Day One

It’s an early start. My lovely boyfriend Brad is determined to get me an extra hot skinny latte before we leave Manly as he’s slightly concerned about my coffee options over the next few weeks. Bless. After a quick pit-stop at the Belgrave Cartel, we’re on our way to the airport for my 9.15am flight.

The Sydney contingent of secondees is met at Cairns Airport by Vit, who coordinates my bank’s indigenous community partnerships. Before my trip, someone had described him to me as 50% like Bear Grylls and 50% like your dad. I’m not really sure what to make of this?!

Anyway, there are about 16 secondees all up. We meet in the heat for a briefing about the week ahead at my bank's business banking centre. It's already clear that we’re diverse in many ways:

• The majority are from my bank; but there’s a couple from KPMG, Department of Defence and QBE; plus a lone soldier from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
• A geographically spread bunch from Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Darwin and Lismore
• A roughly even spread across Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers although quite a few hovering in their late twenties (perhaps like me they are having a 30 life crisis and that is why they’re also here?!)

The brief confirms the picture I had from weeks of email planning from Vit and Jawun – it’s going to be full-on with very little space in the itinerary for any introverts to be alone and recharge batteries!! Walking the talk, we head off to a Djarragun Enterprises (you pronounce it without the d).

Djarragun Enterprises

Djarragun Enterprises, one of the Cape York regional organisations working to deliver the Cape York Agenda, is all about closing the gap on indigenous employment. Two secondees from our group will be working here.

Djarragun Enterprises provides an industry-based employment pathway for indigenous graduates from across Far North Queensland and the Torres Straits. They operate as a 'social enterprise' which means indigenous crew members all earn award wages, with profits reinvested to both help grow the business and provide support for future skilled workers.

The crews work across three businesses: Construction, Building Services, and Landscaping and Yard Maintenance. Tomorrow, we’ll join a crew for the morning and see what’s involved. 

My soft little office hands are feeling pretty nervous... 

Thanks for my red frogs, Phillipa!! They lasted until 3pm on Day One :-)

This is Jonno. He does a three-hour round trip every day from home in Topaz to Djarragun Enterprises in Cairns. Why? Because three Indigenous kids who knock on Djarragun’s front door every day looking for a job, would love the opportunity Jonno has