Sponsors & Supporters

Sponsors

Strategic Sponsor, Community Enterprises Australia

Community Enterprises Australia – CEA

Community Enterprises Australia CEA is a not for profit company managing Community Development and Employment Programs (CDEP) in NT, WA, Qld and TI and Horn Islands and is one of  the largest providers of CDEP programs in Australia.

We provide CDEP services to  16 communities in the NT in the McDonnell Shire Ranges, 6 Communities in the East Kimberly, to 5 communities in East Arnhem Land,  Aurukun, Napranum and Old Mapoon in Queensland.  We also provide services to Thursday Island and 15 outer Islands of the Torres Strait. These are all remote sites ranging up to 800km from the nearest large town.

Employ indigenous staff – CEA employs staff locally whenever possible and 85% of CEA staff is indigenous, our retention rate is high and this is because we invest in staff development and training and support them through mentoring.

Projects – Some of the projects CEA is currently supporting through CDEP is the Napranum farm, Scherger Detention Centre,  swimming pool Aurukun, basketball court Billiluna, Aquaponics  Kalumburu,  cemetery refurbishment and War Memorial Mapoon. The roll out of 9 hydroponics farms with a commercial focus will also be undertaken over the next 12 months.

Christopher Thiesfield & Associates Pty Ltd – New sponsor in 2012- thank you!

Majority indigenous owned company specializing in accredited training in rural and remote parts of Australia in the areas of Horticulture & Rural Operations.  We also supply and install solar powered home and community hydroponic units for the consistent year round supply of fresh vegetables.

Darwin Regional Indigenous Advancement and CDEP Inc.

Darwin Regional Indigenous Advancement & CDEP Inc. (DRIACDEP) is a peak indigenous body delivering a broad range of social, economic and cultural programs to Aboriginal people and their communities throughout the broader Darwin region.

Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation – CDEP

Aboriginal organisation servicing the Fitzroy Valley – Kimberley area, Western Australia.

Alice Beilby, Savanna Solutions Pty Ltd

Savanna Solutions Pty Ltd is a Katherine based consultancy and contract business that works in the natural resource management and primary industries sector across the Northern Tropical Savanna. The company also undertakes community consultation, feasibility studies and business planning for enterprise development.

In-kind Sponsors

The Plantsmith

The Plantsmith supplies potted herbs, food plants, punnet vegetables and herbs. Simon Smith has been supplying plants to remote indigenous communities for over 25 years from various nurseries.

A very warm welcome and THANK YOU to our new Sponsors!!!

Individual Supporters

Individuals make things happen.

Sometimes it can be difficult for organisations to publicly support an initiative such as RIG Network and we understand that.

By signing up as an Individual Supporter you will be joining an informal team of experts and volunteers drawn from communities, business, training, and health groups, non-government and government organisations.

As appropriate, we will:

• seek your input to help respond to technical and other requests for support from communities, projects and individuals, where queries align with your areas of interest and expertise.
• Include you in RIG’s email Q&A’s to help respond to people in remote areas who seek advice
• acknowledge you on the RIG website.
• work with you to promote and progress projects/programs that you’re involved with that align with RIG Network’s mission statement.

By linking people up, undertaking research, and sharing information about ‘past & present’ food and garden projects we’re working to build better practice and more sustainable outcomes in culturally engaging, relevant ways.

Our newsletters reach some 5000 – 10 000 people, and hundreds of people have registered with the Network via this website or by email. Our email network enables us to link and respond to queries quickly.  We’re currently replacing the old ‘Forums’ section of this website with an external RIG Network Facebook page.

Facebook is one place to share ideas, tips and chat….

BUT to  get more directly involved please sign up as an Individual Supporter – email us at rig [at] remoteindigenousgardens.net.

A very warm WELCOME to new Individual Supporters who have joined us in 2011.

Kim Courtenay

I am a lecturer in horticulture at Kimberley TAFE who through practical training programs actively promotes the concept of fresh food gardens.

Gianna Bonis-Profumo

I am a Community Development Officer, Nutrition & Food Security, Australian Red Cross.

