About Us
The Australian Indigenous Alpine Sport Foundation (AIASF) is a registered not-for-profit founded in 2015. Our mission is to use alpine sport, cultural engagement, and mentoring as tools of excellence to support educational engagement and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.
AIASF programs are delivered entirely by volunteers — our Board and program staff generously give their time and energy without pay. We are proudly majority First Nations-led, and cultural safety sits at the heart of everything we do.
Our team includes educators, child safety advocates, mental health professionals, and community leaders, ensuring programs are built on lived experience and deep cultural understanding.
We work in partnership with schools and communities across regional, remote, and metropolitan areas. Together, we co-design strengths-based programs that reward positive school engagement and encourage connection to Country.
From winter snow camps to summer well-being retreats like our “Sista-speak” program, our camps combine alpine sports, cultural learning, and mentoring to deliver rich and empowering experiences for young mob.
Our approach is grounded in Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing frameworks, and we pride ourselves in upholding Child Safe Standards — especially Cultural Safety for Aboriginal children and young people.
We work closely with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), schools, Traditional Owners and Elders to ensure each program is safe, respectful, and impactful.
AIASF continues to operate through the generosity of our volunteer team and the support of our fundraising partners. We are deeply grateful for the sponsors and community members who make this work possible. Learn more about our supporters on our [Sponsors page].
Our Team
Janneke Roberts
Yamatji & Awabakal
Board Member & Treasurer
Janneke is an experienced educator and former corporate accountant who has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people.
After starting her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, she transitioned into teaching through the first cohort of Teach for Australia, working in some of the country’s most disadvantaged schools. Over more than a decade, she has held leadership roles including Koori Education Coordinator, Leading Teacher, and Acting Assistant Principal, supporting young mob to reconnect with culture, community, and Country while strengthening learning outcomes.
Janneke has also worked at the Commission for Children & Young People, leading the Koori Advisory and Engagement Team; focused on reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal children in child protection and youth justice systems, and contributing to the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
She now lives on Bunurong Country and works with Traditional Owner groups across Victoria to ensure their aspirations are embedded in government-led development projects.
Nadia Douglas
Yamatji & Awabakal
Board Member & Secretary
Nadia is an experienced professional with extensive involvement in working directly with community. Nadia was raised on Bundjalung and Yuin Country and has spent a large amount of her early life connected to mob within her community.
Nadia has experience working in the snowfields in a variety of roles, as well as a personal care disability worker. These roles have enabled her to develop good communication and problem-solving skills.
Nadia has previously worked at a local Aboriginal gathering place in Bunurong Country in Victoria. Working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and in roles focussed on community engagement play well to Nadia’s strengths.
Nadia has experience delivering programs, planning projects and developing partnerships such as working with the Koorie Youth Council and other organisations in the local area. Nadia is experienced in an alpine setting and contributes heavily to AIASF camps and programs.
Nadia’s current role is in local government advancing reconciliation and self-determination for the local community.
Tahnee Thomson
Wiradjuri
Board Member
Tahnee was born on Wiradjuri Country in central NSW and has lived much of her life on Ngunnawal Country. A proud mother of three, she is a passionate advocate for disability inclusion, health equity, and culturally safe care.
Tahnee brings real-world health experience and is committed to strengthening First Nations health systems. Tahnee is currently studying a Bachelor of Health Services Management and a Bachelor of Laws, with a focus on human rights and healthcare access.
Tahnee supports AIASF through program coordination and her belief in lifelong learning and self-determination.
Lisa Emmerson
Worimi with blood lines to Yorta Yorta
Board Member
Born and raised on Thaua Country in the Yuin Nation, Lisa is a mum of three and a strong advocate for mental health, cultural healing, and community strength.
With a background in hospital-based mental health care and as a qualified Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid trainer, Lisa brings both professional expertise and heartfelt dedication to her work.
Lisa is passionate about addressing drivers of family violence and mental health, and focusses on maximising protective factors in community.
Lisa currently manages programs at a local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and actively supports AIASF’s winter and summer camps, helping to create safe, empowering spaces for mob to thrive.
