Growing up in remote and regional Australia, my early childhood experiences were influenced by interactions with indigenous friends and their communities, often on the fringes of mining camps and towns. These experiences are starkly contrasted to the business environment we now operate in.
As an adult, I was fortunate enough to work in the Northern Territory and Western Australia as a part of the Australian Army North West Mobile Force. This gave me more life changing experiences with indigenous cultures and communities. Decades on from my childhood, the communities appear not to have changed as much as my opinions and viewpoint have.
As our company matures and reflects on its history and place in the market, we also pause to reflect on the relationships we have with indigenous Australia. Over the past 18 months, we have all learned, listened and begun to understand the stories of people which have lived here for thousands of years, we know that our journey has only just begun.
We recognise that it always was and always will be Aboriginal land. We are fortunate to be here and proud to be on this journey.
My country, Sean Bundjalung.
‘My Country, Bundjalung, Land & Sea’ depicts the Clans of the Bundjalung Nation with Island, Coastal and Inland Nations. Concentric circles represent these Clans and the joining sinuous lines reference the connections to other Aboriginal groups within his Nation.
These interconnections involve responsibility & connection to land, family, community, biotic life & Ancestors and they are referred to as Songlines. Concentric circles also reference waterholes, important meeting, hunting & ceremonial sites on Bundjalung Country. The inherited design emulates the tradition and power of the land and story they are connected to.