Supporting healthy stores activities: Maletta See Kee (left), Sarah Christensen from Health & Wellbeing Queensland and CEQ store nutritionist Georgia Day. Photo: CEQ.
Not-for-profit remote store operator Community Enterprise Queensland (CEQ) has welcomed its newest First Nations nutrition cadet.
Maletta See Kee has joined the organisation’s Nutrition and Health team in a ‘learn and earn’ role funded by Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQ).
Maletta previously worked at the Islanders Board of Industry and Service (IBIS) Supermarket on Waibene (Thursday Island).
She steps into the cadetship as part of CEQ’s commitment to growing local capability and supporting the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and nutrition leaders.
Born on Waibene with family connections to Kubin (Moa Island) and Erub (Darnley Island), Maletta said the opportunity had opened her eyes to a future she never previously considered.
“When I found out I’d been accepted, I was really happy – it felt like the start of something fresh,” Maletta said.
“Now I’m in the role, I can honestly say I’m loving it. The travelling, meeting different people, visiting schools and learning so much along the way has been amazing.”
So far, Maletta has travelled to Kowanyama, Masig, Erub, Bamaga and Nurapai, engaging with schools and stores as part of CEQ’s Gather and Grow healthy stores work.
Over her cadetship, she will spend time in all 27 CEQ stores across the organisation’s footprint, gaining hands-on experience with remote nutrition promotion and healthy food retail.
Over the past couple of months, Maletta has been supporting healthy stores activities, school-based nutrition games and workshops, and community-focused promotion through Gather and Grow.
She is also learning more about healthy eating.
“The more I work here, the more I realise nutrition isn’t just about telling people to eat healthy,” she said.
“It’s about finding fun solutions, making healthy choices easy, and helping our communities reduce preventable health issues through small changes. That’s what motivates me.”
CEQ Nutrition and Health manager Melinda Hammond said Maletta’s enthusiasm, community connection, and first-hand retail experience made her a strong fit for the cadetship.
“Maletta brings a positive energy, a deep understanding of her community, and a real willingness to learn,” Ms Hammond said.
“Our nutrition cadet program has already helped launch meaningful pathways for young First Nations leaders, and we’re excited to support Maletta as she grows and contributes to better health outcomes across the region.”
The 50:50 ‘learn and earn’ role requires cadets to study through an accredited vocational course or a university-preparation pathway while gaining paid, practical experience in community nutrition and healthy food retail.
Dr Simone Nalatu, Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s director of Equity and Communities, said programs such as the nutrition cadetship gave people the chance to make a real difference in their own communities.
“Maletta’s passion and strong connection to Country will help create meaningful change – from improving access to healthy food to supporting families to make better choices every day,” Dr Nalatu said.
“As we celebrate six years of partnership with CEQ, we’re proud to build on our shared success in creating healthier store environments for the communities where CEQ operates.”
As part of her role, Maletta will continue travelling with CEQ’s Nutrition and Health team across the Torres Strait, Cape York, Lower Gulf and Palm Island regions.
She said helping her own communities made the experience meaningful.
“It’s important to me IBIS and ABIS [Aboriginal Business, Industry and Service] customers have access to healthy, affordable choices,” she said.
“As an Indigenous person, I know our communities have high rates of health issues. Even small changes to what’s on the shelf – or on our plates – can make a big difference.”
CEQ is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for providing goods and essential services to the Torres Strait, Cape York Peninsula and in Doomadgee and on Palm Island through its 31 stores.
CEQ manages the IBIS and ABIS stores, as well as other stores including Col Jones and Community Home and Hardware, and Mona’s Bazaar and Mitre 10 on Waibene.
Visit: www.ceqld.org.au
