WAITOC Board for 2011/12

Neville Poelina – Chairman (Western Australia)

Neville is a Nyikina man from the Kimberley.  He is presently Chairperson of WAITOC and a member of the Tourism WA board of commissioners. Neville was born in Derby WA and is the proud father of five children. He has lived in the Kimberley all his life and holds a wealth of knowledge of the region. He has traditional ties right throughout the Kimberley and Aboriginal culture and society is his life. Starting off selling bait and fishing trips to Broome’s visitors at 6 years of age, Neville has been involved in tourism all of his life. He has been operating his own business Uptuyu Adventures since 2002.

Neville was called back to his traditional lands to establish the Oongkalkada Wilderness Camp and Indigenous Training Centre where he now bases his business operations.  Neville is passionate about sharing cultural insights in the spectacular ever changing Kimberley.

His diverse employment background is based around positions of responsibility in the areas of pearling, diving and training and more recently as a tourism and Indigenous culture consultant.

His latest endeavour is to see WAITOC champion a national Indigenous tourism representative body and an international Indigenous tourism alliance.

Doc Reynolds - Vice Chairperson (Australia’s Golden Outback Region)

Doc has ha da long distinguished association with Aboriginal Affairs spanning some 30 years, at local, regional and national levels.  Seeking a career change, he along wiht his sister, Gail and both their respective partners, Robyne and Mark, decided to form ‘Kepa Kurl Enterprises Pty Ltd’.  Doc has a strong connection to the country, and is recognised as a traditional owner in the Esperance region.  Kepa Kurl has been running for 10 years.

Doc is the first Aboriginal person to be elected onto the Esperance Shire Council and has the portfolio of Regional Development for Tourism, Environment and Coastal Management, Recreation and Culture and Social Community Development.  He has been on the Local Council for 6 years and is running again for 2 more years.

Doc has sat on 4 ministerial councils and has chaired the Aboriginal Lands Trust, which is the largest land holder in Western Australia.

He also sits on the Australian’s Golden Outback board of directors, and is the shire representative for Esperance Tourism Board.

In his spare time Doc enjoys fishing, camping, painting, hiking and researching local history both Aboriginal and mainstream.

Darren Capewell (Australia’s Coral Coast Region)

Darren Capewell, or ‘Capes’ as he is known is a Yamaji Man from Shark Bay (Gadhaagudu pronounced Car-thar-goo-doo), the traditional name for Shark Bay, meaning “Two Waters”.

Capes has been directly and indirectly involved in the tourism industry for the past five years, initially with Yadgalah Aboriginal Corporation and more recently as an Indigenous Tourism Operator in Gutharragudu.

Capes operates a business called ‘Wula Guda Nyinda Aboriginal Cultural Tours’. Wula Guda Nyinda means ‘You come this way’.  The product at this point in time involves delivering Aboriginal Cultural Walks from Monkey Mia. The cultural walks are designed to give visitors an Aboriginal perspective on the local area.  Visitors are encouraged to develop an understanding on what Gutharragudu means to local Aboriginal people and to develop an insight into local Aboriginal Culture and Heritage.

Additional products are on the drawing board and will involve saltwater kayak safaris around Gutharragudu.

Brian Lee  (Western Australia)

Brian Lee has been involved with Kooljaman for the past 14 years in a director’s role and Chairman for the last 4 years.  Kooljaman at Cape Leveque began in 1986, when Cape Leveque lighthouse was automated and the surrounding land was purchased by the Aboriginal Development Commission to further the opportunities of the Bardi people.  The neighbouring aboriginal communities of One Arm Point and Djarindjin jointly own Kooljaman.

From the beginning the emphasis has been to develop a low key, low impact project of a type and structure that can be controlled by the local people, and of a size and extent that minimised the impact on the environment.  A place where the Aboriginal people can link in with the operation of a tourism venture, where visitors are able to experience the beauty of the local area and participate in the unique experience and activities available through this business enterprise.

