The story of Blak Up
Blak Up is a family-owned First Nations-led business based on Wurundjeri land in Naarm (Melbourne), working to give First Nations People a strong voice and ensure that businesses and organisations develop informed cultural practices.
Janeene Payne founded Blak Up out of a drive to build self-determination and create better prospects for First Nations people, while simultaneously giving organisations an opportunity to root their frameworks in First Nations knowledge and understanding.
Blak Up has a broad network of skilled First Nations professionals, custodians, service providers and advocates to call on as needed.
The Blak Up family
Janeene Payne
Janeene Payne is a staunch Wiradjuri woman with twenty years of experience advocating for First Nations people. She has extensive experience co-ordinating a variety of stakeholders and campaigning for strategic, cross-service projects in the academic, government and NGO sectors.
In 2019 as the Welcome Project Lead at RMIT, she utilised her extensive relationship management, strategic planning and operational skills to implement an extremely successful, creative and unforgettable programme. As part of this role, she campaigned to ensure the new RMIT Innovative Design Showcase (IDS) buildings incorporated Wominjeka and a significant First Nations art work.
Mark Tirris
Mark is a proud Wiradjuri (Central NSW) and European man, and an emerging writer and artist. Growing up he learnt about culture and language from the Aboriginal community on the Far North Coast, NSW. He graduated from Bond University in Queensland with a Master's degree in Indigenous Studies and another Master's degree in Business Administration.
Mark is an experienced social worker and currently manages his own cultural consultancy business, Mark Tirris Consulting. He is passionate about culture and reconciliation. He strives to live the Wiradjuri word of Yindyamurra, which means to live with gentleness and kindness.
Caroline Kell
Caroline Kell comes from a long line of rainforest people from Herberton and Atherton in Far North Queensland. She is a proud Mbarbrum woman yet was born and raised on Kulin lands on Naarm (Melbourne).
Founder of Blak Wattle Coaching, Caroline has worked in senior Indigenous leadership and executive roles within government, non-government and Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations.
Some of her major milestones include helping to oversee first of its kind Treaty discussions in Australia; playing an integral role in the Victorian Aboriginal COVID-19 response; and overseeing the development of Balit Durn Durn, Victorian Aboriginal Communities’ response to the Mental Health Royal Commission.
Zeb Payne
Zeb Payne is a proud young Wiradjuri nonbinary person, and a member of the Young Greens and the Black Greens. They volunteered with the Celeste Liddle campaign for Cooper and have worked in a similar capacity with Senator Lidia Thorpe. Zeb volunteers with Pay the Rent, and acts as an informal Indigenous liaison officer with a team setting up the First Nations Hub - an initiative supported by the Australian Conservation Foundation. They have spoken as a member of a panel with the Green Institute, and have participated in several youth programs, most recently the campaigning fellowship run by Janet Rice’s office.
Zeb is committed to seeing this country change, is committed to participating in the Greens and helping to make it a strong, vibrant party rooted in First Nations understanding and respect for the intersectional values of all the peoples who would call this country home.