Our People and Sponsors

Terry O'Shane

Merchant Seaman, Western Yalanji Elder. Terry has deep connections to country, family, trade unions and communities in FNQ/CY and political links throughout Australia. In addition to his working life as a merchant seaman on both domestic and international shipping, he has held complementary roles around the merchant navy including advisory, employee development and mentoring, and as a Maritime Union of Australia representative and officer.

Terry has, during his long and distinguished career, served variously as an ATSIC Commissioner, Chairman and Director North Queensland Land Council (NQLC), UN Representative on the Rights of the First Peoples, representative to the International Labor Organisation and numerous community based organisations in FNQ seeking social and economic development outcomes.

He has served as Chairperson and Director of the North Queensland Land Council for the past 18 years, and currently is a member of the Indigenous Advisory Panel for the ACTU and a member of the Committee for Constitutional Reconciliation.

In his role with ATSIC, Terry held portfolios for Social Justice, Employment, Native Title and Sport and Recreation. He has also worked by invitation with various Queensland Government Ministerial Councils and in particular for Water and Native Title. Whilst at the UN, Terry worked extensively in the development of that organisation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, he attended the International Labor Organisation (ILO) for a two years process reviewing Convention 107, which was modified in that process to becomes ILO Convention 169. His tenure as Chairman of NQLC mirrored the shift by that organisation to become more proactive and focused on commercial outcomes for Traditional Owners from Native Title.

Terry was also a world class athlete and represented Australia in triathlon. He still serves as a Director of the NQLC and represents the MUA in Northern Australia. He lives with his family in Cairns.  

George Macdonald MBA (Columbia U), BComm/LLB (UNSW) NMAS Accredited Mediator

Public Company Director, Key Executive Management at CEO, Finance Director, Executive Director and Executive Consultant level with key skills and experience in Natural Resources, Agriculture including cattle, Tourism, Civil Works, Finance, International and Indigenous Development, Project Origination and Management and Complex Public Stakeholder Management. Key skills cover operations management, project and business origination, M & A, financing with an industrial and natural resources bias - at a director and/or executive director/consultant level - with mandates inter alia including Ebony Coal, Anaconda Nickel (now Minara Resources), Compass Resources, Adelaide Steamship Group Companies, Mallesons Lawyers, Whitlam Turnbull, Habitat for Humanity, Wutong Shu Estates, John Swire & Sons, North Queensland Land Council, Cape York Institute, APN Cape York, RDC Corporation and Balkanu Cape York Business Development Corporation.

George was raised in rural NSW sheep/cattle business and has owned and traded cattle NSW and southern Queensland. He lives on Kamileroi Country at Wallabadah, near Tamworth in NSW, and operates a native feed farm.