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Euraba Paper Company

Session: Business stories 1:30 - 2:30 pm, Monday, 14 August 2006

Deborah Knox

Indigenous artist,

Abstract

Euraba Paper Company is the first indigenous business to make elite, handmade paper in Australia at a production level. It is an initiative of the Goomeroi women, in the communities of Toomelah and Boggabilla – on the Queensland and New South Wales border. The dream of establishing an Aboriginal community paper mill began in 1996 when nine senior Goomeroi women commenced art classes at the Boggabilla TAFE College. From this course came the inspiration, knowledge and motivation to make this dream a reality.

In May 1999 these students graduated with a Certificate IV in Aboriginal Art and Cultural Practices. Two weeks later the graduates established Euraba Paper Company under the Toomelah Co-operative as a Community Development Employment Project. The Kamilaroi Regional Council assisted this launch that has meant for some of the women their first full-time job since they were domestic servants on local station homesteads in the 1950's.

The mill relocated in April 2000 to its new premises in Boggabilla on the Newell Highway, a major arterial link, where five major highways meet. Through selling their handmade paper and paper products the women involved are dedicated in working together as a group to make a difference in their communities.

Today there are a group of young Goomeroi women that work in the mill and look to the hard working, dedicated papermaking elders as role models. Different age groups now work together to achieve the goals of Euraba Paper Company, which are to:

• Produce handmade paper from waste cotton cloth and other natural fibres for both national and international markets
• Provide employment opportunities, which in turn relieves generational welfare dependency, youth crime and illiteracy, substance abuse and ill-health
• Provide training and technical expertise
• Promote tourism and practice reconciliation

Euraba’s enterprise involves handmade, locally and traditionally sourced fibres made into sheets of paper and paper products. The paper is made from 100% cotton rag, donated from local clothing manufacturers.

Euraba has committed partners including NSW TAFE and NSW Department of State and Regional Development, the Toomelah Co-Operative, New England Institute of TAFE, CSIRO and The Cotton Collection.

The CDEP mentality has been replaced in the Euraba workplace with equality and respect for Euraba, each other, and for the future. The women also support each other with housing and life skill issues, pooling lunchtime money to prepare healthy food at work, promoting better nutrition and eating habits. Euraba benefits with fewer absences after lunch when people left to buy their lunch and were often late back or didn’t return at all.

In 2003 –2004 Euraba’s sales were $11,000; in 2004 – 2005 they were $17,000. Since July 2005 to November 30, Euraba’s sales were $47,000. This conference is an excellent opportunity to share our successful strategies with other Indigenous businesses.

See also: Deborah Knox's biography