To provide health and nutrition education and to strive for excellence in health care for Indigenous Australians.

Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to improving the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians through music workshops, preventative health education, and community engagement.

The charity was established in 2007 by the late Dr. Jimmy Little AO, a renowned musician, entertainer , actor, and a proud member of the Yorta Yorta and Yuin people. After his passing in April 2012, the team at Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! have continued to promote his legacy and build upon his work to improve Indigenous health and help close the gap.

One of the key programs of Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! has been the “Healthy Living Program,” which aimed to provide young Indigenous Australians with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead healthier lives. The program focused on five key areas: nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation, alcohol and other drug education, and mental health. The program is delivered through workshops and community events, and participants are also provided with resources such as cookbooks, exercise guides, and educational materials.

 

Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! is a vital organisation that is working to address the health disparities faced by many Indigenous Australians. Through its programs and initiatives, the charity is empowering Indigenous communities to take control of their health and wellbeing, while also celebrating and preserving their individual Indigenous culture. The legacy of Jimmy Little lives on through the work of Thumbs Up!, and Jimmy’s passion for music and health of his people is inspiring a new generation of Indigenous Australians to take control of their own health achieve their full potential.

OUR VISION

to improve the quality of life for Indigenous Australians.

OUR MISSION

To provide health and nutrition education and to strive for excellence in health care for Indigenous Australians.

Board of directors

Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! Ltd is a not-for-profit charitable organisation with DGR (tax exempt) status. UJTU Ltd is governed by a Board of Directors. Funding is sourced from a combination of corporate and private donations and has received support from the Australian and Northern Territory Governments and other NFP organisations.

Adam James

Adam James Robinson

Director

Adam James Robinson is a Quandamooka man from Stradbroke Island QLD who for the past 4 years has been the Business Coordinator of the Indigenous Research and Engagement Unit at the University of Technology Queensland. Adam is also a successful award winning musician and songwriter who has also been a music facilitator in many communities for the Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! program. With his skills and interest in music and marketing Adam brings more than his youthful energy to the organization.

John Altman

Dr Brad Murphy

Director

Brad is a proud Kamilaroi man from NW NSW . Brad joined the Royal Australian Navy aged 15 and later worked around Australia as an Intensive Care Paramedic before entering medical school at James Cook University, aged 35, as one of the first two graduating Aboriginal Doctors in 2005. He has worked rurally and remote and established 2 private GP practices whilst holding various international, national and local leadership roles in health advocacy for First Nations, Rural, and Veterans’ health. Not having completed high school he now holds Professorial appointments at 3 Australian Universities where he is active in developing the vision for Australia’s future medical workforce. His many Directorship roles include the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Board. Brad has served on the Prime Ministers Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health, is on the National Advisory Board for Open Arms, and is actively engaged with DVA in a leadership role around education and support for GPs engaging with veterans and their families. Brad was a founding Director of the Jimmy Little Foundation and Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up Program.
Shellie Morris

Shellie Morris

Director

Shellie Morris has spent the past 25 years honing her skills as a storyteller and musician. She has been in the spotlight for years through the Black Arm Band, Deadly awards, ARIA nominations, Music Australia award, NAIDOC Award, G.R. Burarrawanga Memorial Award and she was the 2014 NT Australian of the Year and 2014 NAIDOC National Artist of the Year. Since discovering her Wardaman and Yanyuwa roots, she has tirelessly worked to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, especially in the Northern Territory. Shellie was a facilitator on the first Thumbs Up! program in East Arnhem land 2009 and has worked with numerous organisations using music as a healing tool and also as an educational tool, highlighting in subtle but powerful ways the importance of numeracy, literacy and education as a whole. She was a driving force of the acclaimed album Ngambala Wiji li-Wunungu and the internationally award-winning musical documentary Prison Songs.

Mark Bin-Bakar

Doctor Mark Bin Bakar HonECU

Director

I am a Kimberley person married and have two sons and 8 grandchildren with my wife.


I have been a advocate for Musicians throughout WA and established the Abmusic Music
School in Perth. I have toured extensively throughout Australia as myself in a band and also
as Mary G. I am a Kitja man who has been a major contributor to the Kimberley, Western
 Australia and Australia through the Arts and Media.


I established and created the nationally acclaimed Stompem Ground Festival and ran 3 of
them on live television across Australia in simulcast with JJJ. I have events management
skills and continue to support regional musicians. I am a ex board member of the ATSIA
 board and also past Chair. I own a digital multi track recording studio and finailsing my 4th album soon.


I continue my live 3hr radio show every Wed evening promoting WA music to a huge
massive audience and do this as a volunteer. I recently won the Dubbo Dusty Boot Award
for 2020 for Services to Country Music being the Les Nolan Lifetime Achievement Award for
my radio show as Mary G.

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