2026 National First Nations NDIS: One People, One Voice Disability Care Conference

Sophia Eurell is a 18-year-old Traditional Custodian from the Yugambeh region, descended from the Tweed River people and Wollumbin. A proud cultural ambassador, she has sung in Yugambeh language since age 8 as a leading member of the Yugambeh Youth Choir. Sophia has performed Welcome to Country ceremonies at major events, including the 2018 Commonwealth Games and with the Wallabies Rugby Union Team.

She graduated from Keebra Park High School as Indigenous School Captain, Valedictorian, and top student in English, Law, and Geography. Sophia is now enrolled at the University of Queensland to study criminal law, while working as a youth trainer at the Preston Campbell Café in Dreamworld—mentoring the next generation of Indigenous leaders.

Aunty Erica Eurell is a Traditional Custodian from the Yugambeh Language Region of the Gold Coast, with ancestral ties to the Aboriginal people of Wollumbin (Mount Warning). Her work is deeply rooted in cultural connection, community engagement, and the transmission of knowledge.

With a strong passion for fostering understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture, Aunty Erica actively supports the growth of Indigenous artists and craftspeople. Her practice spans weaving, painting, language revival, and performance-based projects—each serving as a conduit for cultural exchange and empowerment.

Through these creative and community-led initiatives, she has cultivated a deep understanding of cultural protocols and the evolving needs of Indigenous youth. Her commitment to cultural continuity and intergenerational learning informs her ongoing contributions to community development and business growth.

Maria Callaghan is a nurse-midwife and a proud descendant of the Bol-anon tribe from her mother’s side and the mountain-dwelling Higaonon tribe from her father’s heritage. She completed her Australian Migration Law degree at Australian Catholic University. With over three centuries of Spanish rule and occupation of the Philippines, Maria knows too well the long-term effect of colonization the most devastating consequences for her people were the loss of cultural identity as her ancestors were chronically stripped of their unique traditions and languages from forced assimilation, coercion into adopting Spanish culture, Catholicism and cultural suppression that led to significant disconnect with their ancestral roots. The encomienda system, which granted Spanish colonizers control over Indigenous labour subjected her ancestors to brutal working conditions often without fair compensation and exploited their country's resources which continues to shape the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of the Philippines today. Maria has more than 20 years of experience in nursing and midwifery, health management, workforce development, event management, law and business. She’s passionate about building compassionate communities and has trained more than six hundred compassionate community connectors to date from Weipa in the Cape & Torres to Birtinya in Sunshine Coast where mobilised community connectors are making a difference and supporting families in communities one at a time.