Not your average textbook lawyer

If you’d just finished six years at university tackling a combined Commerce (Accounting) and Law degree, it would be fair to assume you might have your eyes pinned on a prized graduate position—perhaps at a big law or accounting firm in one of the nation’s capitals.

But Megan Highfold, a Kokatha woman from South Australia, wasn’t your average graduate. Upon finishing her degree she packed the car and headed to Alice Springs, where she took up a position with the Central Land Council working with their legal team for the Tennant Creek mob.

After several years in the desert, she was ready for a sea change, so when she saw an opportunity to join KRED Enterprises she jumped at it. In her role as In-house Counsel she’s now responsible for representing Traditional Owners and KRED’s members in commercial negotiations with proponents—which includes discussing the initial terms of heritage protection agreements.

“I really connect with KRED’s cultural values about looking after all its members and I especially like the negotiations around agreements. It’s exciting to be able to make strong terms that protect Country and also provide a future for Aboriginal people in communities,” Megan says.

She’s adamant that there’s nothing more crucial than protecting Country.

“Country is everything to us. Control over our Country, our land, is so important to our health and our spiritual well-being. Country is what keeps us going. And it’s been great to be working in the Kimberley and to be welcomed onto other people’s Country.”

At this stage, she doesn’t see herself lured away by the ritz, dazzle and fat paychecks of city law firms.

“I’m really proud of working for KRED, an Aboriginal Charitable Foundation that’s owned by its members. We’ve got a power block of mobs from across the Kimberley and we’re generating money to help other Aboriginal people in the region. I’m getting the chance to manage so many different things and it’s challenging, because there’s not always a textbook answer to problems!”

Anthony Watson to sizzle up a storm in Sydney

KRED Enterprises is throwing full support behind KRED Chairperson Anthony Watson, who’s participating in the upcoming OzHarvest/Qantas CEO Cook-off on the 17th of February in Sydney, NSW.

Thirty-four celebrity chefs from Australia’s top kitchens will team up with CEOs to feed 1000 people in need, highlighting issues of homelessness, food security and youth in crisis.

Anthony is putting a shout out for donations, which will be passed on to the local Kimberley charity Feed the Little Children.

“KRED is about supporting community and we believe the programs Feed the Little Children run are really valuable. I don’t like seeing kids getting in to trouble, and when kids are hungry, this is what can happen,” Anthony says.

All money raised by Anthony will be matched dollar for dollar by KRED Enterprises.

In addition to his role as Chairperson with KRED, Anthony is also Chairperson and founder of the Yiriman Project, which offers an intergenerational on-Country cultural program.

You can find out more information and check out Anthony’s profile by clicking here.

EHSIS facilitates employment for Kimberley Traditional Owners

When mining company representatives head out with Traditional Owners to complete a Heritage Survey, they’re almost always in for an experience.

It might be searing hot days walking the ridgelines, or dipping between mountains in a helicopter, or doing the back-of-a-troopy-bounce down desert tracks. It might be bushtucker for dinner, flooded swags for dessert. Sometimes it’s even a bushfire, meaning the whole camp needs to pack and relocate.

Environmental Heritage Social Impact Services (EHSIS) staff who coordinate the employment of the Traditional Owners, and accompany Traditional Owners and mining companies on these surveys, are well-prepared and experienced.

EHSIS is a subsidiary company of KRED Enterprises Charitable Trust and one of its key services is the provision of staff and logistics to effectively carry out Heritage Surveys and to submit Heritage Survey Reports to mining companies on behalf of Kimberley Land Council (KLC) clients and Kimberley Traditional Owners.

In addition, EHSIS offers a cultural heritage monitoring service. It arranges for two cultural heritage monitors to be present during a company’s on-ground activities. The monitors ensure there’s no desecration of Aboriginal cultural heritage once activities have commenced. EHSIS also conducts environmental and archeological surveys.

Merilee Powers is the Operations and Logistics Manager of KRED and responsible for EHSIS Heritage Programs. She says there was a real need to offer this service.

“Not only do we work to protect cultural heritage, we’re also responsible for coordinating the employment of Traditional Owners. We have Traditional Owners working on the surveys and as cultural heritage monitors, contributing at meetings, and developing cultural awareness training.”

In 2013, EHSIS supported the casual employment of approximately 40 Traditional Owners.

Merilee says the EHSIS vision for 2014 is to see continued employment of Traditional Owners and to strengthen relationships with its proponents.

