About Us
Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island Enterprises (GEBIE) is a not-for-profit (Charitable) Aboriginal Corporation assisting the Traditional Owners of Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island to improve their social well-being.
This includes developing and operating enterprises to improve the social, economic and financial well-being of the Anindilyakwa people.
Ngakwurrilangwa Alawudawarra (Our Stories)
Click on the GEBIE Director images to hear their stories
Makbumunja
Katy Bara
A Warnindilyakwa Story
Constantine Mamarika
Warnindilyakwa Country
Alfred Mamarika
Stefano Lalara
Enugkerrimanja
Salt Lake Places and Story by James Yantarrnga
Yanbakwa
Louisa Amagula
Our history
GEBIE was incorporated in December 2001 and is an Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporation (ORIC) organisation which is a Not for Profit (NFP) and a Charitable Organisation. We assist the Traditional Owners of Groote Eylandt and have developed enterprises to improve the social, and economic well-being of the Anindilyakwa people.
GEBIE has not asked for or received Royalties from the ALC since 2018 and is an independent ORIC entity on Groote Eylandt.
We have seven Board Directors including one independent Director/Secretary and a strong senior management team across the Group – GEBIE, GEBIE Civil & Construction (GCC), Groote Eylandt Lodge and other smaller companies.
The Group has approximately 210 employees.
GEBIE has large divisions:
- Community Development Program (CDP) which is a partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) for essential training and employment for the people in three Communities.
- Facilities which cares for our large fleet of vehicles, plant and equipment, housing stock, a large worker’s camp leased to the mine, and the Green Ants - grounds and lawn maintenance staffed by Anindilyakwa people.
- Finance Department based in Cairns.
Our subsidiary GCC completes large Northern Territory Government (NTG) projects, including two 40 lot sub-divisions in Angurugu and Umbakumba, the Umbakumba Medical Clinic, new house builds for GEBIE and NTG, and repairs and roads maintenance. It also has a large batch plant.
Our Board want us to build a new Medical Clinic in Angurugu, partnering with either the ALC or the NTG. The building was renovated in 1999 which means it was probably built in the 1970s or 1980s. This will be a major project.
The GEMCO mine life is currently expected to finish in early to mid 2030, depending on manganese ore discovery in new leases.
Alfred Mamarika, GEBIE Group Chairman
GEBIE means a lot to me because it helps the Anindilyakwa Traditional Owners of the three communities on the Archipelago – Angurugu, Umbakumba and Milyakburra (Bickerton Island). The community appointed me a Director of the GEBIE Board in 2010 and I have been Chair of GEBIE since 2014.
Since becoming involved with GEBIE I have seen first-hand the difference it makes in the lives of the Anindilyakwa people through enterprises designed to improve living standards. This includes skills training, capacity building, employment and assistance with education, aged care, health and the cost of living in a remote area.
As Chairman of the mixed gender GEBIE Board, I am proud to say we have very strong governance procedures which are reinforced by the governance training I have completed. Our seven Directors include six Traditional Owners and an independent Secretary/Director. All decisions that come to the Board for approval are made by the Board as a whole. In addition to our regular quarterly Board Meetings, we meet with the Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) on a weekly basis. This is a real strength for GEBIE as we can effectively debate and decide upon each issue.
The Board and the Group CEO work together to make our organisation and its companies even stronger. We are looking to the future to achieve great things as we know that the mine won’t be here forever. It is up to us to make informed decisions that contribute to the future well-being of the Anindilyakwa Traditional Owners.
Corallie Ferguson, GEBIE Group Chief Executive Officer
GEBIE is a diverse group of companies and, with around 210 employees, is the second largest non-government employer on the Groote Archipelago.
Our Divisions include the Community Development Program (CDP), Green Ants (lawn and garden maintenance), and Facilities. The Facilities Division manages GEBIE’s 130-bed construction/mining camp Maranga Langa Angaylya (meaning ‘to sleep’), a large portfolio of houses in Angurugu and Alyangula, and a substantial land bank in Alyangula and Umbakumba. It manages the leases for two large properties off the Rowell Highway. The first, known as Pole 13, consists of commercial businesses, GEBIE Civil and Construction, and a camp for construction and mining workers. The second, Pole 14, will potentially be a subdivision for industry and housing.
GEBIE Civil and Construction (GCC) is a for-profit subsidiary that undertakes construction, repairs and maintenance, and civil works for government and the GEMCO mine. It has a large vehicle and plant workshop.
The second for-profit subsidiary is Groote Eylandt Lodge, a 74-room, 4-star resort. The GEBIE Directors are very proud of the Lodge, which is the only resort on the Eylandt. Formerly called the Dugong Beach Resort, it opened in 2008. It has two purpose-built Florida Keys fishing boats to take advantage of the Archipelago’s pristine waters which are home to many species of reef and pelagic fish, including billfish.
GEBIE is continually looking for business opportunities and joint ventures to sustain the Anindilyakwa people in the future. We have built a commercial kitchen in Angurugu and a training centre in Umbakumba.
We contributed $1.1 million to the sewerage extensions in Angurugu. In 2017 GCC built the $6 million Yinumarra Health Clinic in Umbakumba. GEBIE contributed $3 million to that project providing the community with a modern health clinic including men’s, women’s and children’s consulting areas, a dental room and renal facilities.