Indigenous female-owned company Bunbara Pty Ltd has won the WA award for Indigenous Excellence at the Telstra Best of Business Awards.
Bunbara began as a partnership between proud Woppaburra woman Nikky Irvine and Pamela Baldwin offering integrated solutions in the energy, mining and defence sectors.
It's the first time they have entered the Telstra Best of Business Awards.
"It's an amazing achievement for Bunbara, and we've only been going for five years, and I don't think there are any other Aboriginal, female owned businesses in our industry doing what we do," Ms Irvine said.
"It's validation for Pam and I and the team as a whole, a motivation for us to keep pushing to win jobs, so we have money and can continue to support our culture."
Founded in 2019 and based in Perth, Bunbara's services include procurement sourcing, supply chain oversight, engineering assistance and more with clients across the country.
Since establishment, it has grown from a partnership of two to a team of eight full-time staff.
Bunbara means 'open country' in Ms Irvine's Traditional language and its logo includes a dotted wavy line which is a symbol of the humpback whale, highlighting the company's dedication to both land and sea.
With a deep commitment to the community, Bunbara provides university scholarships to Indigenous students and sponsors athletes across various sports, fostering success and empowerment in Indigenous communities.
It was this driving passion to give back and support the Indigenous community that led to the establishment Bunbara.
"It's difficult to give back and make a difference in the community when you're working for someone else," Ms Irvine said, a former Group National Manager for BGC.
"In the space of five years, we've been able to assist on 17 different occasions, from helping local footy teams buy uniforms so they can play to university scholarships for engineering and law students."
Bunbara works closely with the engineering faculty at the Queensland University of Technology and law faculty at Melbourne University to support Indigenous students.
Ms Irvine said that Indigenous students currently make up just 1.7 percent of university students in Australia.
A graduate herself, Ms Irvine attributes tertiary education as being pivotal to her success.
"I felt that people don't take you seriously when you're a woman and Indigenous, and by getting a degree and an education, people look at you differently, so I honestly think that has helped."
Ms Irvine cites her mother as her inspiration, an educated woman herself who pushed all five of her children to get an education 'so you won't be looked down upon'. Ms Irvine said her father instilled the strong work ethic she carries with her today.
The Telstra Best of Business gala dinner will be held in Melbourne on November 28, where the national winners will be announced.
