Using our voices

By Claire Birch

National Reconciliation Week is a significant time for reflection, healing, and progress as we strive to build stronger relationships between First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.

We embraced this opportunity to contribute to the reconciliation process and promote meaningful change, bringing all our team along the journey together.

Yarning Circles

Inspired by the theme of Be A Voice for Generations, we organised yarning circles both in-person and online to include our team across WA.

With the amazing Katie Clarke (IPS) leading us, our team came together and shared stories, perspectives, and experiences, engaging in deep conversations about reconciliation and the roles we can play at work and in our personal lives.

While we were pretty busy yarning, we also enjoyed some delicious recipes from local legends Marissa Verma and Dale Tilbrook, tasting native ingredients such as lemon myrtle and wattleseed.

These yarning circles not only fostered understanding but also paved the way for increased empathy, breaking down barriers, and building lasting relationships.

Kevin’s yarns

Our Group CEO Kevin Brown took the opportunity to yarn with local First Nations leaders with the intention of learning about the Uluru Statement and the Voice to Parliament.

Kevin and Professor Colleen Hayward AM, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Equity and Indigenous at Edith Cowan University and proud Noongar woman, sat down to discuss the Uluru Statement, Voice to Parliament, and what it all means. Colleen shared her experience being a part of the Uluru dialogues, and answered some of the burning questions many of us have about this topic. You can watch that insightful yarn here.?

Kevin also met with IPS Management Consultants Executive Director, Jahna Cedar OAM, to discuss the forthcoming regional engagement roadshow to the Kimberleys.

IPS and St John WA will co-facilitate workshops, to identify opportunities to better provide access to Ambulance services for First Nations people.

Upon confirmation and subsequent evaluation of a pilot program, St John WA hope to continue tailored regional engagements for solution integration that overcome barriers to service access.

Jahna said it was a “great initiative to see the organisation commit to authentic co- design for a potential program, considering the diverse needs of First Nations communities”.

“St John WA covers the largest emergency ambulance service area in the world and services language and cultural groups across Western Australia, including First Nations peoples in some of the most remote rural communities,” she said.

“It cannot be a one size fits all approach to solving the problem, and the fact that St John WA are working with us inclusively to identify the appropriate solution is testament to their allyship and commitment.”

Walk for Reconciliation

We ended the week by lacing up our sneakers for the Walk for Reconciliation at Kaarta Koomba (Kings Park).

Along with thousands of others, we connected to Boodja and celebrated the living Noongar culture. It was a fantastic opportunity for our team to immerse themselves in activities such as weaving and truth-telling, and an excellent end to a very special week.

Continuing the Journey

National Reconciliation Week serves as a reminder that reconciliation is an ongoing journey that requires sustained effort and dedication.

While our activities during this week have been a significant step forward, we recognise that there is much work yet to be done.

The enthusiasm and appetite for more learning and change we saw from our team this week was incredibly heartening.

We will be harnessing this energy as we move forward with our focus areas of employment pathways, procurement and environment, cultural education and alignment, and better services for First Nations peoples.

Boordawan!