The Orange Sky team is currently approaching its third leg on our remote venture, where we hope to visit as many remote communities as possible from April to June 2021. With their hearts full, washing baskets empty and the Northern Territory now in their rear-view mirror, the team now has their sights set on Cape York as they continue to grow Orange Sky’s understanding and relationships with remote communities across the country.
On board the van, Rosco is Richard Cassady; a Traditional Owner from Palm Island and Cultural Navigator for the trip. Richard has played an important role, in a similar capacity, in the rollout of Orange Sky’s Palm Island service, which is one of three remote services currently in operation across Australia.
‘More than a word. Reconciliation takes action’ is the theme for National Reconciliation Week this year, urging a reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. To break it down further, we turned to Richard to ask what this means to him through the lens of a Cultural Navigator.
Taking some time out in the shade at Fitzroy Crossing, escaping the notorious Top End heat, Richard shares a candid yarn with our team about all things Reconciliation Week and the importance of creating a ‘together space’ through organisations like Orange Sky.
“Here’s the thing, mob will tell you very clearly whether there’s quality in your program or not. They’ll engage and say – hey this is absolutely great – or they’ll vote with their feet and go to the footy. So for me, when I see the level of engagement, I think Orange Sky’s doing some really great things in terms of engaging with people.
“Whether you’re a First Person in a remote setting, or someone in Perth or in Brisbane, Orange Sky is engaging with humanity without condition and I reckon that’s a pretty cool space to occupy.”
You can watch Richard’s full interview below. To learn more about how we’re supporting remote communities, click here.
Orange Sky currently operates three remote services. If you would like to support us to expand our services in remote communities, please consider a donation.
