BlackCard Workshop Elder
Charlie Watson is a Kangalu and Birri Gubba (Wiri) man who grew up in his Mother's Kangalu Country in Central Queensland. He is the youngest brother of Lilla Watson and he is an important member of the BlackCard team. Charlie's guiding Principles have always been based in Aboriginal Terms of Reference and this has been reflected throughout his life and in particular the positions of employment he has held, he was highly respected for the important cultural knowledge and contribution he brought to those positions. During the VietNam War Charlie was an enlisted man for six years in the Royal Australian Air Force and served overseas in Malaysia and Singapore. On leaving the Air Force Charlie travelled overseas working in labouring jobs in New Zealand and spent time in Fiji. Returning to Australia he worked for the Brisbane City Council for a number of years. He has a wealth of experience from his personal and working life, and has always been a very active member of the local Brisbane Aboriginal Community, in particular on Brisbane's Northside, he has served on the Boards of various Aboriginal Community Organisations there, and is a founding member for some of them. As Chairman of the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association (BIMA) and the ruling body for Aboriginal Radio FM 98.9, he oversaw the creation of a 'state of the art' building for the Radio Station and most importantly the ownership of that building for the local Aboriginal community. A major contribution Charlie has made to the Aboriginal Community was through the developmental positions he held with Queensland Local Government Association and with the South Bank Corporation. He was a mediator with the Department of Justice in the Dispute Resolution Centre and became a well known and highly respected, much sorted after Mediator not just on a State level but at an Interstate level as well. Recognition of Charlie's cultural knowledge and contribution was much sort after and is reflected in the different committees he was appointed to and served on, in Local Aboriginal Organisations and Government(s) as well as the numerous Cultural addresses/lectures he delivered to schools, colleges, Organisations and Corporations. He developed and worked in his own Consulting Agency (Murri Alternatives) before retiring. BlackCard enticed Charlie out of retirement to become a highly valued and respected team member to deliver training in our BlackCard Workshops.