David Ross
12 December 2016
David was born and bred in Katherine, NT, and is one of eight kids. His father was born in Birdum (Larrimah) and comes from the Ngalakan clan in the Ngukurr region and his mother was born in Wyndham.
He was welcomed into the fold at Wunan earlier this year, first as a Career Advisor providing assistance to jobseekers, and then as Coordinator, Community Engagement. In this role, he facilitates visits to remote communities by the WA Government’s Remote Services Reform Unit (RSRU) to discuss with the people living there how the Government can work more effectively with them to deliver better outcomes.
David finds these visits very rewarding because they give him an opportunity to meet so many different people and help them to understand what the RSRU is all about and what it’s hoping to achieve.
“Travelling to these remote communities and seeing this beautiful country is a great reward too, but someone has to do it!” he says.
David says one of the most interesting and challenging jobs he’s had in the past was managing the Jobs and Careers Service at the Northern Land Council, which involved getting jobs guaranteed for Aboriginal people in industries such as mining, pastoral, construction and hospitality.
“We always had more people than jobs. The challenge was to place all these people, because even when there are agreements, there are still many obstacles to navigate.”
In the future, David hopes to see better outcomes in education, employment and business for Aboriginal people.