Adam Cockie

Adam currently works as the Aboriginal Cricket Specialist at WA Cricket where his passion is around the Aboriginal space, working through metro, regional and remote communities of Western Australia. The main programs he delivers are the Deadly Cricket programs, designed mainly for after school and youth groups, Leadership programs focused on working with high school students to build leadership, confidence, and resilience, and the High-Performance Aboriginal State Program. Before his time at WA Cricket, Adam was at the WA Football Commission working as a Diversity Community Officer in the north metro with multicultural and Aboriginal communities engaging and building football.

Adam is a Whadjuk/Wiilman Noongar Man and grew up in the northern suburbs. He has played numerous sports, with most time spent in football, and was lucky enough to have played at the highest level in AFL for the West Coast Eagles in 2009-10, following which he continued playing state league football in the VFL & WAFL. Adam reached over 200 senior games retiring in 2018 from state league football, with his involvement continuing in the country and metro leagues.

Andrew Dawe

Andrew has been in and around sport all his life and can be grateful for the opportunities it has provided him. He sees sport as a lens into society and admits he doesn’t always like what he sees. Andrew firmly believes sport has the power to create positive change in society which is his motivation to be on this Advisory Group. He brings an alternative view, having not always worked in sport and can bring learnings from other industries to help shape better outcomes.

Beth Harvey

Beth Harvey is currently Netball WA’s General Manager Community with a netball history across playing, coaching and administration. She is an elite level coach continuing her involvement across all levels. Beth brings a strong background in governance, strategy and risk from her 16 years working in the community services sector.

David Williams

David Williams was born and raised in Meanjin (Brisbane) with heritage from the region of the Gooreng Gooreng people in Mid-coast Queensland.

The former Socceroo currently works at Football West as the Program Development Lead. Prior to joining the Football West team, David enjoyed a successful professional career playing Football across Australia, Europe and India, representing Australia with the Socceroos, and making over 200 appearances in the A-League including spending three years with Perth Glory.

David also works for Football West's charity partner, Football Futures Foundation, and it was through the Foundation that he was appointed head coach of the WA Paras State Team who won their first national title in 2025. In 2025, David was also appointed as the Head Coach of the Charles Perkins XI – Football Australia’s First Nations youth football program.

David continues to be a strong advocate for First Nations representation in football and a mentor to young players coming through the ranks. 

Jade Narkle

Jade is a proud Noongar woman from Perth and has strong family connections to the Wongi people – from the Goldfields and the Yamatji people – from the Pilbara.

Jade currently works at the West Australian Football Commission as the Aboriginal & Diversity Programs Specialist and has been in the role for the last 3 years. She has also been very fortunate to be able to support and guide Tennis West and Hockey Australia in their Indigenous reconciliation journey.

Jade believes sport is a vehicle for change and if she can help with that change so that her people can participate in any sport of their choosing and feel culturally safe then she definitely wants to be on this journey.

Kara Antonio

Kara Antonio, a former AFLW captain and player of the Fremantle Dockers has dedicated her career to fostering her passion for inclusion and equality to break down gender barriers and create opportunities for underrepresented communities, in both Perth and Regional WA. With extensive experience in leadership, education, and coaching, Kara has built a distinguished career in sports, education, and community engagement. She currently serves as the Head of Senior School at SEDA College WA, leading the Inclusion and Diversity portfolio, and chairing the College’s Reconciliation Action Plan, while also contributing to the Fremantle Dockers’ AFLW Program as a backline assistant coach. Her achievements, including life membership at Fremantle Football Club and recognition as an Emerging Leader, reflect her dedication to driving diversity, equity, and cultural understanding through sport.

Karen Wickham

Karen Wickham joined Volleyball WA in 2015 and is the current Participation Manager at Volleyball WA with oversight of participation, inclusion, club development, education and regional development. She is passionate about creating opportunities for everyone to participate in volleyball regardless of age, gender, ability and background. She is currently on the Volleyball Australia RAP Working Group and is the Chair of the Volleyball WA Reconciliation Working Group. Karen is originally from Trinidad and Tobago but has called Australia her home over the last 9 years. She holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Sport Management and is committed to continuous learning and making a positive impact in the sport industry in Western Australia.

