Jawun Secondment: Immersed in community at Wyanga Aged Care

Legal technology consultant Asha Burnett undertook a six-week secondment at Wyanga Aboriginal Aged Care Program in Sydney. Wyanga is a community-controlled organisation that offers culturally appropriate, trauma-informed care to Indigenous seniors in community and on country. Asha shares her reflections.

The Royal Commission into Aged Care made several recommendations specific to the needs of elderly Indigenous people. Wyanga fulfills these needs in a way that larger aged care providers cannot. They also provide employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people in the inner-Sydney region.

There is growing demand for the aged care services and, through my secondment, I was able to play a role in devising a strategy to prepare the organisation for expansion. That included a plan for recruitment, and consultation with staff to create formalised procedures to support their work with the Elders in the community.

I was initially quite nervous about how my skills would translate and how useful I could be, however, I was surprised by how warmly I was welcomed by Wyanga staff and how easy it was to adapt my skills to working in a small grass-roots organisation.

Being immersed in the Redfern community for six weeks was an invaluable experience that taught me so much about the history and resilience of Sydney's Indigenous population. I met so many passionate and committed people who have dedicated themselves to strengthening their community and mentoring future leaders. It was especially inspiring to meet prominent figures in the Yes campaign, who shared their stories and hope for the future.

Our partnership with Jawun

Through our ongoing support of Jawun, a non-profit organisation that works with Indigenous communities, we offer opportunities for our people to undertake skills-based secondments within Indigenous organisations. Our partnership commenced in 2011 and in 2014 we extended this support to include the Empowered Communities initiative.

Jawun means 'friend' in the Kuku Yalanji language of Queensland's Mossman Gorge and its logo represents Indigenous markings for a meeting place or camp fire. Together they reflect Jawun's vision of bringing together corporate, government, philanthropic and Indigenous organisations to support the capabilities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities across the country.