About Us

Who we are

Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services Pty Ltd was established by empowered Kimberley communities on the Dampier Peninsula who, having perceived a need for a community-controlled placed-based service organisation, collaborated to create a corporate entity dedicated to remote service delivery. Our organisation has since grown to become a significant employer of Aboriginal people across the entire Kimberley region of Western Australia with an expansive offering of services and programs.
As an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation, we are driven by an Aboriginal membership that is predominantly derived from Broome and the Dampier Peninsula.

Our name

We share our name with Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation.

‘Nirrumbuk’ (Nyul Nyul language) is the largest permanent fresh water spring on the Dampier Peninsula. Prior to settlement, the Aboriginal nations of the region would sustain themselves from the spring and it was a permanent source of water and food. The name reflects the Corporation’s membership and its objectives to sustain our people in the modern context and provide opportunities for development that enables participation in Australian society.

Our logo

Nirrumbuk Environmental Health & Services was formed and established in 2013 as a succession from Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, established in 1993 to build a brighter future for the people and communities in the Kimberley region.
Managed and owned by Aboriginal members, the board consists of 11 Indigenous people from Broome and the Dampier Peninsula. They strived to build capacity and foster self-sufficiency with a critical focus on health, housing, education, and employment.

Twenty-nine years ago, an art piece created by Artist Michael Carter became the logo for our organisation.
The art piece represents the natural spring near Beagle Bay community called ‘Nirrumbuk.’ This is where Nirrumbuk gets its name.
In the circle in the middle are our people gathering at the watering hole, enjoying what mother nature has provided with fresh filtered water. The red berries & foliage signify the native water lily and native fruit that can be found around the watering hole during certain seasons throughout the year.

In 2022 an up-and-coming Artist, Kartika Eades, a Baard woman born and raised in Broome, took the brief of creating a logo for Nirrumbuk Environmental Health & Services.
CEO Raymond Christophers, Chairperson Louie Bin Maarus & SEH Officer William Clements shared their values and program perspectives with the artist. They wanted to honour the original Artist & Artwork from 29 years ago.

The circle-style logo represents the communities that NEHS offers services to throughout the Kimberley region. The NEW logo aligns with the values and perspectives of Nirrumbuk Environmental Health & Services with an eye-catching visual brand that is synonymous with the service provider.

Logo description: Water is our natural resource to survive, be healthy, and clean; the blue circle lays the path for our people; the Aboriginal flag colours of black, yellow & red are entwined with blue signifying the service delivery to the many Aboriginal communities by an Aboriginal workforce operating within an Aboriginal organisation and the great pride we have in being Aboriginal people.
The footprints acknowledge our ancestors of the land where we work, live, and thrive while respecting our journey over the past 200 years; and the future journey of education and understanding of the importance of environmental health to our people, with our people.

Governance

Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services was incorporated in 2014 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, which was established in 1993. Our Constitution can be viewed via the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission website.

Organisational governance is provided by a Board of Directors elected by the Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services Membership. The Board own our Strategic Plan and delegate the day-to-day management of the organisation to the Chief Executive Officer.

Our Board
Louie Bin Maarus, Chair
Raymond Christophers, Director
Joseph Grande, Director

Our Leadership Team
Raymond Christophers, Chief Executive Officer
Christine Hoy, General Manager
Chicky Clements, Environmental Health Field Supervisor

Our Board
Louie Bin Maarus, Chair
Raymond Christophers, Director
Joseph Grande, Director

Board

Nirrumbuk_Environmental_Health_and_Services_Raymond_Christophers

Chair
Louie Bin Maarus

Director/CEO
Raymond Christophers

Nirrumbuk_Environmental_Health_and_Services_Joseph_Grande

Director
Joseph Grande

Leadership Team

Nirrumbuk_Environmental_Health _and_Services_Christine_Hoy

General Manager
Christine Hoy

Nirrumbuk_Environmental_Health_and_Services_Chicky_Clements

Environmental Health Field Supervisor
Chicky Clements

Our Leadership Team
Raymond Christophers, Chief Executive Officer
Christine Hoy, General Manager
Chicky Clements, Environmental Health Field Supervisor

General Manager
Christine Hoy

Environmental Health Field Supervisor
Chicky Clements

Our partners

We actively maintain membership to organisations and committees that facilitate improved community and individual outcomes. These include:

Aboriginal Health Council of WA
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Inc
West Kimberley Futures – Empowered Communities
Binarri-binyja yarrawoo (East Kimberley Empowered Communities)
Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum
Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum Environmental Health Sub-Committee
District Leadership Group (West Kimberley and East Kimberley)

We pride ourselves on building relationships with other organisations to enhance our extensive experience in delivering culturally secure programs with positive outcomes for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley.
Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services receives funding from the Australian and Western Australian Governments.

Privacy Statement

Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services collects and holds personal information in order to ensure that the most effective services are provided to our participants and clients.

We follow the Australian Privacy Principles, contained in the Privacy Act 1988, in handling personal information from participants/clients, business partners, members of the public and employees (including volunteers, contractors and candidates for prospective volunteers or employees).

Our Privacy Policy is available on request.