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Meet Aimee Wills, proud First Nations team member and merchandising leader at Brisbane’s BIG W, Mount Gravatt, which sits on Yuggera Country.
A proud Kukatj Tribe member, Aimee, who started her career with Woolworths Group 17 years ago, is also part of two Woolworths Group First Nation committees, which meet regularly to discuss upcoming events as well as give their recommendations and guidance.
“I am passionate about the education of Indigenous history, and the stories and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” says Aimee.
“I feel very fortunate to have been able to work for Woolworths Group for such a long time and to see the progress we are having with First Nations people.”
After maternity leave, Aimee joined the BIG W team at Calamvale in 2007 to get back into the workforce. She worked as a front end supervisor before moving to the Capalaba store.
Aimee Wills, proud First Nations team member
Coming from a First Nations family – both her parents are Aboriginal – Aimee says she is proud of how far Woolworths Group have come in making a meaningful contribution for future generations and driving our employment roadmap forward.
Aimee says she’s particularly impressed by the improvement of stakeholder engagement, Indigenous leadership, the establishment of First Nation Advisory Boards and employment opportunities at Woolworths Group.
“Woolworths Group has particularly made a movement within the workplace when it comes to our BIG W and Woolworths Group First Nations Gathering meetings,” she says. “These forums have been a good place to be able to speak with fellow mob about all the good and bad that comes with the job.
“I love the continuous support from the higher leadership team at Woolworths Group, who take the time to attend our meetings, have a yarn with us about our ideas and give us the opportunity to be creative within the Group.”
The mother-of-three celebrated NAIDOC Week with her State Manager, Courtney Palmer, North 1 Area Manager Rina Gibbons and fellow BIG W team members at the Logan City event held at the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct on July 9.
For Aimee, NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the culture, spirituality and history of First Nations peoples.
“NAIDOC is a way of showing all the beautiful and creative sides of our culture and steering away from the stereotypes,” says Aimee.
“Being able to ground and surround ourselves in the art, culture and people is an amazing experience to connect and share it with mob and allies from all over.”
To learn more about Woolworths Group’s Reconciliation Action plan, read here.
