Delvene Cockatoo-Collins: Indigenous success should never be blocked by prejudice
Facing prejudice is not a new concept for Aboriginal business people. But whatever the hurdles, we will continue to forge a new path for the benefit of all, writes North Stradbroke Island’s Delvene Cockatoo-Collins.
Opinion
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ONE hundred and ten years ago, my grandmother’s grandmother wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper to dispel some of the untruths written about the Aboriginal women of Moongalba, on my homeland of North Stradbroke Island.
In her submission to The Truth, she writes that she wants to “safely contradict” inaccurate allegations.
It’s a remarkable statement of defiance and resistance to a narrative about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that has existed since colonisation.
And yet, sadly, history repeats.
Last weekend, this newspaper reported on allegations of financial trouble by the Stradbroke Island Chamber of Commerce directed at the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) that was established in 2011 to manage the native title interests of our people. As an Aboriginal business, QYAC receives more scrutiny than the usual audits and reporting.
The oldest trick in the book is to cast doubt about the financial viability of Aboriginal businesses as it plays to tired old stereotypes stuck in colonial-era mindsets. It’s a mindset that sees successful Aboriginal businesses as a threat, not as an asset.
My mum experienced this mindset in the 1990s when she bought a small business in Moranbah with my dad. They couldn’t escape the persistent questions about whether they were “being subsidised by ATSIC” and asking mum “who was going to do the book work”, as if the idea of this Aboriginal mother administering the accounts was utterly absurd. For those with less experience in the subtleties of prejudice, this is how it operates.
I am a local Quandamooka businesswoman whose work received national and international exposure through my designs on the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games medals, as well as the large inflatable Migaloo yalingbila (whale) during the opening ceremony. I run my own retail studio at Goompee (Dunwich) and my products are distributed through various outlets, including the Art Gallery of Queensland and Museum of Brisbane.
And yet, I was recently asked by a local businessman “who is subsidising your shop rent?” This question typifies the prejudiced belief of a lack of capacity of Aboriginal people to manage a business.
It is clear from the experiences of my great-great Grandmother, my mother and me that these attitudes and assumptions are ones we have been resisting since colonisation, and it is therefore tempting to think that things haven’t changed since 1910. But that misunderstands the changes happening on our island.
Native title has elevated historically excluded Quandamooka voices to the tables of decision-making. This has, in turn, through initiatives like the Quandamooka Festival, raised the profile of businesses across the region. The world is changing, inevitably causing discomfort for some.
As an Aboriginal woman and business owner, my response is to change, adapt and innovate, and the response to coronavirus is one example of that. My small business is reliant on people visiting the island but there is no doubt the health and wellbeing of our whole community is the top priority. So while the coronavirus limits visitors, I’ve adapted my business model.
This is what Aboriginal people and businesses do when faced with challenges. We innovate. We adapt. We lead. And we will continue to call out intolerance.
The unique hurdle of inherent prejudice still exists as does the resistance to it, and things are changing.
Whatever the hurdles, we will continue to hold true to the heritage gifted to us by our ancestors, while forging a new path that is Quandamooka-led and for the benefit of all.
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is a Quandamooka artist and small business owner on North Stradbroke Island.