Yamatji/Noongar woman Sharon Brindley shares the story of how her mob and her connection to Country is at the core of everything that she does in a segment with SBS Small Business Secrets . Sharon founded Cooee Café & Catering, then pivoted her business during COVID to launch Jala Jala chocolates with an Indigenous twist.
The segment is part of a partnership series with SBS where IBA showcases stories with strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. Sharon's segment was the first in the 2022 series which featured on Sunday 3 April.
"Food is the way to everybody’s heart isn't it," says Sharon. “Cooee means come home, come back, it’s time for lunch or dinner. As a child out in the bush, we'd be off on our own. And we could hear the call from far away, so it really was something close to my heart."
The café was hard hit by COVID but created new opportunities through their online business and expansion into chocolates with an Indigenous flavours like finger lime and lemon myrtle. Sharon also invests in the importance of the wider Indigenous community by selling their wares in her shop.
IBA supported Sharon with business capability and planning resources. She also received a start-up loan/grant combination to help her new ventures with Jala Jala. Find out more about IBA's Start-up Finance Package.
Sharon has sold more than 2.5 tonnes of chocolate so far and is exporting to the Asian region with big plans to grow further. Check out the delicious chocolates from Jala Jala and Indigenous owned and created products on the Cooee Café & Catering website.
Read the article or watch the video below: "Sharon's bush food business shares a taste of native ingredients with the world".
PLEASE NOTE: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the below video contains images of the deceased. The pictures have been used with permission of the family.
So we put together this explainer video for you with the help of fantastic Indigenous owned agency We Are 27 Creative.
First Nations Foundation (FNF) launched a new podcast series, Beyond the Gap, to explore best practice reconciliation and Indigenous engagement for corporate Australia and beyond. The conversations investigate the influences and constructs that should be considered for Reconciliation Action Plans, and what is the best path forward to engage and empower our country’s First Nations people.
The host, Phil Usher, is a proud Wiradjuri man who grew up in the rich culture of the Gamilaroi people. He chats with a variety of guests to dig deep into our country’s history to better our future.
“There was so much out there about the need for corporate Australia to engage First Nations people, without really getting to the meat of how, and what does this even look like, and how organisations can do it meaningfully,” said Phil.
Research done by FNF along with NAB and the Centre of Social Impact in 2019 exposed the harsh truth about the personal wealth and finances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (see Money Stories). Phil comments about the research and why he created the podcast:
“Most of our life skills are a product of what our parents can work with us on or at least someone from our family. When we don’t have that type of role model, those skills are lacking…It is time for initiatives involving reconciliation and closing any gaps to factor in the unique position of Indigenous Australians; to truly understand who we are, and to build the bridges that we all need to bring our cultures closer together.”
The Beyond the Gap series has 7 episodes already with guests including David Aitkin, Ian Hamm, Karen Mundine, and Minister Ken Wyatt.
IBA are proud to partner with FNF on their mission to better the financial wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. We support their initiatives including My Money Dream program, Tomorrow Money website and Big Super Day Out events (this last one kicking off in 2022 again once we can get back on the road).
Listen now to Beyond the Gap podcast.
Love a good podcast? Listen to Black Magic Woman podcast as Mundanara Bayles talks to IBA's business and homes customers about their journeys.
IBA have partnered with the Black Magic Woman Podcast to bring you a series of episodes that will be based on a variety of topics including housing, business, youth, women, investing, financial literacy, economic development and COVID-19 recovery.
On episode 67 of the podcast, Mundanara yarns with her fourth guest of the IBA partnership series - proud Yugara woman Lynda Maybanks, from Ipswich. Lynda is passionate about improving social outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through reviving Yugara culture and restoring Yugara country with her business, Wirrinyah Conservation Services.
“Wirrinyah” means coming back in Yugara language. It represents the ongoing revival of Yugara ways of caring for country. Wirrinyah focuses on working with businesses, Government and landowners in Southeast Queensland to restore our natural areas, conserve our native species and protect Aboriginal cultural heritage sites for the enjoyment of all Australians.
We find out how Wirrinyah Conservation Services came about, what role IBA played in that and how IBA supported Lynda on her business journey. A really good listen that ties in perfectly with the 2021 NAIDOC theme ‘Heal Country’.