“We’re working on building strong and transparent relationships with proponents and ensuring that Traditional Owners have the best possible information to make informed decisions about what happens on Country.”

KRED’s job is to protect its members’ cultural values and intellectual property as best we can within Australian law. 

'Scutta girl' new chair of Ambooriny Burru Board

Bonnie Edwards, the new chairperson of the Ambooriny Burru Board, doesn’t tell stories about sad things.

Her vision is firmly cast ahead, to a turned corner, where all local Indigenous people have access to employment opportunities, live healthy lifestyles and have something to look forward to, without having to rely on the government for everything.

“This is my aim. I’m sick of seeing our people walking around like zombies. Inevitably, we have to be part of the Australian economy. We have to try and make what we can out of it, make something of our lives and make something for our people.”

Bonnie was proud when she found out she’d been elected chairperson.

“I want to thank the board for trusting me with this responsibility. I also can’t believe they’ve elected a woman! I should have said thank you at the time, but all I could do was smile and smile.”

“During my term as chairperson, I want to see more Aboriginal groups join the Ambooriny Burru Foundation because we are building a strong organisation to do our business work through KRED. KRED has a fantastic team, it’s our team, and they’re working to do the best job for what we want and need. So with this in mind, I will stand up and say what I believe. And what I do say is what I mean,” Bonnie says.

Bonnie grew up fluent in both Jaru culture and the whitefella world.

As a child she lived with her mum and mob in the Bungles, running around as a, “… wild little blackfella.” At the age of nine, however, she was moved to the Halls Creek Australian Inland Mission Hostel, a school run by the Presbyterian Church for Aboriginal children with white fathers.

When she started, she was amazed her classmates couldn’t speak the Jaru language and the pressure was on to pick up Kriol—a language she would later use in her work as an interpreter.

At thirteen, she left school to work as a domestic servant on a cattle station owned by the ‘Lords of London’ where she polished the silver until it, “… glittered so much you could see their faces reflected in it.”

Polishing silver and starching sheets earned her eight dollars a month, which she carefully put away until she’d saved enough to leg it to QLD.  It was in Brisbane she, “… learnt English, how to hold a knife and fork, and how to be a lady.”

With three languages under the belt it’s not surprising she picked up work as an interpreter when she came back to the Kimberley, yo-yoing between English and Jaru, Jaru and Kriol. It was through interpreting she earned the nickname ‘Scutta girl’ from Annette Kogolo—‘scutta’ being a local slang word for deadly. Annette was still learning the linguistic ropes and was grateful for Bonnie’s belief in her and support.

No stranger to mining negotiations, Bonnie has interpreted for Tanami Gold NL and Argyle Diamond Mine. She’s adamant that, “Proponents are benefiting from our land, so we need to make sure our people also benefit.”

She’d like to see KRED members use mining royalties to set up businesses, community development projects, to buy real estate, and to help people go back to country and run projects from country.

‘Scutta girl’ Bonnie Edwards has walked in two worlds for many years.

We welcome her warmly as chairperson of the Ambooriny Burru Board.

KRED takes on young Indigenous trainee

Kianee (Kiki) D’Anna developed a taste for the wheeling and dealing of the KRED offices while she was still a student in year 12.

Although she attended school in Wyndham, she spent her school holidays in Broome, working casually at KRED as an Administration Officer.

KRED was so impressed with her skills she was offered a traineeship with the organisation and given the impressive job title: Junior Personal Assistant to the General Counsel of the Ambooriny Burru Group of Companies (KRED).

“It’s been a good opportunity, more than what most year 12 students would probably get,” Kianee says.

Since she started full-time she’s been busy filing, penning the minutes of meetings and learning about time billing. As if this weren’t enough, she’s on a mission to learn even more.

“My computer skills are good—but not as good as I’d like them to be. That’s what I’m hoping to work on in the coming months.”

Kianee will also be building her skills at the Kimberley Training Institute one day a week, where she is studying Business Administration.

Merrilee Powers, KRED’s Operations and Logistics Manager, has been appointed as Kianee’s in-office mentor.

She recognises the importance of creating economic opportunities for local Indigenous young people.

“Kianee is a young Indigenous woman of the Kimberley. We understand it’s important to invest in both the personal and professional growth of our mob,” Merrilee says.

KRED Enterprises is dedicated to building and sustaining independent Aboriginal economic development.