting the teenagers to demonstrate their patriotism when, at 8:15 a.m., a blast detonated over the city. Out the window, Ms. Thurlow saw a burst of bluish white light She was thrown into the air, losing consciousness. When she came to, it was dark and silent, and she was pinned under parts of the wooden building. More than 150,000 people are thought to have perished in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Ms. Thurlow survived, but the attack would shape the rest of a life spent fighting for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

She is known throughout the world for being a leading figure in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN) and for giving the acceptance speech for its reception of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize

Emma is an Australian–Cambodian who has worked on conflict transformation and peacebuilding throughout Asia since 1993. Since moving to Cambodia in 1997, Emma worked with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Working Group for Weapons Reduction in Cambodia and supported a number of Cambodia peace initiatives – the latest being the launch of Cambodia Peace Museum. In 2005 she launched a Master’s Programme for the Asia region in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies.

In 2008, she established the Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, which she currently leads as Executive Director. Emma also serves as a consultant for Conciliation Resources on Philippines peace processes, and supported the peace talks between Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a member of the International Contact Group (ICG) since 2011. She observed the Myanmar peace process as an independent observer, in particular supporting the talks of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Emma teaches mediation courses at the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Sweden for the UN Department of Political Affairs. She holds an M.A. in International Development and an Honorary Doctorate in Education.

In 2005, she was one of the 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. On June 13, 2016 Emma was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to international relations through the facilitation of a network of conflict transformation and peace practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region”. The Order of Australia recognises Australian citizens and other people for achievements or meritorious service.

Robert is a lawyer who has worked in both Australia and the UK.

He owned and ran a software business for 10 years and has worked in private and public companies as a legal and governance adviser. He has mentored start-up companies and is currently working on developing apps.

He has been a Board member of the Youth Hostel Association in Australia for over 30 years and was the first chair of the National organization in 2017 after the merger of its State and Territory organizations.

He was the first Australian to be elected to the Hostelling International (HI) Board in 1998 and was also its first Australian President from 2018-2020. HI has over 3.5 million members and operates globally in over 60 countries.

He has been a member of Rotary Melbourne since 1993 and served as a director and Vice President. He also served as Chair of its Indigenous Programs Committee for over five years. He is the founder and Chair of the End Trachoma by 2020 project, a national R100 project that has raised over one million dollars for indigenous environmental health projects.

He has travelled to many parts of remote Australia visiting indigenous communities. He was an Executive Producer of the documentary “Homeland Story” that documents the work of Dr Neville White and Rotary Melbourne in supporting the remote Donydji community in North East Arnhem Land. He is currently a director of an indigenous housing corporation in NE Arnhem land.

MAICD FIPPA

A Yorta Yorta man, Ian is a Rotary Melbourne member with extensive government and community sector experience, particularly at executive and governance levels. Ian has overseen major policy and strategic reforms for government and community organisations.

He works with people from a vast array of backgrounds, managing complex and sensitive relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

Ian was CEO of a major Aboriginal community organisation from January to August 2018.

He is now devoting himself to improving the representation of Aboriginal people on boards and other high-level governance, through strategic action, advocacy and mentoring.

Ian’s current Governance roles are:

• Chair of the Board of Directors, First Nations Foundation.
• Session Panel Member, Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
• Sessional Panel Member, Planning Panels, Victoria.
• Board Member, Holmesglen Institute.
• Board Member, Yarra Valley Water.
• Chair of the Board of Directors, Koorie Heritage Trust.
• President, Community Broadcasting Foundation.
• Trustee Queen Victoria Market.
• Board Member, The Australian Red Cross.

Neville White, a biological anthropologist, is an Emeritus Scholar at La Trobe University, Melbourne. His early research investigated social, cultural and environmental influences on population genetic diversity in Aboriginal Australia.

Situated since 1971 in north-east Arnhem Land, and centred in the Donydji homeland community since 1974, he has lived and worked with the Yolngu each year since then. His research has widened to include medical anthropology, nutritional health, ethnobiology and the Yolngu management of their natural and cultural landscapes.

Over the past sixteen years, his work has focused on community development in the Donydji homeland, with the help of Vietnam veteran volunteers and philanthropic funding, particularly through the Rotary Club of Melbourne.

Chief Executive Officer,
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS)

Nerita is a proud Yorta Yorta woman who has devoted her working life to creating a better world for Aboriginal women and children.

An experienced Solicitor with a demonstrated history of working in the legal and community services industry. Nerita is skilled in government, sociological theory, dispute resolution, legal writing, and corporate governance.

Nerita completed her Bachelor of Arts and Laws at Melbourne University in 2011 whilst undertaking a cadetship through the Australian Taxation Office. In 2012, Nerita commenced a traineeship with the Victorian Government Solicitors Officer where she was able to undertake her practical legal training whilst undertaking exciting work in various branches.

