“All I ask is for people to have the conversation.” Arrernte Elder Evelyn Schaber believes real reconciliation starts with listening, understanding and walking together – values at the heart of her new leadership role at Children’s Ground.
What is one thing you might wish for your child as they are growing up? A sense of belonging? Pride in their identity? A sense of comfort and security? Surely children deserve all this, and more.
Shamefully, there are too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who never get to experience any of these basic human rights, and it’s something Children’s Ground’s new co-chair Evelyn Schaber is determined to change.
“It’s really quite difficult because of the world in which we live, Aboriginal people aren’t accepted, our little kids especially face racism on a daily basis, their socio-economic status makes them inferior to other kids,” she says.
“The reason why Children’s Ground is important is that it gives them identity, they know they belong to the community, they feel strong in who they are and they feel a sense of agency: ‘I can do this’.”
Evelyn Schaber joined Children’s Ground founder, William Tilmouth, as co-chair role in December.
An Arrernte woman from Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Evelyn is a senior Aboriginal leader with a life-long career working in education, governance and community development within Aboriginal organisations. She joined the board of Children’s Ground in 2024 and was elected co-chair in December alongside respected Elder and fellow Arrernte leader, William Tilmouth.
“Because I’m from here in Alice Springs and I’m an Elder, as such, they asked me if I’d be willing to do that and I said I’d be privileged to take on that role,” Evelyn says modestly.
Evelyn grew up and spent her early career in Alice Springs, ultimately helping establish various pivotal Aboriginal organisations.
“I was involved with the land rights movement, setting up Aboriginal Legal Aid, the Aboriginal Medical Service, I worked for both the Northern and Central Land Councils in their formative years. It was a really impressive time for the rights of Aboriginal people.”
After graduating with a Bachelor in Primary Education from the University of South Australia, she returned to Alice Springs where she joined the Institute for Aboriginal Development, a non-profit that provides cross-cultural adult education and training for people across Central Australia; and the Bachelor Institute, Australia’s only dedicated First Nations dual-sector tertiary education provider that combines vocational education and higher education. She also contributed to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody through the Underlying Issues Unit.
After 30 years and on the eve of retirement, she welcomed the chance to join the board of Children’s Ground, an organisation she knew well not only because Children’s Ground’s visionary founder, the late Dr MK Turner OAM, was a relative; but also from her work with the Bachelor Institute where she’d supported the training of Children’s Ground staff in early childhood education and care.
Designed and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Children’s Ground is a radical 25-year program that takes a whole-of-community approach to education, striving for long-term intergenerational change with a focus on children’s identity, culture, health, education and well-being.
Evelyn’s appointment as co-chair reflects Children’s Ground’s commitment to shared leadership grounded in Aboriginal governance, recognising the dual and equal roles of men and women in decision-making and responsibility.
Stolen Generations survivor William Tilmouth has spent his life advocating for justice and self-determination for First Nations peoples.
“It’s about the community being a part of the board as well, having them feel represented, both women and men, and having an open-door policy so they can speak to both me and William.”
The founding chair of Children’s Ground since 2011, William was recently awarded the 2025 Australian Human Rights Medal ‘for dedicating his life to reform, justice, opportunity and self-determination for First Peoples.’ The 2023 NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year, William is a member of the Stolen Generation and has devoted his life to providing opportunities and self-determination for First Peoples; while constantly striving for reconciliation.
“I’ve known Willy a long time, I know his family very well as well; we’ve both got the same views on where we want to go and our fights for the struggle,” Evelyn says.
Evelyn’s appointment comes at a time when Children’s Ground is going through a period of consolidation, considering succession planning and the organisation’s next phase.
While they welcomed the federal Government’s May budget commitment to continue funding for another 12 months, they were disappointed not to receive longer-term funding given the recommendations of a recent independent Government-directed evaluation.
“[Despite the] evaluation recommending full funding of the Children’s Ground Approach based on demonstrated evidence and impact, funding beyond 30 June remains restricted,” a spokesperson says. “As a result, some key activities are ending … and there is significant uncertainty beyond 2027.”
A funding partner of Children’s Ground since 2022, Alberts through its philanthropic arm, The Tony Foundation, was in March a signatory to a letter sent to the Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Australians endorsing the evaluation’s recommendation the Government provide multi-departmental, long-term funding for Children’s Ground.
“The report affirms [that] Children’s Ground is delivering leading practice in addressing complex disadvantage through holistic, place-based and First Nations-led design,” it read.
Bush medicine making with little ones from Uyenpere Atwatye (Hidden Valley Town Camp).
Evelyn says untied funding from foundations including The Tony Foundation is crucial to the smooth running of their programs and staff remuneration.
“Untied funding means we’ve been able to expand the men’s program, being able to catch them before they fall through the holes; and also ensures programs are properly resourced.”
As National Reconciliation Week begins, Evelyn says she would love to see non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia walk together, and demonstrate mutual respect.
“[Reconciliation] goes three steps forward and four steps back, doesn’t it?” she says. “All I ask is for people to have the conversation, that’s really important, find out a bit more; have genuine respect for people and respect our difference.”
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2026 is ‘All In’ – a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every single day.
Children’s Ground will again be celebrating the week with its Wear It Yellow fundraising campaign that encourages people to raise much-needed funds for the organisation, while wearing a touch of yellow to show their support for a brighter future for First Nations children and families. The Alberts team is proud to once again support the campaign in 2026.
Our team is sport sunshine yellow in support of brighter futures.
“We should be looking at this as a positive shared moment,” Evelyn says. “A little bit of truth telling is OK, on both sides of the fence. Having that shared history and understanding the shared history or being exposed to it gives you a better understanding of us a country.”