Don Duggan from Triodia Consultancy

Triodia Consultancy is an Aboriginal business. Don has over three decades of experience in landscaping, horticulture and vegetation management. His expertise lies in delivering practical, project based training in remote Aboriginal communities.

Desleigh Dunnett

I am a fully qualified Horticulturalist who has worked in the industry, including nursery, agricultural and amenities, since 1990.  I was a trainer with CDU for several years delivering horticulture to remote Indigenous communities and am now working with Aboriginal Researchers providing, training, support and mentoring to a Network which is spread across the Top End of the NT.

Dr Andrew Hamilton

Andrew is an academic at The University of Melbourne’s Department of Agriculture and Food Systems. He constructs models of agricultural and natural systems, with a view to providing practical decision tools for practitioners and decision makers. He has particularly applied his skills to the area of recycled water irrigation of food crops, but also the management of arthropod pests in vegetable crops. Andrew is an expert in the field of Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA), particularly its application to recycled water irrigation. Andrew has contributed research in this field to the World Health Organisation and locally (Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling). Andre is new to food production in remote Indigenous communities, but is keen to apply his skills to these systems.

Slay Herro from iSustainable

I’m a Director of iSustainable. We are a food security company concerned with the state of circumstances in remote areas. Being an indigenous company and given we are a food security business, it is only natural we have a special interest in assisting where we can, and feel the work RIG is doing is of great benefit. I applaude the efforts and works of RIG, and look forward to a long and productive relationship with them.

Charlotte McCabe

I’m a teacher currently on maternity leave on Elcho Island, Galiwin’ku. I think growing food anywhere is a great way to get outside, learn about healthy food, and work together. Growing food at Elcho is especially important because peak oil and climate change might make fresh fruit and vegetables very expensive in the near future. Remote communities need to get back to being self sufficient! Say no to take away foods!!!

Gerard McEvilly

I am a freelance consultant with extensive agribusiness and program management experience, including thirteen years with Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL). I have an extensive knowledge of horticulture industries and research in Australia and work in association with several leading consultancy groups, including E3 International, Catalyst R&D (NZ), Scholefield Robinson, Supply Chain STO and Quadrant. Recent projects have covered a broad range of supply chain and sustainability issues, including training for the nursery industry, integrated pest management in vegetables, biomass co-firing for power generation ands peri-urban agriculture.

I have a particular interest in education and training. I currently teach Honours students in horticulture supply chains at Sydney University  and initiated, with Rural Press, the Guide to Careers and Courses in Horticulture. I currently serve on the organising team for the International Horticulture Congress, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane in 2014. I am very keen to explore ways that RIG can interact with this major event to improve Indigenous and Pacific Islander health and well-being.

Lachlan McKenzie

Lachlan has been a Permaculture enthusiast since completing a Permaculture Design Course in 1994. He completed an apprenticeship in 1999, and then volunteered (2001) and subsequently worked in East Timor for five years working with Timorese and internationals to provide training and to establish demonstration sites. This culminated in the writing and production of a Permaculture Guidebook for East Timor with Timorese Permaculture expert Ego Lemos and the local NGO Permatil, along with development of many other training materials.  These included an accompanying Facilitators book that was written with IDEP Foundation as well as an educational DVD, developed during a year spent working in Aceh and Bali in Indonesia.

Lachlan now resides in Darwin and is working to help set up Lakeside Drive Community Garden in Alawa, permaculture gardens at Millner Primary School and Jabiru Youth Centre, and providing permaculture and organic gardening workshops with other Darwin specialists. In 2010 he co-organised and facilitated a Permaculture Design Course in Darwin.

Lachlan says that he sees working in and with remote communities as an opportunity to help transfer permaculture skills, and more importantly the knowledge that he learnt in East Timor and Indonesia. The main goals are to see remote communities become more self reliant, have more access to locally grown food and to have livelihood opportunities related to local food production.

Michelle Pipino, Darwin

Yvonne Tan

I’m a public health nutritionist. I work in remote communities to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. I believe that growing local food can assist with food security in remote communities and also encourage a more independent and sustainable way of food accessibility and promote healthy lifestyles.