Mick Buckworth married into the Yorta Yorta people in Shepparton, Victoria. Mick, a builder by trade, ended up working with the mob at Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative. For the last two decades, the Co-op focused its work on aged care, dental, GP and health programs to the First Nations community in North East of Victoria.

Rumbalara, similar to other Indigenous Co-ops, has access to land, but are limited in capital and industry skills needed to develop country.

This episode Mick shares about the unique ways in which the Co-op attracted funding, skills and even support from local farmers to kick start their Indigenous food growing business.

Rumbalara is a part of the Follow the Flowers initiative who works with First Nation food growers across the country. The movement is open to all land tenure types, including Traditional Owner owned and jointly managed lands; Aboriginal community-controlled organisation (ACCO’s) lands/farms such as health cooperatives; and private, family-owned farms.