2009 winners
Premier's Reconciliation Award and Community Organisation Award winner
Yugambeh Museum Language and Heritage Research Centre for The Drumley Walk
The Drumley Walk is an annual 4-day walking pilgrimage from Beaudesert to Southport. The walk follows the footsteps of Beaudesert Aboriginal identity, Billy Drumley, who regularly completed the journey in the early 1900s to visit his sister and her family.
Beginning as a personal pilgrimage in 2005 by 2 cousins to pay their respects to Billy Drumley, the walk has grown significantly with more than 400 people participating in 2008. The wider community has embraced The Drumley Walk and it has become a forum for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to share stories and learn about nature and local history.
Emerging Business Award winner
Western Cape Centre Ltd
Western Cape Centre Ltd is an accommodation, training and conference facility located in the community of Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. The centre is owned by 3 western Cape York communities–Mapoon, Aurukun and Napranum–who represent 11 Traditional Owner groups in the region.
In alliance with Rio Tinto Alcan, Western Cape Centre Ltd provides cultural awareness training for all employees working in the Cape York region, including contractors and teachers. The comprehensive and valuable training, delivered by Traditional Owners, has fostered a harmonious existence between all those who live and work in the Cape York region.
Established Business Award winner
Qantas Airways Ltd
Qantas Airways Ltd, Australia’s largest airline, launched its Reconciliation Action Plan in November 2007, believing that genuine reconciliation happens through changes in the lives of individuals and families, and through real improvements in workplaces and communities. Qantas Airways Ltd has committed the organisation to contribute tangibly to that goal.
Since the plan's implementation, Qantas Airways Ltd has made remarkable progress, establishing an Indigenous Programs Unit, increasing the number of Indigenous staff by 25%, with the largest population of Indigenous staff located in Queensland, and promoting respect for Indigenous culture through in-flight entertainment programs and Acknowledgement of Country on certain flights.
Partnerships Award winner
Indigenous School Based Traineeship Program:
Warner Village Theme Parks and Sea World Resort and Water Park and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
The Indigenous School Based Traineeship Program is a partnership between Warner Village Theme Parks and Sea World Resort and Water Park and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, which offers traineeships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Beginning in January 2006 with 14 trainees and now with 33 students from rural and remote Queensland communities, the program provides an opportunity for students to learn from each other in a supportive environment, while encouraging them to become role models in their communities.
Last reviewed: 13 July 2009
