It’s a pretty crisp autumn morning at Point Addis when we meet Cormach Evans. It’s only been a couple of years but he’s quickly become acclimatised to the balmy Darwin weather after moving there from Jan Juc during the pandemic. Returning to his local coastline after such a long time carries with it a sense of familiarisation and comfort. He is a man very much at home near the water.
Cormach, a proud Yorta Yorta man, who grew up in Wadawurrung country in Geelong took the leap a few years ago and quit his job. When his wife, Coco, was pregnant with their first child Cormach came home and told her that he had decided to leave behind the security of a stable job to follow his passion of helping and supporting young Indigenous Australians. He shared how important the timing was for him and his family to take that jump and without the support of his partner it wouldn’t have been possible. The now father of two, to Waari and Winnie, founded Strong Brother Strong Sister in 2017 and Ngarrimili shortly after in 2018. Today, Cormach and Coco run both organisations together and Cormach believes that’s the reason for their success. The outcome of that decision has been to the benefit of many young people and hundreds of First Nations businesses across the country since both organisations were founded.
Strong Brother Strong Sister is a culturally appropriate safe place for Aboriginal young people to access and thrive. They operate Australia wide with a range of services and programs offered across the country. The organisation is Aboriginal youth led and designed, a tangible show of Cormach’s advocacy in not just the programs of Strong Brother Strong Sister but also in the legacy it will build internally amongst its people.
Cormach founded Ngarrimili with ‘the view to creating the best opportunities for the First Nations business community and drive generational wealth’, nurturing and supporting First Nations businesses. The organisation operates with a deep respect for the rich economic history of First Nations communities that have thrived through trading and ceremony for more than 80,000 years. They want to continue the legacy of this economic development by supporting First Nations businesses and entrepreneurs.
Hearing how passionate Cormach is as he talks about both organisations, you can see there is plenty more he wants to tick off a big to-do list. He’s got grand plans and there’s nothing that’s going to stop his drive. It is a gift to meet a person like Cormach offering so much to other people particularly young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. He shows great pride when says he’s “the oldest at Strong Brother Strong Sister – the next oldest person is 23 and I love that”, he recognises that change isn’t just going to come from one person but if he can be the first cog in the wheel the rest will follow. There is great optimism and confidence he has in the great young people in both organisations and how they are going to positively change the future.
Ngarrimili will soon be opening the first of its kind space across Australia in Geelong that will include a retail space, gallery, co-working space, café and live music venue, check out the great work of Ngarramili at www.ngarrimili.org.au or @ngarrimili on Instagram and Strong Brother Strong Sister at www.SBSSF.org.au or @strongbrotherstrongsister where you can donate to both organisations.
Ranger Outdoor will be donating 10% of all profits of the Australian Made Steve Shirt as seen on Cormach to Ngarramili.