Brian’s broader community involvement has been as a sports and recreational officer for the kids at Djarindjin community and also working closely with the Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation.

Ann Preest – Treasurer (Western Australia)

Ann is Chairperson of the North West Cape Exmouth Aboriginal Corporation which she founded in 2003. Since 1995 she as worked with the custodian of the North West Cape, Mr Syd Dale, and the Gnulli Traditional Elders to preserve the cultural heritage of the North West Cape and Gnulli Native Title Claim area.

With Aboriginal Elders as members of her extended family, stretching from the South West of Western Australia to the Kimberley area, she has access to a strong network of support within the culture.  She is a member of the Yamatji Land and Sea Council and the Coral Coast Park Council and represents the Aboriginal community on a variety of local environmental, tourism and community committees.

In 2005, Ann organised the inaugural Exmouth NAIDOC celebrations which established the NAIDOC Week Art Competition and Exhibition as an annual event.  In 2006, after ten years of planning, she was able to incorporate a reunion on country with two members of the family of one of the survivors of the wreck of the barque ‘Stefano’ which was lost off the North West Cape in 1875.  Indications are that support for the NAIDOC 2007 Art Awards will be even greater than in the past. Ideally, some entries could be shown at the WAITOC Conference if it were to be held in the Kimberley.

Ann sees the support for the education and training of Aboriginal people in their local culture, on country, as a way of building and sustaining their own tourism outlets as distinct from commercial operators.

Josh Whiteland (Australia’s South West Region)

Josh (Koomal) has been involved in tourism and education for the last seven years.  With a close connection to traditional lands and a strong relationship with local people.  Josh has decided to share his experiences through Koomal Dreaming.  Offering a wide range of cultural-based tours through the Wardandi and Bibbulman Country.  Josh also works with other local business such as Moondance Lodge Yallingup, Margaret River Outdoor Discovery Tours and the Wardan Aboriginal Cultural Centre.  One of the main reasons for creating an Aboriginal experience for visitors is to increase an understanding of Aboriginal people and culture and provide more opportunities for local Noongar people located in the Cape to Cape region.

Mary Aiken (Australia’s North West Region)

Bunuba Tribe and Language Group. Born and raised in Fitzroy Crossing with schooling completed at Fitzroy Crossing and Derby. I worked on stations and at Crossing Inn as a house person.  I then went to Perth to attend a clerical course run by Key Personnel and after completion retuned to Fitzroy in 1974 to work as a receptionist at the Department of Community Services. After marrying Bill in 1974 I worked for ALS and ATSIC in Derby, during this time I had 3 children.  In 1992 I returned to Fitzroy due to my mother’s poor health, and assisted her in running Daringunaya Aboriginal Community and its various enterprises, Darngku Heritage Cruises being one.  In 1999 we decided to run the cruses as Daringunaya Aboriginal Community was having difficulties in doing so.

We ran the cruises as a separate business to the community.  I mainly looked after the shop in town that supplied camping and gardening gear and a plant nursery.  Sometimes I do trips  on the Gorge, these are mainly extended tours for film crews and visiting student groups who are looking for a real Indigenous experience.  Over the last few years I have started attending more conferences to get a better feel of the industry and to allow Bill to carry on taking the tours.  These being 1 hour for CALM at various times of the year, 2h, 3h and 1/2 day cruises being our core business.

I feel that my traditional tie to our clan’s area is a bonus to our business and to the information we can give to groups who visit Darngku.  I enjoy taking people out and showing them the area and our ways of doing things.  It gives me great joy to see the younger visitors enjoying their time with us and attempting to do some of the old ways of the bush.  My children and their kids go with me sometimes on these trips and to see them all mixing in together on the trip gives me great pleasure to see our culture and beliefs being sustained.

Irene Davey (Western Australia)

Irene is a Bardi woman from One Arm Point. Her interests are her culture, meeting people and sharing her culture with people giving them a better understanding of Bardi and Jawi way of life, her way of life.

