Governance
Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation (Purple House) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled organisation. We pride ourselves on our strong Indigenous leadership. We have a Board of Indigenous directors who represent communities across the Western Desert. Our directors meet four times each year in Alice Springs, with some directors travelling over 1000 kilometres to attend meetings.
These meetings provide our directors with the opportunity to:
- Oversee and make decisions about the running of the organisation
- Hear reports from staff about the organisations services and programs
- Examine financial reports
- Learn about renal disease and what can be done to reduce its impact in their communities
Patients and their families are also welcome at directors’ meetings so that they can share the issues that are affecting them.
Directors
Our all Indigenous board of directors is elected by the members of our corporation. They are Pintupi Luritja people from the communities of the Western Desert, and include dialysis patients and their family members. Our directors meet four times a year with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in November each year. In addition to the AGM, patients and members are also able to attend directors meetings to listen and contribute.
Marlene Spencer
Chairperson
Marlene has been a Director of WDNWPT for over 10 years. Until she retired she was an Aboriginal Health Worker at the Pintupi Homelands Health Service. She has served on a number of community boards and committees over the years as well as caring for her children and grandchildren. Marlene lives in Kintore, NT.
Bobby West Tjupurrula
Director
Bobby is a senior Pintupi man and community leader from Kiwirrkurra community. Bobby is a Papunya Tula artist and shareholder and was involved in the original collaborative Kiwirrkurra Men’s painting which was auctioned for $340,000 for the Western Desert Dialysis Appeal. In 2011 Bobby won the General Painting Prize in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Bobby commenced dialysis treatment in 2014.
I. Nangala
I. Nangala had a long involvement with Purple House and was one of it’s most important leaders. She was a senior community leader and long-term community advocate. She had extensive involvement in Education, was an ATSIC Regional Councillor, Central Land Council delegate, the Chairperson of Kintore Community Council and of Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi. She started dialysis treatment in 2013 and spent her time in Kintore and Alice Springs. She was the Central Australian representative on Kidney Health Australia’s national consumer group.
Linda Anderson
Vice Chair
Linda was a teacher in Papunya for over 20 years and has also held the position of vice-president of the Papunya community council. Linda currently sits on the Papunya Community’s Local Board and is a member of their Elders Group. Her father was senior Pintupi elder and leader Nosepeg Tjupurrula Tjungkata.
Elizabeth Marks
Director
Elizabeth is an artist and Papunya Tula shareholder. She worked at Papunya school and clinic for many years before moving to Kintore where she continued her clinic work.
Audrey Turner
Director
Audrey lives in Mt Liebig, NT, where she has traditional ties. Audrey has been a past Community Councillor and Chairperson. Currently she sits on the Local Board and works in the community office. She has been a director of Purple House for many years and is a strong advocate for remote dialysis.
Preston Thomas
Director
Preston Thomas known as “Mr T” is a former Deputy Chairperson of the Aboriginal Land Trust. He is the currently the Deputy Chair of the Ngaanyatjarra Group. Mr T is also Chairperson of Kanpa Community Council.
He is an active member of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and has been a Director of the Aboriginal Health Council of WA since 2015. He is committed to the increasing development of Aboriginal Western Australians.
Patrick Poulson
Director
I was born in Alice – my family and I are from Papunya, I worked in admin in Papunya arts. (Tjupi Art Centre) where I met my wife Isobel Major more than 10 years ago – we have 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
I love my culture and my Country and people. I am a renal patient and I love learning new things, especially as we get older. As a Director I want to support Purple House, because I want to help my people back to country.
Pamela Tolson
Director
Pamela Tolson was the daughter of renowned Papunya Tula artist Turkey Tolson. She has lots of family on dialysis and wants to be able to talk a strong story about what people want.
Douglas Multa
Director
Douglas is a traditional owner and community leader from Haasts Bluff community. He has been a representative for his community with the Central Land Council and a local authority member for the MacDonnell Regional Council. He is the current chairperson for Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation. He lives on his country in Haasts Bluff and attends dialysis in Papunya.
Kaylene Collins
Director
Kaylene is from Mt Liebig community. She currently lives in Alice Springs for dialysis, spending time in Mt Liebig when she can. She is a long-term Purple House director.
Isobel Major
Director
I was born in Alice – my family and I are from Papunya. I work in admin in Papunya arts. (Tjupi Art centre) where I met my husband Patrick Poulson who is a renal patient with Purple house. We have 5 children and 2 grandchildren.
I love my culture and my Country and people. I love learning new things – we learn more things as we get older. As a Director I want to support Purple House, because I want to help my people who need help and support in their Country and to get back home.
CEO Sarah Brown AM
Sarah Brown AM is the Chief Executive Officer of Purple House, working with its board of Indigenous directors to run the organisation since its inception two decades ago.
Sarah was recognised with an Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List “for significant service to community health, to remote area nursing, and to the Indigenous community”. In 2017 she was Hesta Australia’s Nurse of the Year and in 2018 made the AFR BOSS magazine’s ‘True Leaders’ list.
A fearless advocate for high quality, community-led healthcare for Indigenous Australians, Sarah has invested three decades of her life in this work across Australia. She holds a Master of Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education and a Graduate Diploma in Health Service Management. Prior to joining Purple House, Sarah worked as a remote area nurse in communities as diverse as Cape Barren Island (TAS), Balgo (WA), Yuelamu and Harts Range (NT). She has also been an Aboriginal health service manager in the Kimberley and a university lecturer.
Sarah paints, has exhibitions across Australia and overseas, has 3 grown up kids and drives a 1959 Morris Minor. She thinks ‘work/life balance’ is irrelevant if you love what you do!
Central Australian Renal Voice
CARV provides a structured linkage between patients and service providers, facilitating meaningful discussions for the provision of advice, direction, and advocacy for planning, delivery, design, measurement and evaluation of renal health care in Central Australia.
The purpose of CARV is to empower renal patients to advocate for change so that their concerns and objectives are valued and to work with health, accommodation and social support providers to improve service and health outcomes for dialysis patients.
CARV will help improve health outcomes for patients and their families through:
- Working together to address cultural safety issues to ensure that the provision of services is respectful, appropriate and free of discrimination,
- Patients voicing their concerns about dialysis treatment and living in Alice Springs, and
- Service providers understanding the problems these patients face while receiving dialysis treatment and living in Alice Springs.
Purple House currently support CARV by assisting with coordination and secretariat for meetings. CARV representatives meet on a quarterly basis.