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impact
Our Roots
The Returning Indigenous Corporation is an Indigenous women-led not-for-profit organisation governed by a majority Indigenous, all women Board of Directors. Our mission is to bring all people back into right relationship with self, community and Country, creating healing for ourselves and for the planet.
Based on Bundjalung Country (Northern NSW), our primary purpose is to provide opportunities and support for Indigenous women, Elders and their families to connect with Country, be recognised and remunerated for their cultural knowledge, and improve their health and wellbeing. Our secondary purpose is to build deep connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, inviting all people to learn from our ancient wisdoms and cultures.
Created in 2018, by our Founder, Bundjalung woman Ella Bancroft, The Returning started as a women’s gathering to bridge the accessibility gap in the retreats and wellness space. The Gathering offered scholarships for single mothers and Indigenous women, with ticket prices helping to cover these costs. This event evolved into our annual women’s event of the same name.
In the aftermath of the 2022 Northern Rivers flood disaster, Ella and The Returning team helped lead the recovery effort in Lismore, connecting with hundreds of Indigenous and non-Indigenous families in need of support. From this experience, The Returning expanded its programs to include not only events and cultural gatherings, but to also provide family support services and health retreats.
We now offer seven programs across the region focusing on nature therapy principals, health retreats and family support services. Our programs and events provide health and wellbeing support, cultural education, connection to Country and community, and employment opportunities for Indigenous youth, women, artists and Elders.
Our mob only programs offer safe spaces of healing and cultural connection, while our open programs create deep learning, connection and healing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where all Indigenous people have access to culture, community and Country.
We envision a world where we invite people back to being carers and protectors of country and not consumers.
A world where all families are supported to live healthy and thriving lives, and Indigenous knowledge keepers are honoured, respected and remunerated for their wisdom, teachings, skills and culture.
A world where all people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are connected to Country, to their ancestral culture, to community and to themselves. Where all people understand and develop their own deep connection to the land, accepting and enacting their roles as carers and protectors of the planet.
A world where we can all promote community and planetary wellbeing through cultural practices and nature therapy.
Our Board
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BRONWYN BANCROFT
Bronwyn Bancroft is a Djanbun clan member of the Bundjalung Nation.
Bronwyn is a passionate Indigenous women, whose culture has fuelled her creation as one of Australia’s leading Indigenous artists. She is one of ten founding members of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative (est. 1987), which is still going strong today.
Bronwyn’s contribution to Aboriginal children’s literature has been immense and has included the publication of 43 books. She has been a a trailblazer in the field of Australian literature and has contributed significantly to representation for Aboriginal storytellers.
Bronwyn is extremely passionate about artists’ rights and education, particularly around copyright and intellectual property, and uses her wealth of knowledge to mentor emerging artists within the industry.
Director ID: 036821066744745
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ELLA NOAH BANCROFT
Ella Noah Bancroft a proud Bundjalung women, with bloodlines to England, Poland and Scotland. She is the founder and CEO of The Returning, guiding the vision and movement towards community-centred, decolonised spaces of health and wellbeing.
Ella is an Indigenous change-maker, artist, storyteller and mentor. She is an active advocate for the decolonisation movement and has worked with Indigenous youth for 14 years.
Director ID: 036354342119310
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CHARLINE EMZIN-BOYD
Kirilly Dawn is a proud Barkindji woman born on Dharug country and living on Bundjalung land.
Passionate about women reclaiming and remembering the sovereignty of their bodies and births, Kirilly is a birth and postpartum doula, incorporating somatic therapies and movement into her work with women and families. She has a background in dance and movement studies, and holds a degree in International Communications from Macquarie University.
Believing in the ancient power of storytelling, Kirilly is a regular presenter and producer on the Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond podcast, with a vision to share Indigenous women’s voices, stories and experiences of childbirth and maternity care in Australia.
Kirilly has previously worked with Tourism Australia and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
Director ID: 036775865086936
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NIDALA BARKER
Born of the Aboriginal Djugun [ju-g-oon] people of the Kimberley, Nidala’s work dedicates itself to creating reconciliation; of ourselves with our emotions, of our daily lives with our natural environments, and of Indigenous wisdom with innovative ideas. Whether it be through her music or her workshops, she reminds us of our belonging in this world, and helps us to step bravely into our shared responsibility to protect it.