Tracy Shaw
Chairperson
Tracy Shaw brings decades of experience in not-for-profit leadership and grassroots community development. Having lived and worked on Bundjalung Country for over 30 years, Tracy has built strong, lasting relationships with local First Nations communities — relationships grounded in trust, respect, and shared purpose.
Tracy currently works for the social enterprise Make a Difference (MAD) and has extensive experience in small business, having previously operated businesses near Cabbage Tree Island — a proud and self-determined Aboriginal community.
Through her work in the Community Development Program, Tracy has supported, trained, and employed numerous local Aboriginal women, demonstrating a deep commitment to community-led outcomes and capacity building.
As President of the AIASF Board, Tracy is passionate about continuing the Foundation’s mission of empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth through alpine sport, cultural connection, and mentoring. She brings strong leadership, cultural humility, and a lifetime of experience walking alongside community to every aspect of her role.
Robert Fröhlich
BA, MEd, JD, GDLP, LLM
Co-Founder, Board Member & Public Officer
Robert is admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court of NSW, and has worked extensively in film and television education and training for over forty years. He is a double graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), graduating from the three-year Diploma course in 1983 and with a Bachelor of Arts in 1995. He has also been awarded a Master of Education (Information Technology in Education and Training) from the University of Wollongong, and the degree of Juris Doctor from UNSW as well as both a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and a Master of Laws from the Australian National University.
Robert has taught audio and video production for ABC Television, the Seven Network, SBS Radio, AFTRS and TAFE NSW, and spent three years teaching at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He returned to Australia as National Curriculum Manager at AFTRS, where he oversaw curriculum delivery Australia wide as well as their Indigenous initiatives.
Robert has volunteered for the Aboriginal Legal Service at Redfern, and still teaches audio and video production to students at North Sydney Institute of TAFE.
Remaining AIASF Board and Committee Members
Kynan Douglas – Barkandji – Committee Member
Kynan Douglas, a proud Barkandji man, brings his experience of working and living in the Snowy Mountains on Monaro-Ngarigo Country. As a father of three young boys he enjoys snow-sports and downhill mountain biking. Kynan is passionate about supporting better outcomes for First Nations young people, ensuring they have equal access and opportunities. His dedication and commitment drive his efforts to create meaningful change within the community.
Acacia Rose – Board Member
Acacia Rose was born in the Snowy Mountains where her family lived along the Snowy River. Acacia is a published author and journalist with strong interests in conservation and protecting this beautiful area of Monero-Ngarigo Country. Together with her husband Peter, they run K7 Adventures, a guiding company based in the mountain, guiding people through summer and winter months.
Elizabeth Frohlich – Committee Member
Elizabeth is an experienced educator, working her life in secondary education. She has a passion for youth outcomes and ensuring equity in opportunities.
In Memory Of -
Lynda Kimber
Yamatji & Awabakal
Past Board Member and Co-Founder
Lynda Kimber was a passionate advocate, tireless volunteer, and one of the founding forces behind the Australian Indigenous Alpine Sport Foundation. Raised as a ward of the state, Lynda’s lived experience gave her a deep understanding of the challenges faced by young people growing up without stable support. It was this insight that drove her commitment to creating pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth to feel safe, empowered, and connected to culture and Country.
Despite not completing school herself, Lynda held a profound belief in the value of education. She was determined to help end cycles of trauma and disadvantage, and she saw AIASF as a vehicle for hope, healing, and opportunity.
Lynda was exceptional at forging partnerships — if someone was willing to listen, she would share the vision. Her warmth, persistence, and passion drew people in, and many of our existing sponsors are the result of Lynda’s determination and belief in the power of community.
She was committed to the success of the foundation and never missed an opportunity to build support for the young people AIASF serves. Together with co-founder Robert, Lynda poured countless hours into building the foundation — not for recognition, but because she believed in the mission with her whole heart.
Lynda’s legacy lives on in every camp we run, every partnership we hold, and every young person whose life is touched by AIASF. We honour her memory by carrying that vision forward — grounded in compassion, community, and unshakable belief in what’s possible.