By her own admission, Cara Peek wears many hats, but her drive and determination to create opportunities and equality for Aboriginal people in remote Australia will no doubt leave a legacy for generations to come.
It was her role as founder and chairperson of Saltwater Country that saw the Broome based lawyer and proud Yawuru/Bunuba woman being named the national 2020 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner.
Combining her heritage, corporate skills and experience from working in regional communities in Australia, Canada and the USA, Cara has developed a unique insight and drive to create change.
“It was really ingrained in me the strength and resilience of Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen and the work they have done in the country in the Kimberley, but no doubt across the country, to develop the pastoral industry, to work for station owners in the historical context for free,” she said.
“So I wanted to pay homage to that strength and I wanted to create an organisation that could cherish that but build on it as well.”
This was where Saltwater Country came in, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to engaging at-risk young Aboriginal people, empowering them and building connections to the land, horses and their pastoral heritage.
It began with grassroots country events - rodeos, camp drafts, and country music shows, but there was no money and contractor shortages, issues further compounded by being remote.
Cara could see an answer through creating a visionary offshoot program called Saltwater Academy, providing training and development that could then lead into a volunteer to employment pathway and end up with paid employment at the events or with Saltwater Country.
“We’ve even had three-time pro bull riding world champion Adriano Moraes travel 30 hours to Broome from Sao Paolo, Brazil to teach our kids how to ride,” she said.
“In doing so it really put Saltwater Academy on a national stage and an international stage.”
“But importantly our young people see young people that look like them, with lived experiences like them doing things they never thought could happen.”
While the Award is a big step towards Saltwater Country becoming financially independent and sustainable into the future, it will also make inroads into Cara’s goal for people not to be treated differently because of their skin colour.
The AgriFutures Rural Women’s Awards have been running for 21 years, in that time gaining a high profile reputation across Australia for identifying, celebrating and empowering women. Each state and territory winner receives a $15,000 bursary for their project, business or program, access to professional development opportunities and alumni networks. The national winner receives an additional $20,000 and the runner-up $15,000.