Marlikka Perdrisat is a Nyikina Warrwa and Wangkumara Barkindji woman and the director of Concepts of Country. She is a digital storyteller who focuses on documentary, as a writer, producer, director and editor. She has attained her Bachelor of Commerce, completing her Juris Doctor in Law, with the promise of starting her Postgraduate Doctorate in 2021, where she will continue to use storytelling and lived experience within academia.
Em Dewhurst (They/Them) A queer and disabled youth advocate based in Naarm, Melbourne , Australia.
Robert Cooley grew up on the shores of Gamay (Botany Bay) and became a senior Gamay Ranger in 2019. The Gamay Rangers are the very first permanent urban Indigenous Ranger group in Australia. The program provides employment and training for young Indigenous Australians and opportunities for the rangers to utilise their unique cultural knowledge of the land and sea to care for Country and the community.
“The goal of the program is to have the ability to influence change in the way that the bay is managed. To have a voice which we have never had before and ultimately actively participate in land and sea management to help reverse the impact of development" Robert says.
Architect Igor Molitor at his home in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia, as he awaits brain surgery.
Igor was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease a month after his 49th birthday. Now 57, he has tried to manage his condition with increasing difficulty. Throughout the disease's progression, he has been suffering from incapacitating motor symptoms, such as rigidity, tremors, slowed movement, and fatigue. His neurologist suggested deep brain stimulation as the next best course of action.
It is a two-part surgery: Electrodes are inserted deep in the brain to reach the targeted stimulation areas—while the patient is awake. The next part involves implanting a battery-operated device in the chest, similar to a pacemaker. It's not a cure, but it is a way to manage the symptoms with fewer medications and their debilitating side effects.
Igor did not take the decision to have the surgery lightly—it's the last resort after trying all other options available.
Robbie Dettman, A Palawa Man from Lunawanna-Alonnah, has collaborated with Today on many projects, starting with the Victorian Government's mental health digital strategy. He is committed to working across mental health reforms to build a brighter future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTIQA+ people in Victoria.
Phoebe Jane (She/Her) is an Ambassador for Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria and has lived with macular degeneration for about 15 years. Macular Degeneration is an eye condition that causes damage to the macular at the back of the eye, leading to central vision loss. In the last five years, her condition worsened and she struggled to cope with her vision loss, becoming isolated and feeling alone in her condition. Throughout the pandemic, her feelings of isolation increased. At the end of 2020, Phoebe joined Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria which changed her life and allowed her to find a community of like-minded people.
Shoko Fukuda is a basket maker and Japanese artist who holds a Bachelor of Design from Kyoto University of Art and Design, and a Master’s degree from Osaka University of Art, where she focused on research in textile practice. Basket making is not only a tradition but also a contemporary art form. She has exhibited her work in Japan, Europe, and internationally for the past 10 years.
Shoko Fukuda is a basket maker and Japanese artist who holds a Bachelor of Design from Kyoto University of Art and Design, and a Master’s degree from Osaka University of Art, where she focused on research in textile practice. Basket making is not only a tradition but also a contemporary art form. She has exhibited her work in Japan, Europe, and internationally for the past 10 years.
Portrait of Minami-san at his home in Ochiai, a small village that ascends nearly 400 vertical meters up the Iya Valley Japan. It’s known for its unique, sustainable farming system with a history that spans over a thousand years.
CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific on board the Rainbow Warrior, Western Australia
Second mate Helena De Carlos on onboard the Rainbow Warrior, Western Australia
Ross Files pictured in front of his home which he purchased in 1979 right next to the Darling-Baaka River, Menindee New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, March 21st 2023 The New York Times