Formally, she holds a Masters of Sustainability from the University of Sydney carried by her time in the jungles of northern Colombia and urban farms in Sydney, as well as a double degree in Public Policy and Social Justice Law from Macquarie University. She has worked for major organisations like the Big Issue and Greenpeace, as well as in farming cooperatives and nature mentoring programs.
Musically, she self-produced and self-released her first single 'Howl at the Moon' in late 2019, and in 2021 produced a fundraising carbon neutral EP named ‘Colours of my People’ featured in publications such as Rolling Stones and the ABC.
Director ID: 036856540928797
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SOPHIE WILLING
Sophie Willing is a proud mother of Bundjalung and Gumbayngirr children, partner to artist Otis Hope Carey and lives on Bundjalung land.
She is the Treasurer of our Board, with over 6 years accounting experience and has held numerous roles in business management as a CEO.
She is passionate about working with First Nations organisations to assist in bettering health and wellness outcomes for community. She works tirelessly to secure ongoing funding and opportunity for The Returning Indigenous Corporation.
Director ID: 036200422574554
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NATALIE WOODS
Steffi Davis is a proud Birrbay Dhanggati woman born on Worimi country and now living on Bundjalung land.
She is a mother who has studied and worked within the birth, health and wellness industries for 10 years. She is passionate about decolonising wellness spaces and creating accessible, community-centred care as a form of reclamation..
Director ID: 036257466932024
Our Team
We are proud to have an all-women, majority Indigenous team who are mostly mothers and highly experienced in their fields.
We have been steadily growing our team. In 2022, thanks to a year operational funding from Healthy North Coast, we employed two part-time staff to coordinate our programs.
In 2023, we were able to employ another part-time Program Director, along with paid subcontractor roles for a Treasurer and Grants & Fundraising Coordinator.
In 2024, we employed two additional part-time Program Coordinators to assist with the delivery of the Postpartum Care Program and Arts Residency.
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ELLA NOAH BANCROFT
Founder & Director
Bundjalung -
STEFFI DAVIS
Program Director (Health)
Birrbay Dhanggati -
KIRILLY DAWN
Program Director
(Postpartum Care)
Barkindji -
BRONWYN BANCFROFT
Elder & Mentor
Bundjalung -
SOPHIE WILLING
Treasurer
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NATALIE WOODS
Grants & Fundraising
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SOPHIE TAYLOR
Program Coordinator
(Postpartum Care)
Gamilaraay -
KYLIE CALDWELL
Program Coordinator
(Arts & Culture)
Bundjalung
A Message from our Founder
Jinji la,
In our current time of planetary crisis we see how dangerous separation and disconnection can be, from both each other and from the land. The impacts of colonisation affect not only Indigenous communities but also the wider non-Indigenous community. When we bring people back into right relationship with country and with our human and non-human kin we can heal great pain and remember our truth and custodial purpose on this planet.
I am a proud Bundjalung woman, who works, lives and plays on Country. My teachings come from my ancestral line and also the land, and I cannot stress enough how important it is that we all develop a strong relationship with the land and her waters. Water carries memory and in this memory can be the answers to our history and to our future. If you understand that we live within a closed system, then you will understand that the same water that your ancestors drank, swam and played in, is the same waters that we drink, swim and play within today.
We must retrace our ancestral steps by building deep relations with the natural world around us and reclaiming our ancestral truth that we are nature and we are not separate from her.
I founded The Returning because I could see how much suffering our peoples, our communities and Country were in. And beneath this suffering, I could see strength, love, connection and deep wisdom — this is what our work supports, the reclaiming and renewal of Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural practices and community ways that have supported our peoples and this continent for over 65,000 years.
I invite you to learn more about our impact and our new pathway to financial sustainability and independence.
Bugelbeh,
Ella Noah Bancroft,
Bundjalung woman,
Founder & director of The Returning