AHED - Arnhem Human Enterprise Development - Image by David Reid

Meet the Facilitation Team

Tim and Kama Trudgen are the key initiators of the AHED project and are the first facilitators to make the move onto an Indigenous community in NE Arnhem Land. They will do the initial work of establishing the project in a community and will continue to play a major role in developing the project over time. Both can communicate in Yolŋu (Yolngu) Matha (the major Indigenous language of the NE Arnhem Land region) and have existing relationships throughout NE Arnhem Land. They bring a wide variety of skills and expertise, as well as great passion to the project.

Timothy Trudgen
Kama Trudgen
Jessie Pangas
Ben Pangas
Supporters and Affiliates

Timothy Trudgen BSc (Hons), BA (Anthropology)(Hons)

Timothy Trudgen is a cross cultural educator and consultant, who has worked closely with the Yolngu people of North East Arnhem Land for more than seven years. He is proficient in the Yolngu language and has extensive knowledge of Yolngu culture. His work has involved him providing education, training and cultural support to Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians, to help them understand each other’s worlds. Tim’s work builds on the 35 years that his family have been working in the Arnhem Land region empowering Yolngu people.

Tim has been involved in adult education in Aboriginal communities across north east Arnhem Land. He uses the people’s own language and cultural concepts to dialogue around important topics in the areas of health, politics, and economics. Tim’s previous studies in both Science and Anthropology equip him well for this role.

Recognising the importance of economic development, Tim also began developing facilitation and training methods to develop Yolngu family controlled small businesses. His now 5 years of experience in Yolngu business development gives him insight into the barriers that prevent Yolngu people from succeeding in economic endeavours. His work in health education has also given him insight into the social complexities in these communities. His language and cross cultural skills have made him accessible and trusted in his roles with Aboriginal people, and his knowledge of traditional culture has helped him in finding creative solutions to overcome communication and educational barriers. Such language and cultural skills will prove essential for the facilitation of all forms of enterprise in these communities, to over come the communication barriers between Yolngu clients and Dominant culture systems, support persons or business partners.

Tim is passionate about breaking down the barriers that exist for Yolngu people in remote communities gaining mastery over their lives and together over their communities. The Yongu people are a very resilient people, but they feel almost defeated and shackled. Historically it was the colonial machine that threatened them, but now it is a development machine that operates beyond their influence, and in ignorance of their voices. Tim longs to seed development approaches that are not only culturally aware, but are based on compassion, and commitment to human needs; approaches that offer freedom, not coercive or paternalistic approaches. Tim enters this project with a vision for change in Yolngu communities, but also with a determination to use processes that do not compromise the basic truth that human development arises from human personal potential.

“Every person has a God given seed that they might grow to splendid purpose, but so often the seed does not grow unless there is another whose purpose it is to see it planted.”

Kama Trudgen MBBS

Kama Trudgen is a Medical Doctor who has worked as a General Practice Registrar in an Aboriginal Medical Centre and has moved sideways to become an enterprise facilitator with the AHED Project. She is particularly passionate about preventative medicine and about empowering people.

Throughout her Medical training she worked in a variety of challenging cross cultural settings, including practicals in Brits (South Africa), Herbertpur (India) and Jabiru (Arnhem Land). She worked for two years in Logan Hospital, in a low socio-economic area on the outskirts of Brisbane. She started her General Practice Training at Moil Medical Centre, a small bulk billing practice in the suburbs of Darwin that caters for a diverse multicultural low socio-economic clientèle.

Her work has given her first hand experience of the complex problems experienced by Indigenous peoples, and the challenges in overcoming them. The poor health outcomes of Indigenous people in comparison to the wider Australian community, is something that has received much media attention. There has been much outcry in the past few years for us to “Close the Gap”. From Kama's experience working with Indigenous patients, it is very clear that no outsider can close this gap. No one can come in and make others healthy. That is something that is only possible for a person to achieve for themselves. Support, education and resources are needed to come alongside people and be available to guide them, but they need to own and control the process.

Kama has stepped outside the Western medical model of health care delivery, to make herself available to people on their own terms. She believes our physical and emotional health is so entwined with our lifestyle, our sense of hope and control and our ability to contribute in a meaningful way to our society. With such complex problems, Kama believes that the best place to start to turn this tragic situation around is to start with the people, and enable them to become all that they were made to be.

Facilitator-in-training: Jessie Pangas

Ben, Jessie & Noah Pangas

Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology and Development, Diploma of Art Craft and Design.

