Aboriginal Small Business
Enterprise
Louise Moylan
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PhD student in social, cultural and economic interactions, University of Adelaide, South Australia |
Most of Louise’s work is based in the desert regions. She really enjoys meeting people, understanding their lives and being a supporter of remote and regional Australia.
In 1996, when I lived in Mount Isa, as part of an under-graduate research essay, we had to investigate and report upon a controversial issue within our community. I then went on to run my own small business in a remote area, which helped me to understand what people were talking about.
I did my Honours on this topic and researched an Aboriginal small business enterprise in Cloncurry. At Koutha Aboriginal Development Corporation I started looking at Aboriginal small business enterprises and their relationship with the mining industry. They had a joint venture partnership trucking mining concentrate. This Honours work was very satisfying and I decided to do my PhD so that I could really understand Aboriginal enterprise and how it fits with culture. I have just completed most of my field work and have really enjoyed driving around remote South Australia.
On one of my field trips up northern SA, at Farina Campground, I prepared a delicious meal of spaghetti bolognaise, bush style, by the light of a camp fire. I placed the meal down and called out to my assistant to “come and get it”. There was a roar (a man’s roar) because he had just sat his behind in the meal! After a few minutes of expletives and clothes changing he came back to the camp fire and I promised never to place a meal on a seat again. I was not popular for a while but I made up for it the next day, when I introduced him to the woman of his dreams and they got together.
Being part of good relationships and friendships, helping people and linking people up with others is important to me.
I have two “hay burners” (horses) so they keep my pocket slim and my heart strong. My young horse is very smart and she keeps me on my toes, but gives me lots of pleasure. In fact, I call her the “moaner” because she is always having a little complain. My young horse likes to round me up and chase me. We have this game where she watches me putting out the hay, gallops over and comes to a sliding halt to eat the hay, then just as I turn my shoulder to leave she races me back to the fence. Good fun considering she would be closer to half a tonne than me.
My next goals are to finish my PhD and to train my horse as the quietest nag in town. I would also like to plant more trees. My biggest wish is that I was more practical.
Books or reading material Louise recommends on her area of research:
No books, just talking and listening to Aboriginal people about their lives and aspirations is the most important learning experience.
