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From CDP participants to business owners

Jobs, Land and Economy
Sisters Reina (left) and Raylene (right) McKellar

Sisters Reina and Raylene McKellar from Cunnamulla, Queensland, were CDP participants. Now they are ‘soon to be’ business owners thanks to support and hard work.

When Cunnamulla in Queensland lacked a cleaning service, CDP Provider Rapad Employment Service Queensland (RESQ) set up Cunnamulla Service Solutions (CSS).

The project employed women who cleaned carpets, solar panels, windows, concrete/paved driveways and more.

Reina McKellar was one of the CDP participants employed by the project.

‘I was called about this business opportunity by the ladies in the RESQ Office to see if I would be interested,’ Reina said.

‘I was interested and the business started out with three of us ladies. A few months later and I was the most consistent of all ladies and I was asked if I wanted to be the head of the business. I was excited to be given this opportunity. I now run the business with my sister [Raylene].’

CSS has been cleaning the Paroo Shire Council Hall on a regular basis. The work includes polishing floors, dusting and vacuuming the conference rooms, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, windows, and pathways.

Reina and Raylene have worked hard, not just cleaning but building their reputation and marketing the business. They attend regular coaching sessions with Gordon Rowling from the Many Rivers Organisation where they cover budgeting, marketing, good business management and more.

They have registered CSS and applied for an Australian Business Number. They are also in the process of setting up a bank account in the name of Cunnamulla Service Solutions.

The business is showing a steady monthly financial increase. With continued backing from RESQ and Many Rivers, Reina and Raylene are confident about the business and excited about the future.

‘The business has been hard work and I have put in the hard work and hours,’ Reina said.

‘I think that I am more confident in who I am and what I want to achieve. This business has given me confidence in being a business woman and I now have goals that I want to tick off. My health has also improved through my weight loss.’

One of Reina’s goals is to get the contract for the hall cleaning for Paroo Shire Council.

‘If this contract is secured it will help pave the path for my business to be successful.’

Find out more

The National Indigenous Australians Agency funds RESQ Plus Pty Ltd through the Community Development Program to support businesses like Cunnamulla Service Solutions until they become fully independent and self-sustaining.