Building Community Through Clean Energy

Black Cast, Unite our voices.

Welcome to the Black Magic Woman Podcast with Mandanara Bailey. Hey you Mob, Welcome back to this special episode at the First Nation's Clean Energy Network Summit here on the Sunshine Coast, which brings this guest here to the table, brings me to a conversation that I had at a summit, the Indigenous Leadership Summit in nam and Michael Frangos jumped on and had a yarn as a non Indigenous brother.

Yeah, awesome.

Tommy Hicks, Head of Cultural and Community and Indigenous Entergy Australia. But on my mother's side, so kind of that place northeast of Perth, and people always ask me what's out there, and there's not a whole heap to describe, so it's near and then I'm Norunger on my father's side, so butterfish people from the Openinsula in South Australia.

Living in Perth.

Allegedly, Yeah, I spent a lot of time in the Virgin Lounge. In the Virgin Lounge, yeah yeah, clocking up the km so yeah, yeah, the team shipsing around the country to do a few bits and pieces.

So privileged privilege was how much of the country I get to see?

I was gonna say, in terms about talking about country, that's what we're doing here at this summit.

What's been some of the highlights for you so far?

Uh?

Just the people Always I think, like, like you know, I just did a chart and in my acknowledgment and country always talking about country for me being being about stories and stories of place, but also stories of people and getting to getting to kind of like bump into

That's always a highlight for me.

I love that seeds that have been planned and need watering a little bit. I always think about these opportunities, as you know, we get together. We have all these yarns, non abitional people coming here, and then there's nothing. It's like radio silence. How have you been able to kind of stay engaged with these conversations or make sure that some of these seeds that have been planted actually you know, start growing and you know there's conversations keep happening.

Look, I'm privileged enough to work directly in this industry, Like I'm in the thick of a lot of weather work happens, and I think what makes it feel like nothing is that it's the space, you know, so we don't always get to see each other. And it's really fast paced industry in general. So like you blink sometimes and you haven't seen Fallows for six months and you're like, oh, what's going on again?

So how do I stay engaged?

Look privileged enough to be a shareholder in our company as well, and the decision making out that director level is very aligned, and we make sure we put our gennas on the ground everywhere we go and soak those

Tell me about the work that you do.

What we call ourselves an advert consultant, So we're kind of coining that term at the moment, so advocate consultant. It's a really nice way to say, we'll argue with you about the job first and then make sure the job gets done right.

So now we consult in infrastructure.

So it's a lot of kind of like the main two things are engagement and then infrastructure advisory, but the high level thing and you know, Michael probably unpack this quite a bit in his episode, but it's just about again now it comes from a mob out of infrastructure, infrastructure being those kind of physical foundations of life. So we'll get involved with anything, you know. Two weeks ago I was in Parliament having a chat with the Federal Minister.

And what have you seen in terms of progress in the work that you do, the space that you're in in the sector in general?

I think people's capability, Like it is a new space. This industry is quite quite young, and my background has been in like education, social work, systems, design that type of stuff. So for me, I'm eighteen months in full time and it's like there's been people kind of like growing on that journey with me as well and being able to kind of transfer a lot of that.

But I think, yeah, people's really.

Starting to kind of understand the space, and particularly you know, I think in NATOK and that next generation comes through just just bumping into some pretty pretty smooth young operators around there doing really good things. Yeah, I think that that's something that can continues to change and grow.

And in terms of within the business, have you got staff that you're employing now, what does it look like?

Yeah, Look, any professional services firm grows and shrinks, so so you know, we've had a bit of a growing a shrink lately, which is which is really good.

One some new projects.

But there's about probably roughly twenty of us at the moment, and we've got plans to grow. And the growth for us has really been about scaling impact rather than you know, scaling scaling the bank balance.

So yeah, to bring people on.

I had eighteen staff two years ago, down to like seven. But the impact in other works that I do as a consultant, delivery, training and supporting, just uplifting the cultural capability and confidence for my clients to then engage with people like you, but more particular, like just any black follower in general, how do people operate on Aboriginal terms as a non avitual person.

How can they you know? Well, more importantly, they.

Need to see themselves as visitors on other people's countries, not experts, and they need to realize that when they're on our turf or in our communities, that they should be students and they're there to learn from us, and we will teach them much more than you know they're going to teach us. So trying to get them to understand these two very different worlds and how they can

Land will look after us.

So how do we get non Aboriginal people to really see this as an area of interest, Like it's kind of urgent when you think about climate change.

Yeah, and it's a great question. And what I'm going to say is fundamentally at odds with speed.

But it's it's it's mostly.

About why, you know, Like it's I was just on stage and I said, you know, we really should be growing things out of why. And to bring non Aboriginal people into that space and help them understand our why starts to really paint a picture of how we operate

I think, what's some of the lessons that you've learned being in business that you could share with some of our listeners, especially young mob It might be in their startup, they might be a little bit more mature, it might be struggling.

I think, Look, my sense of identity helps me step into a lot of these spaces and it really helps me. I always say I'm pretty good, I kind of popping my head above the tall grass and saying, you know, are we going in the right direction here, and actively play that role for the company. But if I to give any advice, it's really get comfortable speaking from your perspective. And it's funny that a lot of the things that make my methodology all the things we do as a company really work.

It's things I was taught as a.

Young person, like really young before I even started my career, So just how to move and how to speak and connect with people, and showface and those different types of things.

You start working that into how you do your work. So I think really, if.

You, especially if you work with black flos, really really trusting that and then a bit more from the scary perspective as to see of agendas out there and really taking the time to kind of hear what other people's wives are will really really help you navigate some of those spaces really well. So listening and responding accordingly, what are you.

