EAST KIMBERLEY

 

OVERVIEW

The Kimberley region is located in far north Western Australia, comprised of the West Kimberley towards the coast and the East Kimberley towards the Northern Territory border. Jawun began working with the Indigenous communities of the East Kimberley in 2010, and in 2012 broadened its boundaries to include communities in the West Kimberley region. 

The East Kimberley region includes the towns of Kununurra, Halls Creek, Warmun, Wyndham, and over 50 smaller communities – extending all the way from Balgo in the south, Kalumburu in the north, and Malangan near the Northern Territory border. 

Indigenous people in the Kimberley region face the same enormous challenges they face across Australia. In the East Kimberley, the greater community is being supported through programs addressing education, health, welfare, housing, childcare development, and employment.

However, there has been considerable opportunity for improving the lives of Indigenous people as a result of agricultural developments in the Ord area in the last decade, which has brought with it jobs and investments in transitional housing. Additional opportunities exist in new business development, land and sea management (ranger programs) and tourism, hospitality and various other fields.

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

FIELD TEAM

  • Regional Director

    Shane joined Jawun as Regional Director for the East Kimberley in February 2021.

    Before joining Jawun, Shane was owner-operator of an international expedition and nature photography business, spending most of his time guiding clients on mobile safaris across Africa. Throughout his 16-year career Shane has worked in various roles across the Environment / Conservation and Tourism industries, spanning five continents, specializing in conservation of threatened species, working with critical volunteer projects and coordinating remote area operations.

    Shane has a degree in Environmental Management, is a qualified nature guide in Australia and Africa and has a suite of skills and qualifications from heavy vehicle operation to animal tracking. He was the recipient of an Australian of the Year Achievement Award in 2011 for his rapid response efforts in the aftermath of severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi; he grew up and worked across Cape York and the Torres Straits for most of his life and has developed close relationships with people throughout those regions; and has most recently worked closely with a diversity of partners and cultures across southern and East Africa.

    Shane completed a Jawun Secondment from Downer in August 2014, working on an Ecosystem Services Brokerage project with Cape York Partnerships.

    To contact Shane, please email: sross@jawun.org.au

  • General Manager, Regional Investment

    Danielle (Dani) comes to Jawun with over twenty years’ experience living and working with Aboriginal communities around Australia. Dani grew up on Wonnarua and Worimi country in regional NSW and spent much of her adult life living remotely across northern Australia.

    Dani is an experienced project manager and facilitator primarily working in the NGO sector supporting Aboriginal empowerment initiatives. Dani has a particular skillset in collaborative leadership and collective impact, bringing people together to address complex problems.

    From her early years starting out as a community development practitioner Dani has had a diverse and interesting career centred around creating conditions for positive change. Most recently Dani has worked with Empowered Communities facilitating ground up priority setting and providing policy and planning advice.

    She is now living back in her home town of Newcastle with her seventeen-year old soccer-star son.

    To contact Dani, please email dtucker@jawun.org.au

CASE STUDIES

Case studies show how Jawun secondees have achieved real results. If you are interested to learn more about Jawun's work in this region, click on the case studies below.

WUNAN FOUNDATION AND KRED

EMPOWERED COMMUNITIES

WUNAN FOUNDATION

WUNAN FOUNDATION

GELGANYEM TRUST

WUNAN FOUNDATION

WARINGARRI ABORIGINAL ARTS

MENKAWUM NGURRA
AGED CARE HOSTEL

WUNAN FOUNDATION