Jessie Pangas is a visual artist from Tasmania, Australia who spent much of her childhood in Asia. Having finished high school in India, Jessie maintained an interest in culture and development and returned to Australia to study anthropology and development at the University of Melbourne. More recently, Jessie completed a Diploma of Art, Craft and Design at Tasmanian Polytechnic.

Jessie has a lifetime desire to live along side and work with marginalised people. She and her husband Ben have been involved with TEAR Australia, Jessie in a volunteer capacity, and were also part of a small team pioneering a community development project in a lower socio-economic community of Launceston, Tasmania. This project was built on a non- program based, life on life approach to community development. This encompassed values of long term commitment, living with the people in the community at the same financial level as the people, working part time in order to have time to develop relationships, and being involved in the life of the community in any way that presented itself - from having cups of tea with the neighbours to running an art therapy group for people with multiple disabilities at the local community centre.

In 2009 Jessie and Ben connected with the AHED project and gained a more accurate understanding of the level of marginalisation of Indigenous peoples within their own country. The methodology of the AHED project aligned with everything that Jessie had learnt about integral community development and since July 2011 she and Ben have joined the AHED team as facilitators-in-training. Initially their roles will be predominantly learning language and developing relationships as they become a part of the Galiwin’ku community, along with learning from Tim and Kama about the teaching and support that they offer through AHED and supporting that work in any way they can.

As an artist Jessie specialises in print and painting media and often uses her work to highlight and explore issues of poverty and justice. She intends to continue her art practice while living in Galiwin’ku and working for AHED. Jessie is also mother to Noah (born 2009) and is expecting another child in January 2012.

Facilitator-in-training: Ben Pangas

Born and brought up in NSW, Ben completed his apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery and commenced working as a sole trader for various residential building projects both in NSW and Tasmania. Ben then completed a Diploma in Community Development and Casework that led him working with at-risk young people and as a community organiser for a charity organisation. During this time Ben also coordinated a Building and Maintenance Service within the HACC program (Home and Community Care) which provided home modifications to enabling the elderly and disabled to maintain independence in their own home.

Since his marriage to Jessie in 2009, Ben continued his studies in community development both in Australia and overseas and worked as the Tasmanian State Coordinator for TEAR Australia, an international aid and development organisation. This role saw Ben teaching issues of community development, social dynamics and social justice, running conferences and developing community initiatives to raise awareness and support for international aid and development.

During this time Ben also lived and worked in a lower-socio-economic community as part of small team of locals with a heart for the community, running leadership programs and working alongside individuals to raise confidence and give access to information to achieve goals.

Moving to Galiwin’ku in 2011 will be a challenge for Ben and his family as he takes on the role of Enterprise Facilitator in training with the AHED Project, learning language and developing relationships within the community. As Ben works alongside Yolngu people to regain control in their own lives, his desire is to see individuals find the story that is theirs to write.

Supporters and Affiliates of the Project

Financial Supporters

Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund

The Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund, is our largest financial supporter, providing funds to support AHED for the period of the pilot project.

Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA)

ALPA is the largest employer of the local Indigenous people in North East Arnhem Land, it operates supermarkets in most of the major communities of the region as well as a large number of consultancy store in other Indigenous communities.

Mission statement:

Our mission is to conduct an efficient retail business emphasising customer service,
nutrition, staff development, training and education.

We strive to enhance the social and economic development of our members, giving primacy to their cultural heritage, dignity and desire of equality with their fellow Australians.

ALPA is providing significant financial support to the project.

Individual Sponsors

Generous individuals have pledged to support facilitators of the AHED Project financially.

Project Partners

Aboriginal Resource and Development Services (ARDS)

ARDS is an Indigenous, Christian, charitable organisation. ARDS is recognized as an effective capacity building organisation that specifically aims to empower the Yolngu people of North-Eastern Arnhem Land. The organisation has over 30 years of corporate experience working closely with the Yolŋu people and in the process have developed effective cross-cultural capacity building methodologies utilising local Indigenous languages and world view.

ARDS is providing ongoing support to the project through, advice and resources.

Ernesto Sirolli & The Sirolli Institute

The developer and principle organisation behind the Enterprise Facilitation model of Economic Development. They have overseen the success of Enterprise facilitation projects in rural and urban communities in many parts of Australia, the US, and Canada.

Sirolli is passionate about applying a similar respectful development process in a remote Indigenous community and is supporting the project with ongoing advice and training, as well as support in documentation of the initial project.