Robbie Miniter OAM

Shire of Gnowangerup Councillor and Goreng Noongar community leader

Robbie Miniter is a proud Goreng Noongar man who has lived all his life in and around Gnowangerup.

For the first five years of his life, Robbie and his family lived on the Gnowangerup Aboriginal Reserve before being relocated into town. He completed his schooling there and, after a brief time in Perth, returned home to take up a job with the Shire.

For the next 20 years he remained employed there, moving from trainee to machinery operator, supervisor and manager before leaving to take on his passion for working with young Noongar people to build their capacity in culture, sport and employment. Working with the Wirrpanda Foundation, he mentored many young people while running cultural awareness programs across multiple local governments. For this work, Robbie received the Order of Australia in 2018.

As Chairman of the Gnowangerup Aboriginal Corporation, he was instrumental in establishing the Ngowanjerindj Ranger Program, which now employs 18 rangers and has a flourishing nursery and restoration program underway.

Robbie operates a small business, still working on road construction and maintenance but with an increasing focus on cultural awareness. He is also a Councillor with the Shire of Gnowangerup and a community representative on the board of the Great Southern Development Commission.

He credits his wife Sharon and his four daughters with the support that allows him to pursue his passions for building cultural awareness and community capacity.