Award winning Wirra Hub client Lorraine

Lorraine was excited to return to the Wirra Hub her ‘second home’ to share the news and celebrate with everyone after being awarded the BHP WAIO Indigenous Employee of the Year Award.

Lorraine Pryor a proud Whadjuk Ballardong women is the business owner of Voice of Hope, a program designed to inspire and mentor at risk Indigenous women. Lorraine is also working on her most recent endeavour, which is Walbreninj Yorga, a healing and rehabilitation service for Indigenous women. These initiatives are certainly a reflection of her commitment to empowering people and giving back to the community.

Having worked with BHP for the past 8 years, Lorraine saw herself become a mentor and support system for other Indigenous staff, which led her to complete a Cert IV in Mental Health.

“I had all the tools and knowledge to help people on the mine site,” said Lorraine.

Based on her training and personal experiences, Lorraine is passionate about helping people put in place strategies to create happy, healthy routines and environments. She has become an advocate for Indigenous mental health, speaking at events and participating in forums.

“I want to be a voice for my people and pave the way for the next generation.”

Working on a mine site can be challenging, being away from family and culture but it can provide immense career opportunities.

“Engaging with the mining industry, we can build our lives up for ourselves and our families.”

Dedicated to her work in supporting the mental health of Indigenous people. Lorraine has sacrificed much of her social life and has focused on her career goals. Gaining the recognition through the BHP WAIO award made this hard work even more worth it.

“In my heart I knew that I deserved something like this, I put the hard yards in, and I was fully driven by my career.”

While Lorraine has grown a successful career for herself with BHP, she is also devoted to her businesses. With the support of her Wirra Hub business coach Robert Barton, she has been able to build on her knowledge and network with other Indigenous business owners.

“The Hub is amazing; I have received so much support from this place and the people in it.”

The Wirra Hub empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to grow competitive and resilient businesses. It is proud to be the second home for people like Lorraine as they build their business and become successful individuals within their industry.

When asked her advice for other Indigenous people wanting to start a business Lorraine said, “If you have a dream, go for it and the Wirra hub is the perfect place to get that dream going.”

To find out more visit www.wirrahub.org.au