Dookal might be a workwear and PPE business, but for Chief Operating Offer Craig Layer, it’s about far more than selling shirts, boots or hi-vis.
“The main reason the Board of Ungooroo started Dookal is to create a revenue stream that feeds back into Ungooroo’s medical services and other community-based services so they can continue to be free for the community,” Craig explained.
Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation is a Singleton-based not-for-profit that has supported the Upper Hunter Aboriginal community since 1994. Endorsed as an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) and nationally accredited as a GP practice and NDIS provider, it provides a broad range of services focused on health, wellbeing, access and opportunity, while also creating culturally safe spaces where people feel comfortable seeking support.
“We do have plenty of support, whether it be from various government levels or from industry, but for long-term sustainability we recognised the need to create our own revenue. That was really the reason for Dookal.
“Every cent that we earn from Dookal through the sale of hi-vis workwear, PPE or even the specialised stuff with Indigenous designs goes straight back into Ungooroo itself.”
Dookal supplies general workwear and PPE but also offers custom garments and merchandise featuring authentic Aboriginal designs, giving organisations the option to support the business in a way that suits their needs.
Craig said it has taken time for Dookal to find its footing, as they wanted to ensure they were building something meaningful – a business that creates income, employment opportunities and long-term benefits for community.
“While the focus of Dookal is primarily the revenue stream through the workwear and PPE, it also creates opportunities for employment. We need people to promote it, people to take orders, deliveries, all that sort of stuff, so as it grows so does the opportunity to employ local people.
“The other thing it does is create awareness of us as an Aboriginal organisation and the broad spectrum of things that we do. It also helps build awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal culture.”
Profits from Dookal flow back into Ungooroo’s programs, which are shaped by community need. Its work spans GP and allied health services, cancer care, elder support, mental health, employment and mentoring, homelessness support and other community programs, with a strong focus on meeting local needs and helping Aboriginal people and families build a stronger future.
“We’re a needs-driven organisation. If we see a need there, we look at it.
“These needs, not just in our community but on a broader scale, are growing and growing, so we try to keep up with that which means we are constantly evolving.”
Craig said a big part of Ungooroo’s role is creating a culturally safe place where people feel comfortable seeking support.
“One reason, probably the prime reason, is to provide a culturally safe environment. Aboriginal people are different from a cultural perspective. They’re the same in so many ways, and as a community we are all one, but sometimes it’s the cultural element that is missing.
“Trust is the other thing that comes with it. By providing that culturally safe environment where people feel comfortable with who’s around them, that level of trust increases, so their propensity to come for help increases as well.
“If people don’t feel comfortable, they just won’t do it. They put off what could be life-saving treatment. If we can create a space where they feel culturally safe, then they’re more inclined to use those services when they need them.”
Dookal helps support that work, but Craig said it also gives customers something more than a standard uniform order.
“It offers them a point of difference. You can go anywhere and get a shirt but the difference here is that we can provide something others can’t with the cultural element of the design.
“But the most important thing we provide is what your purchase will benefit. You can go to a shop down the street and you’re still supporting your local economy, but by coming here you’re doing more than supporting a local business – you’re also helping back essential services that the community relies on.”
Where clients do choose Indigenous artwork, Craig said the designs are created by local artists and often built around story, helping keep both the cultural and economic benefit in the Hunter.
“When an organisation comes to us wanting a design, we talk with them about their story and then work that into the artwork through symbolism and design.”
For Craig, though, the bigger picture is clear. Dookal is not about chasing scale for its own sake, it’s about helping Ungooroo build something sustainable to help keep essential local services strong.
“We’re not trying to create some multi-million dollar venture here, we’re just trying to create something that will support what we do on a broader scale. It’s a small piece in the bigger puzzle that we have here at Ungooroo, but it’s different in the sense that we don’t get funding for it – it creates its own funding.
“We’re extremely grateful for the funding we do receive, but we also want to build something that helps sustain our future.
“The services we have are essential and if they go away our community has to find them somewhere else. The whole reason for having them here is so people can access something local and easy to reach, and a place that they feel culturally safe.”