In 2014, Nerita commenced working at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Nerita worked as a civil lawyer before moving to the family and youth team. In late 2017, Nerita moved into a dual role, undertaking both legal casework and policy work and was able to establish Balit Ngulu, a specialist legal service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Nerita is currently in the process of completing her Masters of Law at the University of Melbourne and hope these studies will continue to foster her passion for social justice and equity and help her discover innovative ways to solve the justice issues plaguing her community.

Charles in the Director of Partnerships with the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). These partnerships include strategic and grass roots partners inclusive of governments, non-government organisations, business, education organisations, service groups and other institutes. Through partnerships he is activating IEP’s Positive Peace framework globally.

In his previous role with Victoria Police, Australia, he led strategic and operational change shifting policing to adopt community engagement.

Charles is a Rotary Peace Fellow alumni and an active Rotarian. He is currently the Vice President of the Rotary Club of Sydney.

Tony Stuart is the Chief Executive Officer of UNICEF Australia. Prior to joining UNICEF, Tony was the Group CEO of National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA), Australia’s largest member organisation. Previous roles include CEO of Sydney Airports Corp, Director of Development at Manchester Airport and General Manager at British Airways.

Tony is Chair of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Advisory Board, founding Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Tony holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Canterbury.

Michael is a director of the Institute for Economics and Peace, and works with Janchor Partners Limited, a Hong Kong based international investment fund with an industrialist mindset. Previously Michael worked for over a decade with The Boston Consulting Group, an international strategy and management consultancy.

Michael has spent his career helping companies grow and to think about innovation and their own role in creating our future. As an investment analyst, Michael now works with portfolio companies, and as a potential shareholder, to help companies think about how they can measure and communicate their contributions to the sustainable development goals most relevant to them.

Rotary Club of Colombo
Western Province, Sri Lanka

K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran is a third-generation Rotarian, joining Rotary at age 21. As RI president in 2015-16, he introduced the Rotary Global Rewards program and led a delegation of about 9,000 Rotarians to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.

Ravindran was the first president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, which today is the leading agency fighting drug addiction in Sri Lanka. He headed a national committee consisting of Rotary, his country’s health ministry, and UNICEF for the eradication of polio, and worked closely with UNICEF to negotiate a cease-fire in the ongoing civil war with the northern militants to facilitate National Immunization Days. Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to become polio-free. He also headed a Rotary project to build 25 modern schools across the country to replace those destroyed by the 2004 tsunami at a cost of over $12 million.

Ravindran is the CEO and founder of a publicly listed company engaged in the print and packaging industry with worldwide clientele. His company, Printcare PLC, is a winner of national and international awards of excellence. He is the recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service Award, and Service Award for a Polio-Free World. His country conferred on him the title of “Jewel of Sri Lanka” and released a postage stamp in his honor.

José was the President of East Timor from 20 May 2007 to 20 May 2012. Previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2006 and Prime Minister from 2006 to 2007. He is a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize along with Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, for working “towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor”.

As a founder and former member of Fretilin, Ramos-Horta served as the exiled spokesman for the East Timorese resistance during the years of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor (1975–1999). While he continued to work with Fretilin, Ramos-Horta resigned from the party in 1988, becoming an independent politician.

After East Timor achieved independence in 2002, Ramos-Horta was appointed as the country’s first foreign minister. He served in this position until his resignation on 25 June 2006, amidst political turmoil. On 26 June, following the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Ramos-Horta was appointed as acting Prime Minister by President Xanana Gusmão. Two weeks later, on 10 July 2006, he was sworn in as the second Prime Minister of East Timor. He was elected as President in 2007.

After leaving office as President in 2012, Ramos-Horta was appointed as the United Nations’ Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) on 2 January 2013.
Ramos-Horta is a frequent speaker, along with other Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, at Peacejam conferences. He has served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for TheCommunity.com, a web site for peace and human rights, since 2000. In 2001 he gathered the post 9/11 statements of 28 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates on the web site, and has spearheaded other peace initiatives with his fellow Nobel Laureates.

Ms. Natascha Hryckow, Coordinator UN Panel of Experts on Somalia and GCSP Global Fellow.

Ms. Hryckow is an experienced leader of multilateral interventions with a particular interest in conflict and post conflict environments.

Senior management roles include Regional Conflict Advisor for the World Health Organisation (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen), Political Director and Head of country for Somalia and Kenya for the European Maritime Capacity Building mission EUCAP Nestor,, Political Director and Deputy for the Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan with the NATO. She has dealt with crises in Syria 2016/17, Guinee (Ebola response) 2013/14, Darfur 2008, Timor Leste 2007, and Pakistan 2006. At the GCSP, she serves as the Inaugural Chair of the Conflict Analysis Network, (CAN). She is the treasurer for The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP).