Evolution Mining and Civil managing director Sandra Kemp has been named the Cairns Business Women’s Club 2025 Indigenous Businesswoman of the Year. Photo: Supplied.
It is no easy feat to run a business, especially in a remote community, but one Weipa woman’s leadership has earned her the Indigenous Businesswoman of the Year title at a prestigious Cairns awards gala.
Evolution Mining and Civil managing director Sandra Kemp was presented with the prize on 26 July at the Cairns Business Women’s Club Awards, an achievement one employee described as a testament to her passion and dedication to providing employment and career pathways for local young Indigenous people.
Ms Kemp said the win had not quite sunk in yet, but that she was proud of the growth opportunities the business had been able to offer to its employees.
“The changes that I see in my people, what we develop, the confidence, their laughter … that’s what keeps me going,” she said.
“For me, it’s the personal gains, whether it’s someone buying their first car or having their first baby, or being able to afford to go on a holiday.”
The western Cape York business leader said providing opportunities to upskill had always been a passion of hers, which was reflected in the business name, Evolution, or its traditional name, Nunni Dulgeih, meaning “from the ground up”, which was given to her by Birriah Elder.
Ms Kemp explained that her Elder mentioned she was constantly talking about training and development, and came up with the traditional name, which was not to be used as the official business name, only a part of it.
“So, then we chose Evolution, which is around the evolving of people, the evolving of the business, and the evolving of everything we do,” she said.
“I would never have gone into business if it wasn’t to offer entry-level employment, and to train and develop.”
With much of Evolution Mining and Civil’s work involving the maintenance of Weipa’s community amenities and environment, Ms Kemp said having a sense of pride in the work they carried out as a team was integral.
“Instilling pride in what everyone was doing was a very important part of starting our business,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter what you do; whether you’re scrubbing a toilet or picking up rubbish along the side of the road, having pride in what you do is important, because that’s what people see, and that’s what people are going to remember you for.”
