ACT Natimuk’s board comprises seven members, drawn from the membership of the organisation.
Current Executive positions are Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and three Committee Members.
The strength of ACT Natimuk’s board has been an ability to ‘shapeshift’ and arrange its capacity around the individual projects it chooses to deliver. This model has allowed the organisation to achieve a high level of cultural agency (self-determination and creative independence) over the
past 19 years.
Executive meetings take place every two months, alternating every two months with Committee meetings open to the wider membership of the organisation.
2024 BOARD, COMMITTEE & STAFF
CHAIR – DR. D’ARCY MOLAN
D’Arcy Molan joined as a member of ACT Natimuk in 2019. He came aboard as Vice Chair in 2021 and stepped up to the role of Chair in 2023.
Dr D’Arcy Molan is a musician, composer, writer, and academic researcher based in Natimuk. He has performed solo, with bands, and in multidisciplinary art projects throughout Australia and New Zealand.
D’Arcy’s PhD research investigates creative practices and cultural ties that are specific to places in the Wimmera by both non-indigenous and First Nations Wotjobaluk artists. His thesis is partly a case study of Natimuk (and ACT Natimuk) that looks into the processes and outcomes of community art and inter-cultural collaborations through place-based art. He works on rural and regional research projects.
VICE CHAIR (ACTING) – JACQUIE TINKLER
Originally from Melbourne, Jacquie was an art teacher in several rural secondary schools and worked in community and adult education as a project manager and teaching computers and multimedia. While completing her PhD in educational technologies at Melbourne University, she took a lecturing position at Charles Sturt University, lecturing and researching the use of digital technologies in education, as well as online learning design for university students with poor mental health and neurodivergence. She is now the Sub-Dean of Learning and Teaching at Charles Sturt University, where she loves to share her passion for teaching more broadly.
A very new resident in Natimuk, she began visiting the area to go climbing with her son 15 years ago and is now the proud new owner of The Goat Gallery, where she plans to create a vibrant, creative, and mischievous space for the arts community of Natimuk and the Wimmera. Jacquie is also a practising artist in a range of mediums including ceramics, drawing, photography, and most recently, work generated by artificial intelligence
SECRETARY – YINGYING HE
Ying has been enjoying and admiring the work of ACT Natimuk and its creatives since Nati Frinj 2009. Music education during her childhood reinforced her preference for supporting the arts from the sidelines. She is part of the crew that runs Palais de Pixel and has taken on the role of Secretary after some time as a general committee member.
TREASURER – TONY NOLLER
Presently semi-retired and living in town, in Natimuk – the centre of the universe.
For Tony, the world of ACT Natimuk is an all-new adventure. Having just recently experienced the Nati Frinj Festival for the first time in 2022, ‘the centre of the universe’ seems quite appropriate. The buzz and creativity, enthusiasm and excitement, the standard of the event drew him in. Being a part of this living and breathing organisation, as the next Treasurer commencing in 2023, is a way to participate and contribute, continuing the vision that others beforehand have established.
Project management particularly in manufacturing in the automotive industry with Ford Motor Company in Geelong along with various appointments as Treasurer including a community radio station, form the pathway to this role in the office of Treasurer.
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBER – GAIL HARRADINE
Gail Harradine is a Wotjobaluk Post-graduate trained curator and arts practitioner from Dimboola, Victoria with 8 years University study. Her focus has always been on South East Australian First Nations and Clans since her thesis on Aboriginal art in the Melbourne area in the 1990s as part of her Postgraduate work at Melbourne University. Gail is a qualified Secondary teacher and studied Indigenous resource management. Gail has lectured at Federation University (Horsham campus) in Aboriginal Health and Aboriginal history and taught VET/Disability. She enjoys being creative with photography, painting, silversmithing and utilising traditional techniques related to women’s adornment, and working with Wergaia language initiatives. Gail works as Curatorial Manager in Melbourne and travels home to family regularly to progress her art practice.
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBER – SUE PAVLOVICH
Sue has been involved with the ACT Natimuk committee for a number of years. She was Chair from 2018-22, Vice Chair 2023 and has now stepped back in the role of a general Committee member.
From 2016-2020 Sue also curated the Goat Gallery. She holds a Masters in Visual Art from Monash University and teaches Art at Horsham College. Her art practice investigates the engagement with the audience who are both observer and participant. This places her practice between movement and visual art forms, in community contexts and gallery shows.
