Nancy Tjungupi Carnegie is an artist and preserver of bush medicine. Nancy was born near Patjarr at a place called Pandaltjarra where she lived a traditional life into early adulthood. She is a prolific painter and avid hunter, often leaving Patjarr on foot to pursue tinka (goanna) in the remote Pila Nature Reserve. Nancy is currently the chairperson for Patjarr community and represents Patjarr’s interests as a director with Warakurna Artists.
As Thomas visited communities in the ËÄÉ«AV group, he met with Nancy.
“Nancy predominantly speaks in the ËÄÉ«AV dialect with an occasional English word, so I generally communicate with her through a translator. On this occasion, Angelica McLean was with me and helping us to have a conversation together,” Thomas recalls.
“Nancy was kindly congratulating me on my appointment, but it was one word that was familiar to me that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to ask Angelica to get Nancy to repeat what she had just said,”
“I heard the words SILOS,”
“My first thought was, ‘How does she even know this word as a woman living on these lands for many years’”
It wasn’t an ultimatum, but it was undoubtedly a strong invitation. Even Nancy, removed from the politics and machinations of an Aboriginal Corporation, could spot something evident to her: silos within an organisation are a recipe for dysfunction.
“So obvious were some of these silos that Nancy could spot them from thousands of kilometres away. I found that sobering,” Thomas said.
“As I have navigated the early stages of my role as CEO of ËÄÉ«AV Council, Nancy’s words have been among those that have fuelled my work,”
“But our mission is to see Yarnangu leading lives filled with purpose and agency, thriving in a culture-rich environment—for their aspirations to stay on country be realised,”
“Every time we make a decision that moves us closer to this, whether it’s in the area of CDP, employment, housing, community development, company culture and values, or bringing our brand into alignment across the Council, we move one step closer to ‘removing the silos’ and realising the aspirations of Yarnangu on the lands,” Thomas said.
Silos can thwart progress, no doubt, but confronting them in any institutional setting is complex, sometimes slow, work.
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