She is a proud mother of six children and has 10 grandchildren.

Irene has been in tourism just under two decades from working as a tour operator to developing other tourism ventures within her community and surrounding area.  Irene is a member on a few committees and work with youth in her community passing on traditional knowledge and culture.

Robert Taylor (Western Australia)

Robert Taylor has spent the last 20 years in the hospitality industry as a qualified chef. He became executive chef for ALH in 1999, where he had a number of his recipes published in publications such as Table Magazine.  In 2000 Robert and his partner went into hospitality management and he is currently the Managing Director of Forte Hospitality, a role he has been in for the past 8 years.

This company is a specialised property management group that encompasses accommodation and food and beverage operations in Margaret River, Busselton and Mandurah.  Robert has proven himself to be a successful businessman in his own right overseeing a business with a multimillion dollar turnover.

Robert overseas the companies’ financials including all forecasts and budgets and is responsible for ensuring the development supervision of the staff within the business.

Robert is a keen contributor to the industry and believes it would be a great opportunity to be involved with WAITOC as a board member.

Tahn Donovan (Perth Region)

Tahn is a Wardandi Yok from Busselton and has a deep understanding of the Western Australian bio diversity values and diversity of landscapes, people and experiences.

Tahn’s career started in the hospitality industry aged 12 in Busselton helping at CWA wedding catering events. Having greatly diversified her skills and experiences through employment Tahn has worked in the farming, transport, diversity reviews and inclusion plans, disability employment, environmental sustainability, and hospitality/tourism industries. Project and management roles in employment and training have encouraged Tahn’s interest in developing future leaders.

Tahn, is currently involved in team management, empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to reach their career aspirations. “The young people I meet continually inspire me to do more and to do it better and more effectively”.

Tahn is the creator of Max’s Black Sauce an Australian bush herb infused sauce that captures the flavours of Australia and has partnered in the establishment and development of the fashion label Deadly Divas Clothing.

Tahn says “Deadly Divas Clothing is seeking to make change in how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are respected.  Deadly Divas Clothing is seeking to capture the beauty and grace of our culture and community through the garments we present and how we show our respect in how we do good business.

Kamisah Bin Demin (Western Australia)

Kamisah Bin Demin is a Broome woman, from the Kimberley region of north Western Australia, and is the Sales and Marketing Assistant at Magabala Books.

Magabala Books became an independent Aboriginal Corporation in March 1990, with the objective of resotring, preserving and maintaining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures by;

• Assisting and encouraging people to pass on their history
• Making the wider community aware of the wealth of Indigenous culture
• Providing employment and training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
• Recording, promoting and publishing work by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators
• Protection and education in matters of copyright

Born in Broome, and having lived in the Kimberley all her life, Kamisah has been involved with Magabala Books for the past 4 years, in which she completed a traineeship, participated in the development and eventual publication of her grandmother’s book, One in Broome (2007) and received runner up in the FutureNow Indiginous Young Achiever’s Award (2011).

Kathleen Cox (Western Australia)

Kathleen was born in Broome and gew up with her family in Beagle Bay Mission.  She went to Perth to complete her secondary education where she graduated at the completion of year 12 at St Joachim’s High School a Catholic girls school in 1984.

Kathleen’s work history has seen her gain employment within the mainstream service arena, private enterprise, the childcare indsutry and educational institutions.  Kathleen involves herself with various Indigenous and Non Indigenous community organisations where she play proactive roles in the direction, planning and networking.

She has previously owned her own business before starting up Goombaragin Eco Retreat with her partner Jamie Houston in 2006.

Kathleen has connections with both the East and West regions of the Dampier Peninula from both her parents, but it is Goombaragin and its surrounds the she and her family now call home.  Kathleen prefers to call herself a custodian of the land.

As a WAITOC Board Member Kathleen sees her role to assist in creating pathways to Indigenous businesses to access opportunities to market, network and develop ethical businesses management strategies to participate in the tourism industry as a whole.