In June 2021, Brendan, his wife, Lauren and their two kids piled their bags and toys into a four-wheel drive. They were setting out on a six-month road trip around Australia, looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney and reconnect with some First Nations communities.
“Spending time in remote areas put some space between us and the everyday activities and noise,” he says. “It let us think with more clarity and in a different context.”
Some Aboriginal communities he visited were thriving, but as a proud Boorooberongal man from the Durug tribe, Brendan was shocked at consistently low employment and education levels he saw in others. According to the most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework summary report, the unemployment rate for Indigenous Australians is four times as high as it is for non-Indigenous Australians. There are many reasons for this, ranging from lack of educational opportunities to systemic bias.
“That juxtaposition from community to community showed the opportunity was there,” Brendan says about the experience. “There’s still a need for people to do more to support these communities and create places in the workforce that are culturally and environmentally welcoming – that have empathy for their cultural practices and norms.”
“Talks with my wife on the road solidified my passion for the property industry, but also my desire to use my position to create pathways for people in the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander community to develop fruitful careers – to improve their life and their communities for generations to come.”
With that mission in mind combined with the knowledge and skills he gained in his recently completed AGSM @ UNSW Business School MBAX (Technology) degree, Brendan was well positioned to make the most of the opportunity ahead of him.
Now, it was time to re-route his career.
You can read the full story here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2022/09/brendan-thomas-opening-property-up-to-indigenous-talent