Herb Smith’s business, Dreamtime Tuka, is a tribute to his grandparents, who built successful lives for themselves and their offspring despite being brought up on a mission, journalist Sue Osborne writes. Established just four years ago, Dreamtime Tuka has an impressive customer base, including Qantas, Westpac Bank, NSW Rail Link and government departments. The company supplies slices, cakes, biscuits and other food items using traditional Aboriginal ingredients like wattle seeds and lemon myrtle. Smith grew up in Wellington, near Dubbo, the oldest of eight children and part of an extended family, with community roots at Curra Creek. He is a Wiradjuri man and his family can trace their ancestors to the original inhabitants of the Wellington valley. Once his grandparents were granted legal exemption to leave the mission, his grandfather built a home with his own hands using local timber. Smith remembers spending much of his childhood at Curra Creek, riding horses, playing with other kids and listening to his grandfather, Jimmy Daley, talk. “He advised us to work hard, be fair and really value education, because he was never allowed to go to school on the mission,” Smith said. His grandmother, Elizabeth (Bessie) Daley, was always baking traditional damper, johnny cakes, scones, pancakes, puddings, biscuits and slices.
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p u g n i v Ser a slice of cultural n o i t a c u d e 6 | independent education | issue 1 | Vol 50 | 2020
Education a vehicle Smith recalls his infants school teacher, Stella Toyer, reinforcing Jimmy’s message to use education as a vehicle to build a good life. All these early childhood messages would come back to influence Smith when he developed Dreamtime Tuka. Smith left school at age 15 and took up an apprenticeship as a boilermaker/welder with the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission, at Wyangala Dam, where his father worked. He soon became homesick and decided to return to Wellington to be with his family. He worked at Western Stores (which became Myer) in Wellington, but at the age of 21 joined the police force. He moved to Sydney for training then was transferred to Mudgee two years later on compassionate grounds due to the death of his mother, and to be closer to home to help support his younger siblings. After some years as a general duties officer, Smith moved into a specialist role within the Police Aboriginal Liaison Unit. This meant being based in Sydney again, but he travelled all around NSW working as an intermediary in many communities, and training police in how better to relate to Aboriginal people. “I liked the work because I was accepted by both sides as a person who could be respected as an Aboriginal man and a serving police officer,” Smith said. Policy influence During his 12 years in this role, Smith influenced policy and training procedures in the NSW Police Force. He said education and Cultural Awareness Training for police are vital to avert problems between the service and the Aboriginal and
