With Uncle Billy Gorham

About Uncle Billy

Uncle William ‘Billy’ Gorham is a proud Koa and Cobble Cobble man who came to Brisbane from Cherbourg as a young man and has, across the decades since, become a familiar and respected presence in the city’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. He has served on numerous organisations and committees and has consistently spoken up on social justice, health, and socio-economic issues affecting First Nations people.

About the Koa and Cobble Cobble peoples

Aboriginal identity in Australia is rooted in Country — specific traditional lands, not a single nationality. Uncle Billy belongs to two distinct communities:

The Koa (also spelt Guwa) people are Traditional Owners of country in western Queensland, around the Diamantina River — including Winton, Kynuna, and Middleton. The Federal Court formally recognised Koa native title in 2021 over an area of about 31,400 square kilometres.

The Cobble Cobble people are an Aboriginal group associated with the Darling Downs region of southern Queensland, with community ties extending around what is now the Logan and Beenleigh areas.

When Uncle Billy describes himself as “a proud Koa and Cobble Cobble man,” he is naming his belonging to both these places and peoples — a connection that runs through family, story, and Country.

His best-known and longest-running contribution has been to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS Brisbane), the community-controlled health service that has worked with First Nations families across South East Queensland since 1973. Uncle Billy joined the ATSICHS Council of Management in November 1996, and went on to give the organisation more than two decades of service.

In May 2007 he was nominated Board Chair, a position he held until October 2018 — eleven years that spanned some of ATSICHS’ most consequential transitions. Under his leadership, the organisation moved from its long-time Hubert Street home to Ferry Road during the Clem Jones Tunnel construction, and later to its current Woolloongabba site on Annerley Road. Throughout, Uncle Billy championed cultural connection in service delivery and pushed for a culturally appropriate future for the organisation, helping shape its growth from a small clinic into one of the largest community-controlled health services in Queensland.

His leadership has reached beyond ATSICHS Brisbane. He has held a directorship at the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), the peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled health in Queensland, and his work has also extended into community engagement through the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH). Across these roles he has carried the same focus on cultural integrity, accountability to community, and the lived realities of First Nations people seeking care and recognition.

Uncle Billy brings deep cultural knowledge, leadership, and generosity to the May 17, 2026 Yarning Circle at St John’s Cathedral Brisbane, hosted by Uncle Bill Lemson. These events help deepen understanding of First Nations perspectives within the Cathedral community and beyond.

Sources: ATSICHS Brisbane — Introducing Our Newest Life Members (atsichsbrisbane.org.au); Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council annual reports; Institute for Urban Indigenous Health public listings. Compiled with care from publicly available material.

Your RSVP for this Yarning Circle

A quick RSVP helps us prepare seating and tea for the right number of people.
We’ll send you a confirmation email once you’ve replied.

Name *

Email *

Phone *

We use this only if a speaker has to cancel at the last minute. Email is too slow for same-day changes.

Will you be coming on Sunday 17 May? *

Yes, I’ll be there Sorry, can’t make this one

Enter any Queries or Comments You may have (optional)

Website (leave blank)

Send my RSVP

We use your name, email and phone only to contact you about this Yarning Circle — including in the rare case a speaker has to cancel and we need to let you know. Your details are not shared with anyone. You can Unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

Thanks very much for your RSVP.

A confirmation email is on its way to you.

— Uncle Bill Lemson