Jane Runyu-Fordimail

Biography

Jane grew up in Barunga, one of the Jawoyn communities just south east of the township of Katherine. At age 16 she began her first job with the Barunga Council working in various administrative roles. After some time, the Barunga Council promoted Jane to bookkeeper for the Community Development Employment Program. With support from the Council, Jane completed her Certificate 2 in Business Administration.

In 1993, Jane was elected to be a member of the Jawoyn Board, where she was also nominated to be on the Nitmiluk Tours subcommittee. This experience allowed Jane to develop her leadership skills which later led to her being elected to the board of the Nyirrungunlung Madruk Ngardberdre Regional Council, now known as Roper Gulf Shire, where she served for 8 years. In this role she supported indigenous people living in communities by creating employment opportunities and providing municipal services.

Following her employment at the Regional Council, Jane wanted to take a more hands-on approach to the Cultural Program offered by Nitmiluk Tours. In 2013 she stepped into the role of Cultural Tours Manager, where she continued to encourage indigenous employment and further developed her professional skills by completing a Certificate 2 in Tourism.

Jane’s commitment to the Nitmiluk Cultural Program and her passion for indigenous development led to her being appointed Chairperson of Nitmiluk Tours in February 2013. In 2014, Jane was selected to undergo training for the position of General Manager of Nitmiluk Tours, and then in April 2016 she was asked to take over the role of CEO of Nitmiluk Tours. As CEO, Jane is committed to sharing country with the ongoing development and promotion of tourism and cultural products at Nitmiluk, and she continues to encourage and support indigenous training and employment opportunities across all operations at Nitmiluk Tours.