This month, we place the spotlight on spotlight on Deanna Furze. Deanna, who recently had the honour of being included in the One Bunbury publication, works at SWDC in a role focused on Aboriginal empowerment and prosperity.
Deanna has worked at the Commission for about 19 years, having originally joined our team in the role of Regional Coordinator – Warren Blackwood role after coming from community and youth development at the Shire of Capel. Prior to this, she worked in the not-for-profit sector. Deanna has experience in facilitation, consultation, economic, youth and regional development as well as strategic planning and community engagement.
What is the focus of your work and a typical day for you at SWDC? The focus of my work is Aboriginal empowerment and prosperity. SWDC’s new strategic plan places this as one of our 5 key priorities, and I’m excited to assist with its implementation. My work sees me connecting with key regional stakeholders such as Regional Aboriginal Corporations within the South West, Aboriginal businesses and government agencies. I also work internally within SWDC to support the work of all our staff regarding Aboriginal Empowerment and Prosperity. I’m in the office two days a week so a typical day can see me meeting with representatives of Aboriginal Corporations to map and understand employment and industry needs as well as enabling connections between Aboriginal businesses and support agencies. I also advocate for Aboriginal-led strategic regional projects within the South West.
What sort of support can you provide? I work with a wide range of stakeholders within the region from small Corporations and businesses to larger, more corporate type Corporations and industry members. I work to advocate for priority regional issues, identify gaps in the Aboriginal empowerment and prosperity eco-system and facilitate connections between state and federal government agencies and industry.
What is a project you have most enjoyed working on during your time at the Commission? A project I’ve really enjoyed working on recently was assisting with and supporting the establishment of the South West Aboriginal Women’s Collective and its two roundtable events. The research confirms what we have intuitively known for a long time – that enabling and empowering women can result in transformational societal change. The South West Aboriginal Women’s Collective is about just that, enabling women to work collaboratively on projects that address priority community issues such as economic empowerment, equitable education and access to priority services. It’s been a pleasure to have supported discussions on the establishment of this Collective over the past couple of years and it’s been so rewarding to see over 120 Aboriginal women from around the region recently come together to formalise the entity and develop a “road map” of priorities to address. SWDC has also supported the Collective and its first roundtable financially through sponsorship.
What do you like best about living and working in the South West? I love being an active member of my community and affecting positive change. I live locally, in Withers, and I also enjoy using my skills to organise free community events for the people that live in this area to build community connections. I work part time so that I can be present for my children and family and this also enables me to be part of committees and Boards. I recently had the honour of being included in the One Bunbury publication; a demonstration of community capacity in Bunbury showcasing 100 inspiring people in the community. It was a privilege to be involved.
Deanna Furze was photographed by Ben Yew for the One Bunbury project.