Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this post contains images and names of deceased persons. In very sad news, Aunty Vickey Charles – TACSI’s Cultural Lead and Aunty in Residence – passed away over the weekend. Over the last decade, Aunty Vickey led TACSI, a non-First Nations organisation, into one with a deep commitment to allyship woven through everything we do. We will forever build on her wisdom and courage, with which she shared her story, advice, and dedication to justice, truth, reconciliation and self-determination. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if you’ve connected to TACSI’s work in the last decade you’ve connected with Aunty Vickey. You may have worked with Aunty in person and been lucky enough to experience those warm hugs directly. You may have had the opportunity to grow and learn with her. You may have used the tools and frameworks such as the Cultural Canvas, Stepping Stones and Many Threads. Or you may have experienced Aunty indirectly through TACSI’s commitment to allyship with First Nations peoples. Aunty, an Alawa/Mara woman from the Northern Territory who grew up in Adelaide from the age of 18 months due to government policy at the time, started her journey at TACSI as an Aboriginal Community Connector in the Family by Family program. She quickly engaged Aboriginal families into the program (something we’d struggled to do without her for months), whipping out Aboriginal flags she had in her car left over from NAIDOC week to run a stall at an Elizabeth shopping centre. She said she wouldn’t be able to do it with her classic Aunty humility. That was 11 years ago. From there, she started educating beyond the Family by Family team. That wasn’t her job then - but it was who she was. Her method was always love - big hugs when she came into the room and occasional stern growls if you got things wrong or needed to try harder. And generosity, lots of generosity. Time and again, she shared her Stolen Generation story to make the need for reconciliation real. She interviewed job applicants and, if they were in need of cultural guidance, would offer to be their Aunty even if they didn’t get the job. In training sessions, she’d tell people to reach out if they had a question, because she was ‘always up for a yarn’. And she was. She never turned down requests for help, no matter how naive the question. And with those generous hugs and growls, her role at TACSI grew from Aboriginal Community Connector to Cultural Lead and Aunty in Residence, and she became an irreversible influence on everything we do. She’s with her ancestors now, but her fierce personality and presence remains with us. Ancestor Aunty now, still in our ears and on our shoulders, nudging us to keep the work of reconciliation going, to stop with the ‘wanky white words’ and to focus on ‘relationships, relationships, relationships’. While we mourn such a deep loss to the TACSI family, we also celebrate her life, and the entire TACSI team send our deepest love and condolences to Aunty Vickey’s two sons, Jason Charles and Benjamin Charles, daughter-in-law Gemma Charles, grandkids, and extended family during this time. If you have a memory of Aunty, or a story of the impact Aunty had on you or your organisation, do please take a moment to share. We will gather them together and pass them along to her family. (fb)

Social innovation is for everyone. Every TACSI Learning Hub course reserves four fully funded scholarship places, awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Here’s what you need to know: 🎓 Each course reserves four scholarship places that cover 100% of course fees 🎓 There are two seats for First Nations people and two seats for young people, or individuals with lived or living experience, or those on low incomes 🎓 You can apply for one course per year and nominate your preferred course(s) 🎓 If seats aren’t filled, they’ll be offered to eligible applicants on the waitlist TACSI facilitators are experienced in fostering inclusive and supportive environments. If you need accommodations to support your learning, let us know—we’re here to help. Apply now: https://bit.ly/4jDhQWa (fb)