Most proud of in terms of some of your business achievements?

To be honest, I pinched myself sometimes just to think, like, I work for a house that I've played a huge role in building, you know, and I take massive pride in knowing there's about, you know, fifteen kids of our company, and I play a big role in putting food on the table, center to school, or getting them a body electric secuter and those types of things. That's a huge thing. I think business will always be business and we'll grow

We're not corporates that can reach back into our community.

So just that ethos in our company culture is something I'm incredibly proud of.

Too deadly.

I just want to yel with you, but I know you've got to get on a plane and jet back over to Wadjack Nongam learning my words it. I was schooled by Uncle Laura Maguire teaching me when I was over there some of the language that I needed to use, not needed to should use, and just being respectful. And that's as a black woman going to another country, making sure that I've got the right people guiding me. And

Have you seen that a lot?

Yeah, Yeah, I definitely have. And it's a challenge.

We've got this prerogative to really kind of unite with opportunity, so we try and use that character get people to come together and sitting in sitting in those kind of generational riffs often caused by things like coal mining or mining and irresponsible business creating has and have not. It's like we all as black files, we will understand what those things feel like. And families that haven't spoken for so long, and those types of things and check native

Like everything I.

Do, I'd love to employ local people to give me that context and that type of thing. So the value put on place based understanding are just boots on the ground, Like, we value that massively highly. Yeah, and it's and it's yeah, led to some unbelievable opportunities and wins to deadline.

So what's on the horizon for you and your company the work that you're doing, and I think you.

Can share with this.

Yeah, look, we're pretty transparent about what we do as well, and what's on the horizon more growth, I think like we really we really have taken the time to figure out if what we do works and now we're confident in that and we've we've kind of pushed the accelerator on growing, which comes with a number of challenges, especially being a young leader like I turned twenty nine on Tuesday, So still still pretty young for a person working at this level.

But happy birthday, Thank you. No, I appreciate it.

I think, yeah, there's there's it's just this methodology that works, I think. And it's just all about understanding what followers want and understanding how our project or something happening makes that happen, you know, in a way that's defined by them.

That's the most important part.

So really trying to develop our footprint now and get around the place and pick up some of the circumstances, you know, And that's the main thing. And we're talking here about economic development, but coming from that social kind of background, adopting that first things first stuff.

You know, if the water don't work, don't worry about a job, you know, like.

People are dying twenty years earlier, fifteen years early in remote places. You get talking about job skills and money just doesn't cut it at the minute.

So yeah, and here I am like fe feeling really proud to seeing other black fellows thriving and just reminding myself of how deadly it is to be a black feller and just to see other deadly black fellows and there's not enough of us out there promoting the things that we're doing. So it's good for podcasts like this where we can share these stories without big noting, but just share and you know the work that we do and what drives us.

I was going to say one last thing before we wrap up.

You know you're flying around, You're all over the country, You're hardly ever home. What do you do in terms of just kind of I don't know whether it's to feel your carple to look after your mental health? How do you how do you look after you?

It's a great question, to be honest, It's still something I'm figuring out. Like I kind of grew up as a young person really have routine, so developing that now is a challenge, especially with the travel and those types of things. But the other side of that is I've always operated in a bit of chaos.

So still figuring it out. What I do like to do is connect with people and connect with place. I love food too, Like I love getting around and be like, oh yeah, I got to eat at this place.

With that I have it, Yeah, quite a simple, simple thing and just but always look forward to geting home and some serial and PlayStation that type of thing.

So let's how you switch off because being a business owner myself, I can't switch off.

There's just always something to do.

There's something I forgot, there's another project, another client, another email, another staff member, another.

Idea, another business.

I'm constantly, you know, on, switched on, and i sometimes find it hard to switch off. And I've got kids that kind of want me to be present and to be their mum and not just you know, take calls at all hours of the night.

So I've learned now twelve.

Years in to put boundaries around my time and my energy.

But very inspiring.

I know a lot of the people that I work with that are probably some of the people you work with. We should do another yard where we're not on camera but talking about business and how we can even refer work and clients to each other, because there's a lot of people that probably need the advice that you followers could give them because it's not the sector that I play in, but as a black woman that is very much committed to creating a much more it's not a better country.

I just want a healthy planet. I want my.

Children and my grandchildren to have access to clean air and clean water. And that's at the moment, it seems like a big ask, So thank you for the work that you're doing and continue to do when you're only twenty nine far out.

I'm fair really old at the moment.

For all of you younger mob, it's you know, the world's your oyster. Take those opportunities with two hands and run with it. There's nothing stopping us, and there's more black businesses popping up left, right and center. So I can't wait to hear more and to follow your journey. Thank you for stopping in last minute and jumping on the Black Magic on podcast.

I really appreciate it. Thanks for the opportunity.

Yeah, I a bit of a quiet fan and follower of yours too, so oh stop.

Nice to see all.

The things you do and give the follows the platform to kind of say these things. I'm definitely a victim of not saying enough, like not not really social media operator, but thank you for the opportunity.

Here we all have a social media now my brother for all our listeners. If you want to know more, especially around the clean energy, this space Renewable Energy, the First Nations Clean Energy Network. There's a lot of resources on their website, but will also connect you to this brother's business. So look, Thank you again, safe travels back to your country, and for our listeners, I hope you've enjoyed this Deadly yarn. Until next time, bye for now.

A big shout out to all you.

Deadly Mob and allies who continue to listen, watch, and support our podcast.

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The Black Magic Woman podcast is produced by Clint Curtis