Located at Lot Fourteen in the heart of Adelaide, you’ll find The Circle, a First Nations Entrepreneur Hub established in partnership with the Australian Government and Government of South Australia.
With its 360 members, and counting, The Circle is a centre for South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs, thought leaders and creatives who own and operate businesses across education, the arts, hospitality, technology and more.
Three years in, The Circle has already seen some amazing success stories. Meet four local trailblazers making their mark on the state – and beyond.
Balya Productions
This 100 per cent Aboriginal owned and operated business is all about taking events to extraordinary heights through community, culture and connection. Balya – which means ‘good’ in the Gugada language – was founded by proud Gugada (Kokatha), Wirangu and Mirning woman Letisha Ackland, aka “sis”, who realised there weren’t any First Nations females steering major production companies on a national scale. Five years on, that’s no longer the case.
Balya has been behind the National Indigenous Music Awards and the NAIDOC March and Family Festival for three years running, established Yabaardu Festival in Letisha’s hometown of Ceduna (ARIA-winning artist Dan Sultan was this year’s headliner), and earned its founder a Person of the Year gong at the 2024 NAIDOC SA Awards.
While the excitement that comes with organising major events is great, her role as mentor is what Letisha relishes most: “Being an artist and being an advocate for First Nations artists, whether established or emerging, is amazing,” she says.
Nabanunga
Contemporary Aboriginal artist Stephanie Singh was given her “skin name”, Nabanunga, when she was born. Later on in life, this name – as well as her artist grandmother – inspired her to connect with her culture through painting. Word of mouth quickly got out, and the commissions kept (and keep on) coming.
While Stephanie’s stunning works sell themselves, The Circle has been a big source of support, she says, in providing exposure at important events like the National Reconciliation Week Breakfast and First Nations Business Showcase.
“My vision for Nabanunga is to celebrate First Nations people and culture through my art, which plays an integral part on the path to reconciliation in Australia,” says Stephanie.
“My journey has given me the opportunity to collaborate with government agencies, private entities, not-for-profits and individuals who have commissioned my art to share and embrace First Nations culture.”
VR Dreaming
Jordan Charles and his family are behind VR Dreaming, a virtual reality experience that transcends time, transporting participants back 20,000 years to explore the ancestral lands of the Kaurna people.
It’s all about building empathy through education, says Jordan, in a way that’s immersive and wonderfully visual. “People are tired of the tick and flick three-hour or five-day courses they’ve got to do, which are all black and white paper. We give them this cultural experience that’s fun, but also shares important stories that people don’t typically hear,” he says.
VR Dreaming’s 15-minute immersive experience takes individuals on a journey through Kaurna history, inspired by stories from Elders and the community, which Jordan’s dad has learned over the years – stories that were close to being forgotten as the Kaurna language headed towards extinction.
“The only other place that I’ve been able to see some of this information is at the museum,” says Jordan. “Other than that it’s word of mouth, so we’ve put it on a permanent platform where people can visually see it, hear it and understand.”
“We want people to know that we’re smart people who were able to survive for 60,000 years, and here’s why.”
Jordan also owns Yerta Fire Services, one of SA’s leading fire service providers. Yerta means ‘country’ or ‘land’ in Kaurna.
Gangurru Beverages
Rigby Barnes is a proud Guugu Yimithirr and Birri Gubba man, with family connections to the Eastern and Central Arrernte people in Central Australia. The name of his business, Gangurru Beverages, is inspired by the word “Kangaroo”, which originates from the Guugu Yimithirr word “Gangurru”.
“Guugu Yimithirr is Australia’s first recorded language, and the language of my grandfather, Hans Pearson, who afforded me the approval to use the name,” says Rigby.
Rigby’s no-sugar, low-calorie Gangurru Seltzer showcases native ingredients, including native lime and native river mint, while the can displays artwork by his brother Rohan ‘Mpetyane’ Carmody. “It proudly highlights the word Kangaroo and exhibits the world’s oldest living culture with Indigenous artwork,” he says.
What started as an enterprise project for his Executive MBA has become a popular brand, stocked in 56 retailers across South Australia and the Northern Territory. Gangurru Seltzer will be sold Australia-wide by November 2024.
The proud Circle member has been working with First Nations communities since 2008, including the Tjindu Foundation, plus NGOs and corporates, while supporting the foundation’s Aboriginal AFL Academy.
Inside the First Nations Business Showcase (SA)
Want to check out all the fabulous wares and services The Circle’s members have to offer? SA’s First Nations Business Showcase, proudly presented by The Circle, is the event for you.
Held during Indigenous Business Month (October 1 to 31), this exciting event is an opportunity for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses to exhibit their products and services, and is a celebration of First Nations representation across all SA sectors.
Last year’s event saw at least 140 First Nations business owners show their stuff to more than 1,500 guests, including prospective buyers – numbers the 2024 Showcase is on track to upstage! Expect booths filled with native food products, skincare, technology, and just about everything else between – plus a corridor dedicated to artists and creatives.
The event gives First Nations businesses the opportunity to be in control of promoting their own stories, products and services to industry and government, says The Circle Assistant Director Michael Levin. “It’s an amazing way to bring businesses together and also to celebrate and acknowledge the diversity and depth of the First Nations businesses in the state.”
While the event is targeted towards buyers from government and industry, almost all of the showcasing businesses sell their products and services via the usual means of ecommerce and social media.
The next First Nations Business Showcase, The Circle’s third, is on October 24, 2024 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Kaurna Country. Click here to register your attendance.
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