Nathan Dawson
Artist

Nathan Dawson is a Gomeroi man from the Guyinbaraay clan from the Gunnedah area of NSW. Nathan mainly uses water-colour, ink and pen. Nathan has lived and worked in Japan for a total of ten years, during which time he was chosen for the NIKA Art and Design Awards for three years in a row and his works were exhibited at the National Art Centre, Tokyo. Nathan presently lives in Lismore, NSW with his wife and 4 children.

Elsie Amamoo
Owner

Elsie Amamoo was born on Cherbourg Mission in 1981 and is a proud Cubbi Cubbi and Durumbal Aboriginal woman.

Elsie’s father passed away when she was of a young age. Elsie’s mother, Mischa Fisher, worked in Indigenous Education for many years at Cherbourg School and more recently as a qualified Aboriginal Primary Health Care Worker in Brisbane and Cherbourg.

Elsie grew up on Point Pearce Mission in SA, later moving to Adelaide to attend senior schooling at Kaurna Plains school.

During her senior school life, Elsie held board appointments with the Australia Day Council Committee, Multicultural Youth SA and represented Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission at an International forum in Milan, Italy.

Elsie completed year 12 in South Australia and was presented with the Premiers Award for the most outstanding student contribution to the Aboriginal Community.

In 2000, Elsie was chosen as a torch bearer for the Sydney Olympics and was elated to witness her relative Cathy Freeman, take out the gold in the 400m.

Elsie then took up a role as a cultural Instructor at the South Australian Museum and was later headhunted to join Newmont Mining company in their administration team.

After having 2 children,Roman and Scarlet, Elsie resumed her career working in Aboriginal education in Sydney and also with the University of NSW in their childcare centre. 

Elsie then took up a role as an Indigenous cultural instructor for the Australian National Maritime Musuem in Darling Harbou and laters as a Senior Aboriginal Health Worker for NSW Health’s Kirketon Road Centre assisting homeless people. Elsie presently works as an Aboriginal Health Promotion Coordinator for the Albion Centre that is an interdisciplinary public health care facility with a primary focus on HIV management and is a part of NSW Health South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

As co-owner of Inception Strategies, Elsie supports the organisation with her insights about community engagement & strategy and is highly skilled working with Aboriginal people in community settings.    

Elsie is passionate about raising the health status of Aboriginal people and was heavily involved in the promotion of Covid Vaccinations to the Aboriginal community across NSW.

Over the years, Elsie and Damian have published and donated more than 350,000 Aboriginal social comic books and Aboriginal children’s storybooks to the community. If you’d like to find out more about Inception Strategies’ community work please click here.

Richard Tauheluhelu
Film Production

Richard is a proud Tongan man who is passionate about film production and developing talent. Richard has a strong emotional intelligence and creative vision that he brings to the film production process at Inception Strategies.

Damian Amamoo
Owner

Damian Amamoo was born in Southport on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Damian's father Sam is a proud member of the 'Fanti people' of Ghana in West Africa and came to Australia in 1963 after receiving a scholarship to study a Science at Adelaide University; Sam later undertook studies in post graduate Economics also at Adelaide Uni. Sam worked in senior policy roles for the SA Public service in Mines and Energy and also the Department of Transport for more than 16 years before moving into his own consultancy.

Damian's mother, Diana Mary Wilson studied Modern History and Politics at Adelaide University and taught English as a Second Language to adult migrants and refugees.Diana now lives in the USA.   

Damian was school captain at Prince Alfred College and represented the state in Soccer and Athletics. Damian has a Bachelor of Economics, a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies from Adelaide University. Later, Damian was elected to the office of Councillor at the City of Prospect for 8 years where he served the community. Later Damian returned to study and completed a Masters of Communication Management (Uni SA) and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Technology Sydney.

 Damian has co-written more than sixty Aboriginal health, education and wellness resources working closely with Indigenous communities over a 15 year period for a variety of Commonwealth, State and Private Sector agencies in areas spanning Aboriginal Child and Maternal Health, Indigenous Mental Health, Harm Minimisation, Hep C, Sexual Health, Psychostimulants, Volatile Substance Use, Smoking Cessation, Aboriginal History, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Asbestos Removal, Paying Rent, Home Maintenance, Intergenerational Trauma, Child Vaccination, Employment and Careers, School Attendance, Prison Health, Dugong Conservation, Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, Alcohol, Mens Health, Depression, Palliative Care, Otitis Media, Post Natal Depression, Justice, Diabetes and Family Wellbeing.

Damian has also produced film content in large projects to reduce smoking for Remote Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory in partnership with Katherine West Health Board and also to increase Covid Vaccination Rates for Aboriginal people in NSW in conjunction with the NSW Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council.

Damian has assisted the NSW Department of Transport to develop Aboriginal Participation Strategies to increase community employment in multi-billion dollar road construction projects, Aboriginal Arts in infrastructure projects and also to facilitate the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage objects.

In addition to operating Inception Strategies, Damian has another business in the area of Digital Assets and Human Rights with the objective of making real contributions to peace, healing and economic recovery for international communities suffering from war-associated trauma.