As the investment advisor for the Yindjibarndi people’s future fund, Perpetual has been working with the Aboriginal community in the town of Roebourne, in WA’s remote north, to create a social impact investment aimed at improving the town’s culture and future prospects.
In 2019, the Yindjibarndi people were able to take out a loan from their future fund to rebuild and transform a historic hotel, that has been boarded up for the past 20 years, into a cultural hub called the Ganalili Centre.
The Ganalili Centre quickly became a community gathering place. It features modern offices, meeting spaces, a gallery, commercial kitchen and library that is run by the City of Karratha. The centre is filled with cultural and educational items including a digital genealogical map of Yindjibarndi families and ancestors.
Today, the centre is a sustainable and profitable enterprise. It is a drawcard for tourism and a source of cultural pride. In FY22, the centre reached an important milestone of being able to use profits to pay back capital on the loan for the first time. This important cultural hub is already providing many benefits for the community today, as well as providing for the town’s future.
Ganalili means ‘new dawn’ in Yindjibarndi language, which is the perfect description for the positive social impact this project has had on the community and the next generation of Roebourne residents.