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBER – JACQUIE TINKLER
Originally from Melbourne, Jacquie was an art teacher in several rural secondary schools and worked in community and adult education as a project manager and teaching computers and multimedia. While completing her PhD in educational technologies at Melbourne University, she took a lecturing position at Charles Sturt University, lecturing and researching the use of digital technologies in education, as well as online learning design for university students with poor mental health and neurodivergence. She is now the Sub-Dean of Learning and Teaching at Charles Sturt University, where she loves to share her passion for teaching more broadly.
A very new resident in Natimuk, she began visiting the area to go climbing with her son 15 years ago and is now the proud new owner of The Goat Gallery, where she plans to create a vibrant, creative, and mischievous space for the arts community of Natimuk and the Wimmera. Jacquie is also a practising artist in a range of mediums including ceramics, drawing, photography, and most recently, work generated by artificial intelligence
STAFF
GENERAL MANAGER – TRACEY SKINNER
Tracey Skinner, originally from Melbourne, has a background in multiple arts disciplines. Performing arts featured strongly in earlier years both studying and working in Melbourne, London and Japan as a vocalist and dancer. Her interest in fashion and visual arts led her on a long journey of study and self employment as a textile artist with a strong leaning towards screenprint, also working as a costume creator for many years. She is an Alumni of RMIT and operates a small creative studio space in her current hometown. Her love of movement saw her gain qualifications in Pilates, Barre and Yoga and she teaches classes at her movement studio in Natimuk. She has worked for a number of NFP organisations and through this has grown her experience of project management and community work. After serving on the ACT Natimuk committee for a number of years, she joined the organisation as an employee in 2020 and loves the multi pronged approach she needs to apply to the role of General Manager. Alongside the arts administration aspect of the role, she has produced a number of projects – Grist, Natimuk Open Studios Art Trail, Goatfest and was Program Producer for the Gatherings event in the Northern Grampians Shire in 2022 and 2023
She was also successful in gaining a place on the Local Giants Regional Producer Program
and loves the direction in her career to produce more work.
MADE IN NATIMUK PRODUCER – VERITY HIGGINS
Since graduating from the VCA, Verity has worked as a director, actor, project co-coordinator, and lecturer in performing arts.
In 2005 Verity worked in the UK as Assistant Director and actor for North Country Theatre. On returning to Australia she took up a position of Regional Arts Development Officer with Regional Arts Victoria, based in Ballarat. During her time as a RADO Verity coordinated a wide range of regional projects. Her independently produced documentary about a community choir The Big Sing, was acquired and broadcast on the ABC in 2010.
Since returning to freelance work at the end of 2013 Verity has worked as a freelance director, actor & producer. Her most recent theatre work The Freda Experience, about pioneering Australian mountaineer Freda du Faur, had sell out seasons at both the Castlemaine State Festival and NatiFrinj in 2015. Verity coordinated the large-scale environmental knitting project, WARM for SEAM in 2016.
Verity started working for ACT Natimuk on Made in Natimuk from late 2014.
NATI FRINJ DIRECTOR – ALISON EGGLETON
Alison is a professional art curator and visual artist and now steps into the role as the new Nati Frinj Director in December 2023.
While at RMIT Art School in Melbourne, she developed an interest in contemporary art curation which led to further study in gallery and museum curation at Deakin University. She moved to the Wimmera to become the Curator at Horsham Regional Art Gallery (2011-2022). Since then she has developed an extensive knowledge of Australian photography as part of her curatorial practice. Alison has curated over 80 art exhibitions for local, state-wide and international artists, and presented numerous artist and curatorial talks, and events.
Living in Natimuk since 2012 has offered her the opportunity to engaged with a love of bush walking and explore different types of body movement through rock climbing, circus practice and Japanese Butoh dance/movement. Alison’s visual art practice centres on drawing and sculptural installations which is currently project driven. She has developed artwork for Natimuk Open Studio Artist Trail and Nati Frinj Festival in Natimuk, Lost in Sculpture, in Dunkeld, Victoria, and collaborated with local artist Anthony Pelchen at the Melaka Arts and Performance Festival (MAP fest) in Malaysia.
Currently, she is undertaking a Masters by Research at RMIT, Melbourne, investigating curatorial practice in Australian galleries, specific to mapping
WANT MORE DETAILS ON ACT NATIMUK?
If you would like to learn more about what we do and what we have done, our Annual Reports and Strategic Plans can be viewed here RESOURCES