Who is Firekeepers?

Firekeepers is a bunch of playful folks who care about people and the earth.

We’re a not-for-profit, incorporated organisation that wants to bring humans back to nature. Our goal is to repair the damage of separation and to build nature connected communities (that’s way more fun than it sounds, by the way).

This work is inspired by the 8 Shields mentoring model. Our programs support people to deepen their love for the natural world and to find their place in it.

Firekeepers is an inclusive, progressive organisation that will speak its mind, wear its heart on its sleeve and call out injustices. But mostly, we just play outside.

Board Members

We’re stoked to have skilled people who love nature and have put their hand up to keep the fires burning. The Firekeepers Board has implemented a holistic management strategy to guide our work.

River (Hannah) Graham

Chair Person

Hannah or River (she/they) is a public policy adviser and lawyer living, working and exploring on Wurundjeri Country by the banks of the Merri Creek.

Hannah is passionate about the power of nature and community to heal and transform our connection to land, ourselves and each other. She joined the firekeepers board in 2022 and is excited to play a part in firekeepers’ mission to bring people back to nature.

She spent her childhood roaming the rivers, forests, lakes and mountains around Naarm and beyond. She is profoundly grateful to her family for this wild education and her unquenchable love of exploring the more than human world. She is mother now to two wild, curious, luminous little humans and brings them along to village camp every chance she gets.

Nolan Bear

Vice Chairperson

Nolan Bear (he/him) grew up in Melbourne, free to roam and with annual holidays ranging over land and sea at the Cumberland River on the Otway coast. He has had a career as an engineer in financial control of major projects, followed by retirement and part time teaching at Swinburne University. A father, grandfather, and dedicated custodian of 64 hectares of covenanted bush in Victoria’s central highlands, he has been treasurer of the Firekeepers Board since February 2018. Nolan cherishes the magical and connective times he has enjoyed while participating in and mentoring at Firekeepers Village Camps over the past 4 years. His inner child loves to come out and play when adventuring in the bush with children and fellow mentors!

When not exploring, playing and tending to the land in his custodianship, Nolan spends his time contributing to the governance of Engineers Australia, studying crystals and rocks and looking at the world from above hang gliding or paragliding.

Saeed Joulaei

Treasurer

From the first time Saeed joined a Village Camp, he knew this was the community he wanted to be part of—not just for himself, but for his family.
Having grown up in a small town in northern Iran, where roaming free outdoors with friends for young children was the norm, he deeply values the sense of freedom, connection, and adventure that Firekeepers offers. He wants to help make this experience accessible and normal for more children growing up in today’s fast-paced world.
The deep connection to nature, the warmth of shared stories around the fire, and the sense of belonging drew him in. Now, as Treasurer, Saeed helps keep Firekeepers on steady ground, ensuring the organisation runs smoothly and meets its obligations. While spreadsheets and budgets might not seem as magical as storytelling or bushcraft, he believes they are just another way to tend the fire—ensuring Firekeepers thrives for years to come.

Stephanie Brophy

Secretary

Steph Brophy (she/her) is a wild and creative lover of all things earth, water, air and fire. She is an experienced nature connection mentor and guide into wild places of the imagination. Steph has trained in Steiner education as well as deep nature connection mentoring and has a passion for storytelling, handcrafting and play. She meets the world with compassion, integrity and a tender heart and loves to share the wonder and magic that brings her alive in wild spaces.

Steph is driven by a desire to grow in connection with the wild and to build relationship with human and more-than-human community. Alongside her work with Firekeepers, she is currently devoting her time to the foundation of an ecocentric community in northeast Victoria, learning skills in land regeneration and practising intergenerational community building and culture creation.

Steph is known by her friends to be part creature of the water. If you’re not sure where she is, you will probably find her immersed in the nearest swimming hole or diving through the ocean waves.

Tanja (TJ) Milbourne

Board Member

Values-driven and eager to make a difference, Tanja (TJ) (she/they) has worked in a range of creative and leadership roles. With skills in art, photography, administration, recruitment, mentoring and communication and a genuine passion for connecting with others, they eagerly look forward to cultivating relationships, collaborating, creating, and nurturing community.

You might already have spied TJ with leaves in their hair, mud on their face, camera in hand to capture all the best Village Camp moments!

Karla Riddell

Board member

Eloise Oxer

Board Member

Program People

Firekeepers gets its spark from enthusiastic volunteers and a thriving community that co-creates amazing activities. But we’ve also got experienced folks who make the good stuff happen by developing and delivering our programs.