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Simon Jovanovic: empowering our people
Image: Rhonda Hagan
Who is your mob? We are Walbunja. My father is Serbian and my mother is from the Smith family of Bateman’s Bay. My big Nan was a Walker and my other big Nan was a Stuart. Where were you born? I was born in Canberra and grew up in Bateman’s Bay until I was about 2 or 3, then we moved to Sydney. My dad’s father owned a property out at Liverpool so we grew up on the farm. What was it like growing up in Western Sydney? We grew up with alot of other minority groups, therefore I grew up around alot of other cultures. We all looked different, we met all the families, ate all the different foods so it was a great cultural exchange. We grew up without racism. I didn’t come across racism until I was working on Aboriginal programs, where we get stereotyped and labelled, but we have developed resilience. What did you do after you left school? After school I went to TAFE
and did a Diploma of Business Management, then to University to complete a Bachelor of Business majorng in HR. During that time I worked as a cadet with Energy Australia, which gave me alot of knowledge and practical skills. After that I went to do a Graduate Diploma in Adult Education. I then did my Masters in Social Science, where I was able to do some applied research and then I enrolled in an Honours thesis and I’m still doing that. What do you do now? I work in the State Government in administration to support delivery of programs in housing, employment and disability. We support Aboriginal children and families in those areas. We open up pathways and opportunities for people to come in and work with us. We go out to TAFE and universities to promote our department as an employer of choice. We have a very high number of Aboriginal people employed. I work with people that are
committed to our community. We empower people by linking them, suporting them, and helping them transition from a trainee into a full time job. We need to ensure we have strong links with the community and tap into the networks to help everybody. Where do you see the future for Aboriginl and Torres Strait people? Compared to my mum’s generation, there are opportunities that can help us and I encourage all our people to take those opportunities. What does family mean to you? My family is more than blood. I have my mum and dad, 2 older sisters and one younger brother. My family also include all my Serbian Italian and other cultural families. What do you do to relax? To relax I do yoga ... my dad joins me sometimes. I do martial arts. Other than that I work on the farm, chopping wood, build fences and odd jobs. I built a gym at home to keep me going with my fitness.
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