Working away feverishly in an office within the Pilbara Native Title Service at South Hedland sits Business Development Officer, Cris Olegario, who is drawing on his wealth of business experience to assist local Indigenous groups to identify, develop and manage business opportunities.

Newcrest has assisted PNTS in engaging Cris to help the local Indigenous people capitalise on business opportunities flowing from the Telfer project and other resource development activities in the Pilbara. Cris is not short of ideas, either his own or those presented to him from various sources in the past several months. Presently he is investigating the feasibility of establishing a 2.5 hectare nursery for the propagation of Gubinge seedlings. Gubinge? It’s a native stone fruit, not unlike a plum, round, green in colour and sour to taste. Excellent flavouring for cakes and salads, apparently. The seedlings could be sold to generate an income stream, while the nursery itself could provide employment opportunities. Consideration of other business opportunities is progressing on several fronts.

They include an industrial laundry, mobile car washing and steam pressure cleaning, manufacturing of health shoes, recycling of surplus equipment and parts, an international grocery and spices shop, and aquaculture. Cris is also committed to conducting business training courses. “The level of business knowledge and expertise and management skills amongst the communities is not generally high,” Cris said. “However, there has been a big and positive shift in attitudes recently. The community leaders are now beginning to appreciate the importance and values successful businesses can bring to their communities. It’s an important first step.”

Mark your diaries – this year’s Western Desert Smarter Than Smoking Shield, the showcase clash between indigenous football teams from remote parts of WA, is set for August 12.

The fixture has been the feature curtain-raiser to Western Derby fixtures hosted by the West Coast Eagles since Fremantle joined the AFL in 1995. In the ensuing years, those arriving early to the main event saw some spectacular examples of the lightning speed, innate skills and raw talent of young Indigenous footballers. They had come to play footy at Subiaco Oval from as far away as the Western Desert, the Central Desert, the Gascoyne-MidWest, the Goldfields and the South-West.

When the event’s original sponsor retired, Newcrest accepted the invitation to help ensure the continuation of this important radition and opportunity for young Aboriginals to present their football credentials in front of thousands of fellow West Australians at the home of football in WA. The event also enjoys the strong support of the Western Desert Puntukurnuparna Aboriginal Corporation, the Department of Sport and Recreation, Smarter Than Smoking, and the West Coast Eagles.