"It wasn’t until I went on the IBA Futures Forum [that] I realised what the possibilities could be. I never really thought about business ownership as an option in my career. I always thought ‘oh yeah, you know I’ll probably work my way up in the public service and try to become a decision-maker that way’ but I think after a couple of years in the public service and seeing through IBA the options in business ownership – I thought ‘oh, you can probably reach your goals through business ownership a lot faster and under your own terms.’"
"Heal Country to me means, reconnecting with Mother Earth, reconnecting with culture, reconnecting with your ancestors. I’m a big believer that if Country is well then your people are well. It is important for you to just go out and be on Country and be where you feel like you can belong and where you can feel like you can contribute to a healthier world and a healthier future for our next generation." - Lynda Maybanks, Wirrinyah Conservation Services
A very inspirational yarn you don't want to miss!
Listen to the episode here.
A singing collaboration in the Northern Territory has shown how music can unify communities.
The Barkly Voices Project, sponsored by Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)’s subsidiary IBA Retail Asset Management (IRAM), saw 160 schoolchildren, Traditional Owners and community members from the Barkly Region contribute their voices.
The resulting four and a half-minute video clip of ‘Keep My Culture Strong’ was released today.
The Barkly Voices Project arranged and remixed a song composed and recorded by Barkly musician Brian Morton and Australian musician and songwriter Neil Murray.
“We wanted to show the Barkly Region in a positive light,” says Julianne Croft, a musician and artistic director who coordinated the project via her role at Barkly Regional Arts.
The idea for the online singing collaboration came from IRAM CEO John Kop during COVID-19 lockdowns after seeing the diverse virtual choirs popping up around the world. He arranged sponsorship from IRAM, a subsidiary of IBA, which manages the Tennant Creek supermarket.
Barkly Voices participants were invited to use their smart phones to simultaneously listen to Brian Morton’s backing track and record audio-visual files, which were posted on an interactive website for editing. This was balanced by participants recorded either on site or at the Winanjjikari Music Centre studio at Barkly Regional Arts.
Four schools took part in the collaboration including Tennant Creek Primary School, the Munkarta Homelands, Murray Downs (Imangarra) Primary School and Elliott Public School (with singer Ray Dimakarri Dixon). Other organisations contributing their voices included Catholic Care, Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre and Papulu Apparr-Kari Language Centre.
“The kids were great,” says Julianne Croft. “It was a really positive experience for them.”
Sean Armistead, Executive Director of Government & Public Relations at IBA, notes that contributing to local Indigenous communities for positive economic outcomes is core to IBA’s purpose.
“Projects like the Barkly Voices shine a positive light on Australia’s Indigenous culture – and something we should all be proud to promote.
“The theme of Reconciliation Week 2021 is ‘More than a word, reconciliation takes action’ and this video shows what action can look like.”
Barkly Regional Arts also receives sponsorship from the Northern Territory and Australian Governments.
Media contact: Tara Toohill 0427 011 938 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
Sitting by the firelight,
The moon is shining bright.
Listening to all the people
Telling the Dream Time story.
I’m thinking very deeply,
About that dreaming.
How it is the backbone to this land.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
Culture is the main thing.
It’s our identity and meaning.
It’s the way to survive.
We can’t forget our ancestors.
We gotta keep it all alive,
And pass it on to our children.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
And carry on.
[Bridge] (spoken in different First Nations’ languages and Chinese, Indonesian and French languages of Barkly singers: “Keep our culture strong, keep our children strong, keep our country strong”)
Well, I’m standing in my country.
I feel the power in the ground.
It’s what the old people said.
When my time is done and I no longer walk this earth,
My spirit will return to the place I love.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
And carry on.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
Keep my culture strong.
And carry on.
We partnered with SBS to feature Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses throughout the month of April. This was the 2nd year of the partnership and we love showing the amazing work that our customers are doing.
The 2021 SBS Small Business Secrets segments included:
Check out all the segments on our YouTube channel playlist:
The 2020 playlist is also available which featured Warida Wholistic Wellness, Bindam Mie, Liandra Swim and Banubanu Beach Retreat.
‘Invigorate – Build – Maintain’: words that resonate with many of us at these times, and thus a particular poignant theme for 2020’s Indigenous Business Month. As we wrapped up the month’s focus, we carry on the theme as generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have for thousands of years.
On 12 October IBA held a virtual business forum with the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, and inspiring business owners/leaders, Nicole Stewart and Katrina Fanning, to discuss how they have dealt with the current world.
