They were talking to politicians and bureaucrats from Canberra – men who knew little or nothing about Indigenous attachment to the land – and knew they had to put their case intelligently and clearly.

The negotiations began in 1968 and continued until the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act was passed by the Federal Parliament in 1976.

Yolngu people celebrated a law that recognised what they had always known – that they owned the land, not as individuals but collectively.

Interestingly, an Indigenous-owned company was formed in Nhulunbuy in the same year that land rights talks began.

YBE started in a small way – making bricks for the giant bauxite mine and Gove District Hospital.

The business has evolved into the North East Arnhem Land Aboriginal Corporation, one of the largest Aboriginal corporations in Australia in terms of assets and revenue.

It has several divisions, including a vehicle-hire company and a freight business.

NEAL, which represents 26 clans, has successfully completed a mine rehabilitation contract for Rio Tinto.

Chairman Graham Mungurrapin Maymuru, who is dedicated to helping provide training and meaningful employment for Yolngu people, hopes the corporation will secure more contracts before Rio’s departure allowing the corporation to continue to grow and build capacity of the local Yolngu workforce.

He says the contracts would allow Indigenous people to develop the skills necessary to work on their own country.

NEAL CHAIRMAN GRAHAM MUNGURRAPIN MAYMURU … DEDICATED TO HELPING PROVIDE TRAINING AND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT FOR HIS PEOPLE 

Mr Maymuru says the importance of land rights cannot be underestimated.

NEAL works hard to create successful business arms, always conscious that profits do not go to shareholders but back into the company and community programs.

Chief Executive Damien Djerrkura and the board, which is made up of a representative from each clan, are always ready to support sustainable, wealth-creating initiatives.

For instance, NEAL made a strategic decision to buy a vehicle-hire company two years ago that would contribute towards securing their future.

The corporation plans to expand its freight service to strengthen delivery of essential supplies, improving access for remote communities while supporting reliable logistics, economic resilience and community wellbeing.

Yolngu people are delighted with NEAL’s free transport service between five main homelands and Nhulunbuy township.

“People used to pay for private transport, which could cost hundreds of dollars,” Mr Djerrkura says. “Now they can come into town for free, do their grocery shopping, go to the bank and carry out any other business, and then go home the same day.”

Nine cleaning and ground maintenance jobs have been created in homelands with funding from the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

The NEAL board has also allocated funding for essential tooling and equipment, including push mowers, ride-on mowers and a tractor, to undertake ground maintenance in the homelands.

The corporation’s charter includes the Charitable Fund for the relief of poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune, destitution and helplessness among Indigenous people.

Its education work includes work experience; work-readiness and sustainability programs; literacy and numeracy; personal wellbeing; mentoring; and school engagement.

NEAL also runs leadership and youth development programs.

And the corporation provides ceremony assistance and essential resources.

“Our aim is to enhance the lives of Indigenous Australians, to improve health, to put an end to poverty and to defeat hardship,” Mr Maymuru says.

“Our charity works to connect Australia’s most vulnerable individuals to important resources and to move people away from suffering into positive, constructive and meaningful lifestyles and livelihoods.”

He says the Charitable Fund was established for a simple reason: compassion. TQ 

CONTACT

North East Arnhem Land Aboriginal Corporation

1 Wak Street, Melville Bay Road, Nhulunbuy NT 0880

(08) 8987 0900

www.nealac.com.au”