Mariah Williams

My name is Mariah Williams, and I’m a proud Wiradjuri woman and a three-time Olympian who has had the honour of representing Australia in women’s hockey at the at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

I was worn in Parkes, New South Wales, and I picked up a hockey stick when I was 4 years old. My love for hockey started in Parkes. But once I hit year 9 of my schooling, my family decided to move to Newcastle to further peruse my hockey career at Hunter Sports High School which had a specialised hockey program. My hockey career started to take off when I debuted for the Hockeyroos at 17 years old and am still representing Australia now at 30 years of age. Growing up, I always admired strong Indigenous sporting role models, the likes of Cathy Freeman, Greg Inglis, Jonathan Thurston, Adam Goodes, Patty Mills, Nova Eris etc. Those athletes inspired me to want to do better and be proud of our who I am, my culture is my identity.

My journey hasn’t been easy, I’ve had multiple setbacks with injuries, 7 knee surgeries and 1 pubic bone surgery that kept me on the sidelines for a good amount of time. Though silver lining through that time, I developed who I am off the field and found my love and passion in First Nations culture, the core of who I am. I worked for Waaltj Foundation for the past 4 years as mentor with the Deadly Sista Girlz program which works with young Indigenous women in years 7-12. My role as a mentor in the Deadly Sista Girlz program was incredibly rewarding. I was able to spend meaningful time with students who needed support and someone they could confide in. Building those relationships meant a lot to me. I watched their confidence grow as they began to trust me. Together, we created a strong connection where I could support them not only in their schooling journey, but also as they explored who they are outside of school and who they hope to become in the future.

I’ve recently started at the Western Australian Institute of Sport as the Our Connection to Country Officer. This is a brand-new role for the organisation, and one I’m genuinely excited about. My hope is to meaningfully embed First Nations culture throughout WAIS, making it a central part of people’s decisions, thinking, and everyday practice.

Mel Farley

Mel is currently the Executive Officer at Triathlon WA. Prior to this appointment, Mel held roles in the state government and not for profit sectors, along with various membership-based organisations. She holds a particular interest in physical literacy, having launched a multisport skills development program for primary school aged children in Colorado in 2014, that is reflected in her passion for developing equitable practices in all sports for all Western Australians.

Phil Narkle

Phil is a proud Noongar man and Elder from Perth. Phil has strong family connections to the Wongi people – from the Goldfields and the Yamatji people – from the Pilbara.

Phil currently works at the West Australian Football Commission as the Aboriginal Program Manager and has been in the role for the last 3 years. Phil has also been very fortunate to be able to support and guide Tennis West and Hockey Australia in their Indigenous reconciliation journey.

In Phil’s words, “In my Dreaming I see my Aboriginal People (who have been on this earth for 1000’s and 1000’s of years) who have had to build and develop a strong resilience to handle or tolerate adversity, hardship, harsh conditions and suffering that was put in their pathway of life. I believe I am carrying on that legacy, to help close the gap for Indigenous and non- Indigenous people. My Dreaming pathway is giving me direction and leadership.”

Zara Cavalot

Zara Cavalot is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional with sport touchpoints in Tennis, Aussie Rules, and Boxing. Zara is the chair of the Tennis West RAP Project Team and led the development of Tennis West’s inaugural RAP (Reflect) which launched in October 2024, and sits on the Tennis West First Nations Working Group. Zara heads the special rounds activities at University Football Club (Perth Football League): NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week programming within the club. Zara’s work involves workplace training, strategic planning, stakeholder management and community engagement. Zara is particularly interested in exploring the intersections of WA’s diverse demographics to enhance everyone’s sense of belonging and to drive meaningful change in workplaces and communities.