A VOICE TO THE VOICE
In 2015, when Jasper Coffee launched the new blend named Red Dust the Coffee, we were recognising the need and opportunity for our company to contribute to the empowerment, wellbeing, and healing of the First Nations People.
Through our participation in the Red Dust project, we were directly supporting programmes of healing and regeneration of First Nations culture.
Our aim in this project was to add financial & marketing support to the Indigenous owned Red Dust Healing program, through sales and levies applied to the Red Dust coffee.
Recently, Jasper Coffee gave rights of ownership of the Red Dust coffee Brand to Outback Academy Australia and increased the levies payable to the OAA and adding 2 new blends to the portfolio.
Understanding & recognising the self-determination & empowerment brought to the group through indigenous ownership of the Red Dust coffee Brand and the titles, is aligned to understanding the meaning and empowering role of the Voice to First Nations people.
Using coffee as a vehicle for change we have endeavoured to add our voice to, and acknowledge, the need for First Nations People to find successful ways to be self-determining, self-supporting of regeneration of identity, through the Follow the Flowers program.
We, founders of Jasper Coffee, were just old enough to vote YES in support of the indigenous aboriginal people in the 1967 referendum. It was, and is still shocking that so recently aboriginal Australians people were not classed as citizens and did not have rights equal to the rest of the population.
At that time the majority of the Australian voters overwhelmingly supported positive acknowledgment and change to redress wrongs of discrimination that occupation, invasion and colonialism had wrought on generations of the oldest living culture in the world.
We all, as Australian voters, now have another once in a generational opportunity to redress, acknowledge, and make reparation through the upcoming Voice referendum.
This vote simply put, is the opportunity for Australian voters to say Yes, we think it’s right and just for First Nations people to be consulted and heard when any legislation related to specifically to them, through Aboriginal Affairs is proposed, with any Government.
It is our business to say Yes, yes this makes sense, is fair and just.
Nothing is taken away from anyone.
Acknowledgment, treaty, empowerment & successful self-determination examples of their own First Nations groups flourish in NZ, and Canada, & show us it can and should be so.
Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders is long overdue.
With a YES vote Nothing will be lost and much will be gained.
Wells Trenfield,
Merilyn Parker
Directors, Jasper Coffee
