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YILETA
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NANYAK
A meaningful set of initiatives focused on employment, education, health and well-being. Each of these programs incorporate cultural identity and affirmation.
The value of these initiatives was quantified by an academic study from La Trobe University that concluded $1 invested generates $5.45 return in social value.
LOTJPA
An annual oration jointly sponsored by the Kaiela Institute and the University of Melbourne, in partnership with the Rumbalara Football Netball Club. The aim of this annual event is to host visionary leaders to deliver the Oration that will help inspire those present to create a shared vision for the people of the region.
This is a major event on the calendar that attracts educators, civic leaders and sports people from the Dungala Kaiela region, Melbourne and beyond.
MINHETGUDA
Historical decisions and an overwhelming introduced culture meant First Nations people in the Dungala Kaiela (Murray Goulburn) region were excluded from civic, financial and political decision-making. As a consequence we lived on the margins.
We exist to address this imbalance by supporting the dreams of First Nations people so they are no longer marginalised. We invest in leaders so they can create cultural, civic and economic value for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
YAPAMEYEPUKA
With collaborative investment we will shift the narrative to a shared sense of future and a shared sense of nationhood for First Nations peoples. To move from a point of imbalance, it is not about them and us, but we.
It is an innovative long-term whole-of-community change process to increase the prosperity and wellbeing of First Nations people in the Dungala Kaiela (Murray and Goulburn) region of northern Victoria. The intention is to improve and advance economic, social and cultural benefits for the whole region.
The Dungala Kaiela Foundation has recently established an endowment fund with 100% of returns being donated to our partner organisation, Rumbalara Football Netball Club to continue their award winning social, educational and economic programs which are outside of the Club’s sporting activities.
Rumbalara Football Netball Club is a critical and unique institution, it is the Nanyak (invincible spirit) of the community, strengthening First Nations people’s resilience, engaging with the broader community via sport and as a safe hub for its 300 members and their families to learn about and engage with the wider community and economy.
The endowment fund will permanently underpin the key social, educational, and economic programs so that they can be sustained for generations to come.
NGANI
The Foundation was established in 2008 as a non-profit company limited by guarantee. An independent Board that has Indigenous and non-Indigenous members is responsible for its governance. It has been audited each year without any qualification.
It is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission and has been endorsed by the ATO as a DGR1.
BURRA
BIYALA
Biyala, Yorta Yorta for red gum tree, is the symbol we have chosen for the patrons of our appeal. The Dungala (Murray) river on the ancestral lands of the Yorta Yorta forms the largest continuous natural river red gum-forest in the world. Strong in their foundations and lasting through many generations, the river red gums provide stability to the river banks.
YANA-DITEPA
ANGANYA
We work with a range of partners by funding programs across the social, arts, education and employment sectors to increase the prosperity and well being of First Nations people to the benefit of the whole community in the Dungala Kaiela (Murray and Goulburn) region of northern Victoria.
YAKAMA
Making a gift to the Dungala Kaiela Foundation means you are supporting initiatives that will empower First Nations people in the Dungala Kaiela region to achieve prosperity.
Every donor is thanked and will receive a progress report each year.
YAMUTJ
We welcome questions and enjoy sharing our stories. Please call us on (03) 5822 4364 or complete the form below and we will reply as soon as possible.
Chairman
Executive Director - Kaiela Institute
Paul Briggs is a Yorta Yorta man who has worked to build a sustainable, inclusive and engaged indigenous community through the empowerment of family and youth.
He is the Executive Chair of the Kaiela Institute, Former Chair of the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation, President of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club, Inaugural chair of the AFL Indigenous Advisory Group.
Paul has been at the forefront of Aboriginal peoples rights and advancement since the early 1970s. His leadership saw the establishment of a number of critical institutions including the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Heath Organisation, the Victorian Indigenous Leadership Network and First Nations Australian Credit Union, the first Indigenous credit union offering national access to financial services.
Board Member
CEO - Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative
Felicia Dean is the Chief Executive Officer of Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative and a proud business owner, managing The Connection, a multi-purpose function centre and restaurant.
Felicia is a local Yorta Yorta woman born and raised in the traditional area and is a mother to two daughters and proud grandmother of three burris.
She is heavily involved in her local Community, her knowledge and expertise in the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector is extensive. Felicia sits on numerous Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Boards.
Board Member
Active advocate for Indigenous people
Steven Rothfield is committed to social justice for the First Nations peoples of Australia. Since his retirement from a long career in general management, management consultancy, IT and finance 15 years ago, he has worked with Indigenous leaders on over 30 projects covering a range of community development areas including economic development, employment, education, governance, arts, sports and cultural development.