The 2020 theme resonated with Nicole Stewart of Gerrbik Laundry Services. She noted, ‘Those three words mean EVERYTHING to me.’ As a business owner, she emphasised how she first had to invigorate herself after the huge impact that COVID had on her business. Then she could focus on building back.
Eighty per cent of Gerrbik’s business was with the airlines. Nicole had to diversify her business and manage as an entity based in Melbourne’s extended lockdown. Now she’s looking at new ways to service her customers and expand her base.
‘I had to invigorate me…So that I could maintain what business I did have and going forward what I need to build…It was hard and it’s going to be hard,’ said Nicole. ‘There’s a lot people out there that are scared to come back and process their life like they used to pre-COVID.’
Although the pandemic hit hard around the world, the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is unprecedented. Words like ‘unprecedented’, while true, don’t help to invigorate your next steps so the forum’s discussion ventured further into how to manage past the crisis.
The panel was moderated by IBA CEO Rajiv Viswanathan. He noted the discussion comes at a really important time for the Australian economy as a whole but also particularly for the Indigenous business sector.
‘We’ve seen the sector really grow and thrive and we’ve seen business owners across the country demonstrate incredible resilience and ingenuity,’ said Rajiv as the discussion ranged from recognition of the difficulties of 2020 to the positive outlook of the future.
Change is imminent but how we manage that change is key. The panellists gave insight to the diversity of businesses out there and their ability to adapt with the times.
The Minister emphasised that resilience and highlighted a roadmap for the future which must include economic development, employment and education. He noted that we need to look at all the elements to see where the hooks are for Indigenous people to gain the skills to grow opportunities.
‘When Australia opens up again, it’s going to be a different world,’ said the Minister. ‘So, one of the things we need to look at is where are the opportunities that are different than what we intended in the beginning?’
The Minister noted the challenge will be how do we sustain not only the Indigenous businesses that exist now but grow more. He wants to see Indigenous people directly profiting from Indigenous held land – not handing that over for someone else to run and profit. He noted prospects for global relationships as well as emissions trading schemes and carbon footprint opportunities.
‘We’ve got to seize opportunities, support people on country, and provide the knowledge and skills they will require, plus resources in some instances.’
‘Certainly, IBA will play a critical role in the way in which we partner collectively to build capability among our people,’ said the Minister.
Nicole was upfront about running her own business. She noted that when you have a business, you might not have a huge amount of money in the bank. When she found out about IBA’s Business Relief Package, it changed her mind set for her business going forward.
‘My connection with IBA has been a lifeline to me!’ said Nicole. ‘They believed in me which has given me a lot more belief in myself.’
Nicole received a loan/grant package as part of the relief package announced in April 2020. The package was a collaboration with NIAA to provide Indigenous businesses that were impacted by the pandemic (whether an IBA customer or not) with support.
‘That’s where then I could invigorate ME once I was accepted for the loan,’ said Nicole.
Katrina Fanning is the Founder and Director of Coolamon Advisors, an Indigenous partner delivering the Business Relief Package with IBA.
Having met with multiple businesses through the process, Katrina was impressed by how hard they are working and how responsive they’ve been to the support. She said, ‘The diversity of the businesses that we have around the country really surprised me…They are just getting on with whatever it takes to get things moving.’
Katrina is a business owner herself so learned firsthand about the hits of the pandemic. Overnight she lost 3 months of bookings. She talked about how she had to reach out and leverage on her partnerships, as well as have the patience to rethink her service offering.
‘I had to change really quickly and be prepared to look at areas we hadn’t traditional worked in,’ said Katrina. She added, ‘Stay focussed on what’s your core business. Not to spread yourself really thin across a number of ideas as you won’t be able to put all your timing into it.’
Coolamon Advisors were among the many businesses that transitioned to online versus face to face to deliver business assessments with customers for IBA over video or phone.
Our Indigenous youth and women are two groups heavily hit by COVID – both the Minister and Katrina commented about these sectors and harnessing the strength they hold.
The Minister talked about cadetships and internships to leverage the skills of our youth and get them employed and into pathways for real jobs. He also noted the importance of education in the process. Katrina has seen small businesses, particularly family businesses, hit by the pandemic bring young people into the company and find a new invigoration in innovating the way to work.
