Saybaylgaw Yangu Wakay
KKY Language Program
Seisia, Bamaga, Cape York Penninsula
Jeffrey Aniba Waia
Team Leader
Jeffery is from Saibai, and is a renowned dancer, artist, and teacher. He provided the cultural content for the Mura Gubal Gedira cross-cultural project, which has become well-known in the Torres Strait and Education Department. Jeffery speaks his own language Kala Kawau Ya (KKY), as well as Torres Strait Creole and English, and is widely known as being a cultural ambassador.
Beverley Jacobs
Production Co-ordinator
Beverley is a community leader in Bamaga and has extensive experience delivering arts and education projects. Beverly works at QLD TAFE Bamaga and has served on various committees, boards councils and community organisations in the Torres Strait and Bamaga. Beverley has vast experience working with Bamaga and Seisia communities particularly in relation to health and education for women and children.
Robert Poi Poi
Production Executive
Robert the Chairperson of Bamega Enterprises and is a community leader in Bamaga and has extensive logistic and financial experience delivering arts and infrastructure projects.
Jensen Warusam
Linguist
Jensen is a KKY linguist formerly from Saibai, now residing in Alice Springs and is widely regarded as an authority on the formal aspects of the KKY language. Jensen is a former Bangarra dancer and has classroom and on-country teaching skills which are an asset for language teaching. Jensen is a fluent KKY speaker, and is committed to the maintenance, revitalisation and preservation of Saibai language and culture.
Talei Elu
Videographer
Talei Elu is a proud Saibai Koedal woman from Seisia and has worked in Canberra for six years in roles at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. She now works part time for 33 Creative, an Aboriginal-owned media and events company. In 2021, Talei returned home to her community in Seisia to focus more of her time on communi ty-based initiatives and her love of her culture and people.
Glen Maw
Video Post Production
Glen is a filmmaker and writer who lives in Brisbane and has worked for many years with Sharing Stories Foundation, developing video resources for Indigenous communities. Glen is an expert at creating bilingual subtitles for language video resources and works on country to ensure accuracy and authenticity.
Andrew Belletty
Producer/Director
Dr Andrew Belletty has a distinguished career spanning 30 years within Film, Television and Radio, and spent six years as a Senior Lecturer with the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney. Andrew is a founding member of the iconic Aboriginal Band Yothu Yindi, and has toured and conducted workshops in hundreds of Indigenous communities across Australia. Andrew undertakes a wide range of programs with Indigenous artists and musicians and mentors Indigenous students at Sydney University.
Vincent Babia
Artist
Vincent lives in Seisia and is a Torres Strait Islander Australian who was born on Thursday Island and grew up in Seisia, in the Northern peninsular Area. His family is from the eastern side of Saibai Island, where the Sagar wind blows, from the Star E Constellation seen before the morning star. Vincent’s art tells the stories from the seven clans of Saibai Island, and focuses on the crocodile clan, Ait Koedal.
Murray Vanderveer
Video Production Mentor
Murray is an award-winning photographer and videographer, representing his work in the National Portrait Gallery and the NSW Art Gallery. He has worked extensively for Govt agencies and the advertising industry producing content for press, web and broadcast media of the highest quality. Murray taught for many years at the ACP. This work with Macquarie Uni has led his career toward documentary filmmaking. He is a fully qualified drone pilot, and his skills include video editing and producing motion graphics.