He has a Commerce degree, an MBA (Melbourne) and a CPA, and is also passionate about underwater marine life and photography.
He is currently on the Board of the Australian Communities Foundation, Kaiela Institute, Australian Women Donors Network and the Barpirdhila Foundation.
Board Member
Former Chairman of the Geelong Football Club
Colin Carter has long engaged with Indigenous organisations – as a director of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and as a founding director, and then chairman, of Jawun which encourages companies to engage with Indigenous Australia. He was appointed by Prime Minister Rudd to a role promoting Indigenous employment.
Colin’s career was with The Boston Consulting Group advising on strategic, organisational and governance issues. He has co-authored a book on governance, ‘Back to the Drawing Board’.
He has been a director of many non-profit organisations and publicly listed companies. He was also an AFL Commissioner and until recently was chairman of the Geelong Football Club.
Colin has a Commerce degree (Melbourne) and an MBA (Harvard).
Board Member
Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young people (Victoria)
Justin Mohamed is the inaugural Victorian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People. Mr Mohamed is a proud Aboriginal man of the Gooreng Gooreng nation near Bundaberg in Queensland.
He has dedicated the past 25 years to working towards building a stronger and healthier nation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Mr Mohamed has spent much of his career working in the Aboriginal health and sport sectors, improving outcomes and connections to culture for Aboriginal people, including children.
Biyala
Retired AFL Chairman
As a West Australian kid living in Manjimup and then in Perth I was very keen on footy. I supported East Perth and their centreman at the time was the great Syd Jackson, who later crossed to Carlton. When I was invited to accompany the Blues on a pre-season trip in 1974, there he was, one of my heroes in real life. Syd and I always had the WA connection, and he looked after me in those early games, kicking those long, perfectly placed balls just in front and above, where you want them.
Over the years we have come across each other infrequently, particularly after he moved to Canberra, but the Carlton connection is always strong. This year, Syd will be the Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree.
On the AFL Commission there was, and I am sure still is, a focus on Indigenous issues. We saw ourselves as an organisation which could make a difference to Indigenous lives. One of several initiatives was to measure the impact of the AFL, for example tracking Indigenous player and coach percentages. The conclusion was that we were largely succeeding in the former and failing in the latter.
We appointed a committee to develop the AFL’s Indigenous Action Plan and we kept the issue front of mind amongst our fans with the annual Dreamtime at the G game and the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.
It was during this time at the AFL that I met Paul Briggs, the President of the Rumbalara organisation in Shepparton. Paul was committed, intelligent and quietly forceful, prepared to explain Indigenous perspectives in a clear, and sometimes uncompromising way. The AFL benefited greatly from that interaction, particularly from his inaugural chairmanship of the AFL’s national Indigenous Advisory Board.
So, when he asked me to be a Biyala I was happy to help. Simply put, the duties are to assist in promoting Rumbalara and help raise an endowment of $5 million to provide Rumbalara with steady income indefinitely, and to reduce reliance on government programs. It is an innovative approach, but Paul does not lack ideas! The First Nations Australian Credit Union, the Victorian Indigenous Leadership Network and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation have all benefited from his leadership.
Biyala
Gravel Road Foundation
I’ve been lucky. I’ve been dealt a winning hand. I’m a white man, living in Australia in the 21st century. I’ve had opportunity that not everyone else has had.
I’m also uncomfortably aware of the divide in our country and the shameful way we have treated our indigenous Australians. But it’s not enough to just feel like something is wrong – I have to try and do something about it.
When I heard about what was happening at Rumbalara and, importantly, how they were going about it, I was intrigued. Paul and his team are not angry or bitter – even though they have every right to be. Instead, they are trying to drive change through inclusiveness, understanding and pride in their heritage. By providing education programs, they keep kids in schools which is great for everyone. By educating kids on their ancestors, culture and language, they instill a sense of pride in who they are and where they came from – a sense of belonging. When they create a safe place for people of all backgrounds and by opening their arms to non-indigenous Australians, they are fostering understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
Rumbalara isn’t just about the Yorta Yorta people – it’s about the whole community. It is a simple but powerful program, led by an amazing group of people. Being a Biyala means being an advocate for the Yorta Yorta people and adding my voice in support of theirs. It is my dream that this program can be successful for the Yorta Yorta people and the whole community, and then goes on to be held up as a template for other programs around this country. Then we really will have made a difference.