Reconciliation Action Plan
Our vision is that through our actions, we can contribute to our Nations' shared goal of a reconciled, just and equitable Australia.
O’Connors acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Since inception, O’Connors has stood behind changing the narrative and supporting this belief wherever possible. We have employed a number of Aboriginal personnel over the past 25 years as a company, including two of our first apprentices, and we currently employ four Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander peoples' directly.
We are proud to say that we have always stood behind the importance of a strong representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' stories and cultures, values and aspirations in South Australia. Accordingly, it is our privilege to endorse the O’Connors Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which outlines clear, achievable and measurable actions to realise our vision for reconciliation.
We recognise that the cultural issues are often complex, and commit to working collaboratively with all of our employees, including our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, our suppliers, clients and all other stakeholders to address these issues. We are committed to tangible actions, such as increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, participating in external events and raising cultural awareness within our organisation.
We are proud of our Reconciliation Plan and when creating our forward plan, we made sure that our RAP is an aligned with our family culture and companies’ Core Values. As such, it has become part of One O’Connors and is supported at all levels of our organisation.
Meet the Artist
For our Reconciliation Action Plan, O’Connors engaged Carly Tarkari Dodd to design and produce a piece of artwork symbolising O’Connors, reflection and reconciliation
Carly is an Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Narrunga woman who has a strong Aboriginal cultural background and experience in Aboriginal arts. Carly practices the traditional techniques of Aboriginal art and is interested in traditional weaving; which she was taught by Aunty Ellen Trevorrow (Ngarrindjeri Elder). In order to practice both arts, Carly has begun combining painting and weaving into her work
During the artwork development stage, Carly was particularly drawn to the ‘togetherness’ of the logo and interpreted that the middle section of the logo symbolised connection and a strong relationship, while the outer circle brought the relationship together as a whole
From this idea, Carly produced the above artwork. This artwork symbolises connection, togetherness and ultimately reconciliation through a commitment of working together. The colours blue, navy and white symbolise the company O’Connors (A.G. O’Connor Pty Ltd).