Board and Management
Board Directors
Alfred Mamarika GEBIE Group Chairman
Born and raised on his father’s country at Umbakumba, Alfred worked as a boilermaker at GEMCO before becoming a community liaison officer with the East Arnhem Regional Council in 2008. The community appointed him a Director of both GEBIE and the Anindilyakwa Land Council in 2010. In 2014 he was appointed GEBIE Chairman.
Alfred is very focused on strong governance for GEBIE to ensure the long-term benefit of the Anindilyakwa people. He fosters a positive working relationship between the Board and the Group Chief Executive Officer which allows GEBIE to act quickly on Traditional Owner requests and plan ahead for a future without GEMCO.
Katerina Bara GEBIE Group Deputy Chair
The value of education is something Katy would like to see instilled in young people on Groote Eylandt and she believes it would help if mothers improved their numeracy and literacy skills. Issues like this are why Katy became a Director of GEBIE for a second time in 2012. She has seen GEBIE do many great things for her Community of Umbakumba, including building the health clinic, the GEBIE CDP Training Centre and upgrading the highway.
Previously the supervisor of the Community Development Program women’s activities, Katy has also worked for GEMCO using her local knowledge to assist in revegetating the environment. However, education has always been her passion, and earlier this year Katy accepted a position to facilitate Learning on Country sessions for the students of Umbakumba Primary school. She is thrilled to be working with parents, teachers and students to help educate the next generation.
Louisa Amagula GEBIE Group Director
As a school student Louisa experienced first-hand how GEBIE’s Social Program could assist her community when she travelled to Darwin, Gove and Brisbane with her basketball team. The opportunity opened her eyes to a different world and taught her about teamwork.
Appointed by the Angurugu community as a Director of GEBIE in 2013, she is conscious of working together as a team for the three Communities of Groote Eylandt. Louisa is also very aware that she is working in two worlds – the ancient world of the Anindilyakwa people and the modern world. She is proud that she manages both through her job at the Angurugu Community Health Centre and her role with GEBIE.
Stefano Lalara GEBIE Group Director
The first member of his family to further his education, Stefano understands the need for children in his community on Bickerton Island to complete school. As a Community Liaison Officer, Stefano spent time talking to students, their families and teachers to keep them on track with their learning. He then became a Community Housing Officer for GEBIE before a heart attack forced him to move to Darwin to recuperate.
In his second term as a GEBIE Director, Stefano is working with his Community to push for a full-time nurse on Bickerton Island instead of the existing one-day-a-week visit. He is especially proud that his work and education ethic has been passed down to his three dependants who are either studying or working.
James Yantarrnga GEBIE Group Director
James has a very strong passion for his country, Salt Lake. Nothing makes him happier than taking his family fishing and teaching them his Songlines and dance ceremony on the land connected to his family. James also takes great pleasure in his work as a Director on behalf of the Angurugu Community which he has done since 2015.
For almost a decade, the father of five and grandfather of four has managed the gardening and landscaping program which is now run through GEBIE’s Community Development Program. His initiatives include growing plants from cuttings to beautify people’s gardens which he hopes will improve their wellbeing.
Constantine Mamarika GEBIE Group Director
As a child Constantine dreamed of becoming a leader in Umbakumba where he was raised. He wasted no time, taking on the role of Community Liaison Officer with the East Arnhem Regional Council as his first job and then serving as an East Arnhem Councillor from 2011 to 2016. A Director of GEBIE since 2016, Constantine enjoys meeting with his fellow Board Members and making decisions for his Community.
He works with the Community Night Patrol as he believes children are the Community’s future. Constantine makes sure his own sons have a solid understanding of their culture by taking them on country to hunt with the spears he has crafted.
Peter Marin GEBIE Group Company Secretary
and Director
GEBIE Company Secretary since August 2014, Peter was appointed to the GEBIE Board as Independent Director in January 2015. Currently a Director with MLCS Corporate, Peter specialises in working with Indigenous people on economic development projects and corporate governance of Indigenous and not-for-profit entities. Previous roles include working in Perth with the Indigenous Land Corporation assisting Indigenous people to acquire and manage land for economic, environmental, social and cultural purposes.
Peter’s goal is to continue to work with Indigenous people to ensure they are equal participants in the Australian economy and can take advantage of the benefits this can deliver. Additionally, he would like to one day catch a billfish off Groote Eylandt.
Senior Management Team
Corallie Ferguson GEBIE Group Chief Executive Officer
Up-skilling the Anindilyakwa people employed by GEBIE and seeing the Group’s managers achieve their work goals are the greatest motivators for Corallie. She joined GEBIE in April 2015 and is responsible for achieving the three GEBIE Group Boards’ corporate goals through the Group Senior Management Team and their teams.
Starting her career with general nursing qualifications, Corallie has been a senior executive at the Seven Network, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Imparja Television, and at large strategic not-for-profit cross-cultural programs in Australia and Asia Pacific. She particularly enjoys working in an Aboriginal Corporation with wholly owned subsidiaries having profit motives and strong social objectives.
Ian Gallagher GEBIE Group Chief Financial Officer
Ian’s early accounting career took him to Malawi as Audit Manager with Price Waterhouse Coopers and to Belgium and Germany until 1996 when he moved to Australia. Ian first worked in Darwin as Finance Director of Remote Area Services, then for a large retail group in Victoria, Careflight and a national not-for-profit organisation before joining GEBIE in July 2016. As a Chartered Accountant and Certified Practising Accountant, he is responsible for financial discipline, strong compliance and a commercial approach to all accounting and related functions.
Ian is passionate about ensuring GEBIE’s commercial operations generate the maximum returns possible through strong commercial practices. Knowing that funds, grants and investments are managed diligently and spent for the purpose they are intended gives him great job satisfaction.
Glen Smith GCC General Manager
Glen’s role is to grow GEBIE Civil and Construction to increase its profit and to provide long-term training and jobs for local people. The profit is used to help fund GEBIE’s social objectives. Glen continually strives to improve quality and efficiency in the business and is responsible for providing a safe working environment for employees.
A builder by trade, Glen has extensive construction experience in Australia and overseas including working on high rise buildings on the Gold Coast. He joined GEBIE Civil and Construction in 2015 as the construction manager and in November 2016 was appointed General Manager.
Gihan Amarasekara Groote Eylandt Lodge General Manager
Gihan left behind the hustle and bustle of Melbourne where he worked as floor manager for Sofitel in 2012 for the challenge of working in a remote area. Arriving at Groote Eylandt Lodge as food and beverage manager he thrived on the challenges and was promoted to the front office before being appointed Property Manager in late 2017 and promoted again to General Manager in early 2020.
A favourite social venue for people living and working on Groote Eylandt, Gihan says the Lodge’s pool is the place to be on a Sunday afternoon. He is proud that the restaurant rates well on TripAdvisor and that he has guests who have been coming to the Lodge since it opened in 2008.