Independent Director for Ambooriny Buru Foundation and KRED Enterprises

I am very pleased to be a new independent director of the Ambooriny Burru Foundation and KRED Enterprises. The Ambooriny Burru Foundation’s strength lies in the fact that it is owned by eight native title groups in the Kimberley. Although it has only been operating for five years, there has already been a significant contribution to the regional economy and numerous new jobs created for Kimberley Aboriginal people. Looking ahead, we are hoping to create more employment opportunities for our members and to extend our start-up support for Prescribed Body Corporates. It’s our aim to become a centre of business expertise—a place that provides quality business, legal, and provide financial services to clients Australia-wide. I feel very privileged to be involved with the Ambooriny Burru Foundation and look forward to contributing my skills to assist its mission to create independent Aboriginal economic development.

It is a privilege to be involved for the benefits, as I would like to see the business grow larger for employment and opportunities for it’s members.

Jaru students build a bright future in the Pilbara

William and Kirwan Vincent with the laptop from the scholarship received from KRED Enterprises.

From the East Kimberley Jaru clan, Kirwan and William Vincent are building a bright future for themselves in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

They both attend Hedland Senior High School, which is based in South Hedland, and have applied for the Nipper Tabagee Scholarship from KRED Enterprises to assist them with their education and studies.

As part of the school curriculum, 17-year-old Kirwan is completing a Vocational Education and Training (VET) construction course at South Hedland TAFE. It’s his dream to become a professional construction worker/ builder.

His younger sibling, William Vincent, who’s 14 years of age, wants to be a qualified and professional mechanic so he can work on cars, boats and motorbikes. He is already learning from his father, who is a qualified mechanic.

The boys used the Nipper Tabagee scholarship to purchase a laptop, which means they can complete assignments and projects at school and at home. This will enable them to achieve good grades and success!

The boys said, “We would like to say a big, thankyou to KRED Enterprises for awarding us the Nipper Tabagee Scholarship and for giving us the opportunity to achieve our goals.”

The Nipper Tabagee Scholarship is available to all of KRED’s members. That is: Jaru, Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation, Karajarri Traditional Lands Association, Koongie Elvire, Bardi Jawi and Tjurabalan. We support the educational aspirations of our members, particularly students like William and Kirwan, who have a clear vision about their future employment. For more information, visit www.kred.org.au/scholarships.

Secondee shapes future for community stores

KRED Enterprises had a secondee on board from the SunCorp Group. Charlene Goh is a senior manager of four years in strategic development in the company’s risk area.

Charlene came to KRED Enterprises to undertake a strategic planning project to help progress the Aboriginal community stores initiative. The idea behind the initiative is to give the stores access to modern facilities, and communities access to fresh, affordable food. It will provide many community benefits, including employment, new skills, improved community infrastructure and greater convenience.

Charlene says she was interested in returning to the Kimberley to contribute to a region she had really enjoyed on past visits.

“I am interested in understanding more about Aboriginal culture, history, the way of life and also about getting a better appreciation of the current situation and challenges faced by Aboriginals in Australia,” says Charlene.

“KRED Enterprises is different to other Aboriginal organisations and does not received regular government funding to operate. KRED has a lot of potential, good expertise, and the right relationships, to successfully execute the plan. This would be a very exciting project for remote communities in the Kimberley, Western Australia.”

Inspired by the Indigenous leaders, elders, Traditional Owners and other Indigenous people, the journey has been truly a unique and an amazing experience. Charlene says she has learnt so much, in such a short time, and that the experience has given her a different perspective on life.

“I hope to return soon”, says Charlene.

KRED runs media workshops for kids in the Great Sandy Desert

In early May, KRED Enterprises and the Kimberley Land Council media crews teamed up to run joint media workshops at the Ngurrara Cultural Camp at Kurlku. We travelled three hours into the Great Sandy Desert to work with students from Yakanarra Community School, Fitzroy Crossing District High, Wulungarra Community School and Djugerari Remote Community School. When the kids weren’t making spears and boomerangs, painting, dying their hair, or sampling traditional foods, they were with us participating in media workshops. We looked first at the principles of photography—the rule of thirds, composition, the aesthetic appeal of patterns—and then it was hands on. Students packaged, shot, did voiceovers and produced short video postcards, which were projected onto a big screen under the stars. We’ve posted some of the videos here, and some photos of the camp for you to have a look at. This is part of the wrap-around media service KRED offers to PBCs. For full details about the camp, you can check out the Yanunijarra website. 

Ice water has never tasted so good ...

Year 10 student Jack Burgess - Pincini head out with our Environmental Heritage and Social Impact (EHSIS) team on work experience. And it was hot !!
I’ve just spent 6 days in the Kimberley studying Aboriginal culture. Well, completing work experience on a heritage survey. What?? I worked for EHSIS, an environmental & heritage survey company, investigating the cultural significance of country in the care of Traditional Owners. We were assessing the land to protect culturally significant sites within a mining proposal. This involved heading out into thick bushland with Traditional Owners and an anthropologist to map the heritage sites within the land mass, and accurately create a topographical map of the area. It was very hot. 41 degrees every day! But it’s the humidity that can get ya! Ice water has never tasted so good. Each night we would return to base camp with our recordings of the day’s work. My worst moment was the loss of the G.P.S . . . momentarily. It was enough for sheer panic to set in. By retracing my steps up a rock wall I found it blazing hot in the sun. Phew, that almost stuffed it! It was quite an experience--camping and then working each day, so removed from “civilisation.” The map and identified sites we produced over the 6 days now plays a significant role in protecting this area for the future for the Traditional Owners and the broader community.  It was learning about the balances between mining and indigenous interests that I found so fascinating.