Futures Forum is an initiative of IBA that is helping to rewrite the future of business that includes culture. Rajiv talked about the initiative and importance young people have as our future leaders.
Katrina and Nicole are part of IBA’s Strong Women Strong Business network and emphasised how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander female business owners are not alone in this.
‘We have got incredible resilience where we’re perfect for growing businesses,’ said Nicole. ‘We just got to believe in ourselves.’
She acknowledges it’s not going to be easy, but the rewards outweigh the work.
‘To lay in bed in the night-time and know that you’ve given it your all to get to where you are. Fight the struggles that you might find along the way,’ said Nicole. ‘Chase your dream. Because we can make it happen. IBA will help you, we’ll all help you.’
Minister Wyatt – ‘I eventually want to see that when we give a contract for a grade separation on a major road that it’s a 100% Aboriginal owned business that wins that contract…On the pathway to having an Indigenous company in the top ASX listing which means that you stand with the top 100-200 companies in this country…We have to dream that way.’
Nicole Stewart (Gerrbik Laundry Services) – ‘Our sector is going to be huge! We’ve faced diversity for many years and won…. But I honestly feel that our sector will go through the roof.’
Katrina Fanning (Coolamon Advisors) – ‘The one I’m most hopeful for is to see a growth in the size and length of the contracts that our businesses start to see, whether it be from government or corporate…I’m looking for those tipping points to open the gates even more.’
Rajiv Viswanathan (IBA) – ‘It’s been a really challenging year but it’s also a year and a time to reimagine what’s possible. And I think you’ve seen from our panel that there’s a lot of passion and inspiration out there that we can really capture as we come out of this phase and come into the recovery process. All of us together want to see this sector continue to thrive.’
View full video recording below:
“Aboriginal people have been dealing with technologies for thousands of years. These newer technologies that we’re linking into shows that we’re bridging that gap and that Aboriginal people have always been in that technology space. It’s been crucial to their survival.”
That’s what Arrernte man Peter Renehan, CEO at the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), said in this beautiful video that shows the ground station build in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).
This multimillion-dollar facility is the first Aboriginal-owned commercial satellite ground station in Australia – tracking earth from space via a unique partnership with global satellite communications company Viasat Inc.
Built, project-managed and owned by Indigenous companies – CfAT and its subsidiaries Ekistica Ltd and CfAT Satellite Enterprises, as well as Ingerreke Commercial who laid the concrete foundations in December 2019.
Peter goes on to say, “We can develop programs that can help and assist land management and ranger programs, carbon farming, monitoring of fires and all sorts of things; so it’s pretty significant and important...If you think of the breadth right across Australia, whether it’s our land or our seas, to be able to provide that access to that information and data from Alice Springs is a feather in our cap. I think Central Australia and Alice Springs should be really proud of this sort of development.”
This video captures the technology in action. IBA worked with local Indigenous videographers Since1788 Productions to create the time lapse of the project which ends with the night sky.
Helen Martin is an Arrente woman with a passion for Aboriginal tourism and what she and her husband Trevor have created on Bremer Island is not to be missed! With permissions from the local Yolngu community, Helen and Trevor run a beautiful eco-retreat on a pristine island off the coast of Arnhem Land.
It takes hard work and resilience to run your own business but the rewards can pay off. Watch this weekend's episode of SBS Small Business Secrets on SBS World News, Sunday 7am or 5pm AEST, as they explore the stunning Banubanu Beach Retreat.
Read the article, 'The Indigenous-owned resort offering visitors a taste of Aboriginal Australia' or watch the segment below.
#ideasinvested #strongwomenstrongbusiness #aboriginaltourism
Liandra Gaykamangu is a Yolngu woman who balances a business, Liandra Swim, with a growing family and believes that empowering women empower women further. We couldn't agree more!
Her SBS Small Business Secrets segment is breaking records with views of over 500,000. She's a talent who opened the Pacific Runway as her first ever show and the only Australian designer. Her latest swimsuits are made from recycled ocean plastic and packaged in biodegradable plant material.
Liandra is also on the representative group for Futures Forum where our young people are creating a map for culture to influence business in the future. She hopes to show other young Indigenous mothers that anything is possible.
Read the SBS article, 'The Indigenous fashion designer making swimwear from recycled plastic', or check out the full segment on video.
#strongwomenstrongbusiness #futuresforum #ideasinvested
