Fresh vision shines bright
WILLIAM ENOCH-TRANBY HAS HIGH HOPES FOR INDIGENOUS TOURISM IN QUEENSLAND AND THE FAR NORTH AND IS MORE THAN READY TO MAKE HIS MARK IN AN EMERGING AND VITAL ROLE, WRITES
A MOTIVATED young CaPTA Group employee is playing a key role in the development of indigenous tourism and hopes, one day, to spearhead the first ever traditional land owner tourism member group.
William Enoch-Tranby has been selected for the prestigious First Nation Tourism Committee tasked with building positive relationships between traditional owners and tourism-based business.
“It is pretty exciting news. The creation of the First Nation Tourism Committee came out of conversations with the Queensland Tourism Industry Council network forums,” he said. “They are centralised around employment and protection of indigenous people in the tourism industry.”
The committee is made up of eight indigenous members and chaired by Cameron Costello, who is also the first indigenous person to sit on the board of the Australian Tourism Industry Council.
“We are getting good traction with him on a state level,” he said.
The aim of the committee is to act as consultants and be a conduit between indigenous
WILLIAM ENOCHTRANBY HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS FIRST NATION TOURISM COMMITTEE
people looking to develop a presence in the industry and operators hoping to improve the experience of guests and grow indigenous-based tourism.
Growing up in Cairns and born to a mother belonging to the Yidinji (Kuranda) and Tjapukai (Cairns) mob and a father belonging to the Kaanju (Lockhart River) and Quandamooka (North Stradbroke Island) tribe, Mr Enoch-Tranby graduated high school to play rugby in Sydney.
“Sports is a one of the foundations of our family but also the cultural aspect as well. I have learnt my culture from a young age,” he said.
He spent five years living in Brisbane before returning to Cairns to study a Certificate III in sales and marketing at TAFE before landing a job with CaPTA group.
He is now works as the cultural development officer for the company, based at Rainforestation.
“With the CaPTA Group, I am able to walk in both worlds. Still connected to my culture but also being involved with the tourism industry as well,” Mr Enoch-Tranby said.
First working as an indigenous dancer with CaPTA as a high school student, Mr Enoch-Tranby said the new role allowed continued cultural connection through role modelling to his people.
“I still have strong cultural ties … through dancing and it also inspires them and can
BECOMING EDUCATED I CAN SEE IN THEIR EYES THAT I HAVE GIVEN THEM A BIT OF HOPE BUT LIKE I ALWAYS SAY TO THEM IT COMES BACK TO HARD WORK AND EDUCATION IS THE KEY WILLIAM ENOCH-TRANBY
strengthen us as an indigenous group and keep us culturally strong. Being a part of the professional world gives my people inspiration as well.”
Understanding the importance of education Mr Enoch-Tranby said he was lucky to be brought up in a family whose parents didn’t drink or smoke.
“If filtered down from my great grandparents that hard work and education is the key and never to use your skin colour, your heritage for handouts,” he said.
“You work hard, become educated, you honour and respect where you come from and have dignity.
“The way I have been brought up has been totally different to most indigenous people, it’s unfortunate but fortunate for me and I am grateful on my mum’s side that my great grandparents made that lifestyle choice to bring my mother back from the mission in Kuranda to Cairns.
“I am grateful that my great grandparents broke that cycle.”
The young indigenous leader is now a role model for younger members of his family as well as the wider indigenous community.
“Becoming educated I can see in their eyes that I have given them a bit of hope but like I always say to them it comes back to hard work and education is the key,” he said.
When not taking part in video hook-ups with other members of the First Nation Tourism Committee or on the job with the CaPTA Group Mr Enoch-Tranby loves to get out on the water with a spear and woomera.
“Spearing fish, stingrays and crabs is another way of me connecting back to my culture and trying to keep that going,” he said.
“And working with the CaPTA group I still do have opportunity to put on the laplap paint up with the boys and become one of them again.”