ANTAC - Key Persons
Debbie Watson is a Pitjantjatjara healer from Pipalyatjara in the APY lands. Debbie comes from a long family lineage of healers. She was still a little girl when her father taught her the ngangkaṟi healing power. Since then, Debbie grew up learning with her father different ngangkaṟi skills. Debbie is a very respected healer in her community, in Adelaide where she currently lives and across different communities in Australia.
Debbie is Director and co-founder of ANTAC and continues to travel across Australia and overseas to heal people.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
Dr Francesca Panzironi is the founder of the organization and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Since 2008, Francesca has led a process of consultation with the ngangkaṟi in the APY lands which has resulted in the formation of the Aṉangu Ngangkaṟi Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation.
Dr Panzironi traveled across South Australia for over four years (2008-2012) collecting evidence of the current status of Aboriginal Traditional Medicine in community and clinical settings. The findings of her research are published in Hand-in-Hand. Report on Aboriginal Traditional Medicine. Under the direction of the Ngangkaṟi Board, Francesca introduced a pioneering Ngangkaṟi service delivery model to support the maintenance and practice of the 60,000 year old Aboriginal traditional healing knowledge system. Francesca and the ngangkaṟi created a range of Ngangkaṟi Services to reach out Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, organizations, and individuals across Australia and overseas.
Dr. Panzironi is an international human rights academic who applied her knowledge and experience to create a platform for the recognition of the internationally recognised right of Indigenous Peoples to maintain and practice their traditional medicines within Australia' s national health care system.
Dr Panzironi's work with the ngangkaṟi has been featured on SBS News, National Indigenous Television (NITV), The Point - NITV, ABC Radio, SBS Radio, Channel 7.
Elisabetta Panzironi is the Operations Manager at ANTAC. Elisabetta joined ANTAC in 2016 to support the development and delivery of ANTAC's Ngangkaṟi Services. She works on the ground with the ngangkaṟi to broaden the accessibility of Aboriginal traditional healing in metro, rural and remote communities. ELisabetta has delivered ANTAC' s Ngangkaṟi Services across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales. She is currently developing relationships with communities and services in Queensland and ACT.
Elisabetta has recently developed a new Ngangkaṟi Service which combines her background in counselling, psychology and coaching psychology with Aboriginal traditional healing. The Aboriginal Traditional Healing, Counselling & Coaching program is now offered as part of ANTAC's Ngangkaṟi Servi ces.
Margaret Richard is a Pitjantjatjara healer from Pipalyatjara in the APY lands. Margaret was born in Pipalyatjara (APY) and then moved to Adelaide where she currently lives with her family. Margaret has been healing lots of kids and women from her community. She has travelled long distance to heal people in other Aboriginal communities across Australia and non-Aboriginal people from overseas.
Margaret Winton is a Pitjantjatjara ngangkaṟi from Pukatja-Ernabella in the APY Lands. She learned the healing knowledge and skills from her father. As she was growing up Margaret has become an experienced healer providing the healing touch to people in the Anangu communities across the APY lands. Margaret lives in Ernabella with her family. She travels to Adelaide to provide healing treatments in hospitals and clinics. Recently she has been traveling across different communities in New South Wales and Western Australia where she provided invaluable help to many people.
Margaret is Director and co-founder of ANTAC.
Max Watson is director and co-founder of ANTAC. He was born in Pipalyatjara in the APY lands and he has been a ngangkaṟi since he was a little boy. He received his healing powers from his father Sam Watson.
Max comes from a family of healers. The traditional healing knowledge and practices have been handed down from generation to generation. Max is a strong and dedicated ngangkaṟi who continuously heal his family, community and people from different countries. He lives with his family in Pipalyatjara (APY).