Meet Finance’s Ana Vrancic, who recently completed an immersive 6-week Jawun APS Secondment Program on Yolŋu Country in North-East Arnhem Land – a stronghold of vibrant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, and home to the annual Garma Festival.
The APS partnership with Jawun is designed to develop greater self-sufficiency for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities, while also providing a cultural education to participants.
Ana was seconded to the Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation (LHAC), where she supported the management team in strengthening corporate and board governance by conducting an internal review, preparing a workshop and updating governance packs.
 L - Ana Vrancic, M - Yananymul Mununggurr, Chairperson of LHAC, R - Glenda Abraham, CEO of LHAC |
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LHAC serves 30 homelands in North-East Arnhem Land – playing a vital role in delivering services and infrastructure, liaising with government and stakeholders, and representing the interests of its members across the Laynhapuy homelands.
These services are delivered in a unique context of Yolngu leadership, knowledge and connection to the country. As Diambawa Marawili, leader of Baniyala Homeland, beautifully explains:
“The land has everything it needs, but it could not speak. It could not express itself, tell its identity, so it grew a tongue. That is the Yolŋu. That is me. We are the tongue of the land – grown by the land so we can sing who it is. We exist so we can paint the land. That is our job: paint and sing and dance so the land can feel good and express its true identity.”
During the secondment, Ana and her Jawun colleagues also volunteered for the Thrive Program by preparing daily lunches for Dhupuma Barker School students. This experience allowed Ana to connect with community members and learn directly from their lived experiences.
Reflecting on her experience, Ana observed that respecting the diversity of First Nations culture, strengthening First Nations leaders’ capability to drive positive change, and embracing a both-ways learning and teaching approach are key to advancing reconciliation.
For more information on how the Jawun APS Secondment Program is creating connections between Indigenous organisations and government, visit the Jawun website.
