Located in the remote north-west of South Australia, Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) is a large, sparsely populated area of Aboriginal communities.

‘It's an untouched landscape,’ says Aileen Shannon, Co-owner/Administration Executive of Wiltja Constructions. ‘It has amazing shades of reds and browns and expansive dry deserts. When it rains, the colourful wildflowers are unbelievable.’

Aileen has a profound passion for APY and its community. With her builder/husband Tony Rodgers, she’s been running Wiltja Constructions for the past 14 years and is currently building 26 replacement houses on APY Lands. Based in the town of Quorn at the start of the Flinders Ranges, the firm takes on some of the most complex builds in Australia. Logistics, travel time and training are just some of the daily hurdles.

Her involvement with both her construction business and the local communities was recently recognised when she won the 2024 South Australian HIA Building Woman Award. The judges said: ‘Aileen is a tireless advocate for advancing remote housing and has worked closely with communities to ensure culturally appropriate housing solutions.

Her deep dedication is evident through her numerous contributions, including innovative employment initiatives, community engagement throughout the building process, and her commitment to supporting local sporting clubs.’

Advising government on Indigenous issues

As a successful businesswoman and role model, Aileen was a member of the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council, which provides high-level confidential advice to government ministers and senior public servants across all areas of government.

She began her career in the South Australian public sector in 1990, progressing to roles assisting state and federal members of parliament in the portfolios of agriculture, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, and foreign affairs.

When Aileen received the prestigious 2024 South Australian HIA Building Woman Award, she saw it more holistically. ‘I was thrilled to get recognition for our work in remote areas. It was important for me to place the trophy on the ground – just to know this is where it stems from when building out there. It nourished my soul to do that.’

Braving the elements to build homes for remote communities

While the head office is in Quorn, Aileen and Tony’s team regularly take 14-hour drives to Fregon, one of the main APY communities. Aileen says, ‘It’s a building project, but done on a totally different level to metropolitan builds.’

When driving to building sites on the APY Lands, the travel time is so long, the crew often stay overnight at a camp set up by Housing SA. ‘Earlier this year, we worked at the Aboriginal communities, Kalka and Pipalyatjara on the border of Western Australia,’ says Aileen. ‘This involved a seven-hour drive on a corrugated dirt road.’

After running the business with Tony for the past 13 years, Aileen is now well-prepared when unexpected things occur.

‘Roads can be washed away and closed, or we can get into boggy situations,’ she says. ‘If a truck breaks down, we must deal with that ourselves. There's no roadside assistance!

‘When the roads are down, we become self-sufficient, as in taking our own fuel pods. We also freight food and boxes of water, and get a bush order every week for fresh fruit and veg.’

Aileen appreciates the network of people when living and working remotely. Everyone helps each other out; a close-knit community is vital.

‘We’re fortunate that HIA is there for us. We've been with HIA for as long as the business has been operating. They look after all our insurance and legal advice.’

How Aileen co-runs Wiltja Constructions

Aileen grew up in Quorn with her parents and five siblings. Her dad was a shearer, and her mum was a shearer's cook. The family moved to Mimili on APY Lands in 1979. Her dad took on a job managing a cattle station, and Aileen recalls the unique way of living.

‘The school was an ATCO [portable] building on the back of a truck, with three teachers and six kids,’ she recalls. ‘It would only open from 1-3pm. I also remember living in the main homestead.’

These vivid memories inspired her to establish Wiltja Constructions in 2011 with Tony. At that stage, she was a youth worker based in Marla, while Tony was a sub-contractor for the APY Lands. The business quickly boomed, providing building construction, repair and maintenance services.

Its first major contract was signed two months after opening. While Aileen and Tony were prepared for extensive travel time and complex logistics, there was one further ‘addition’. Their daughter, Georgia, was born eight months before the business started. She grew up on the road, travelling from one location to another.

‘I even had to bring Georgia onto the work site,’ recalls Aileen, whose well-travelled daughter is now 13.

Wiltja’s employee wages were once arranged via cheques through stores within the APY Lands to ensure the money was retained within the community. The firm also has numerous suppliers for sourcing raw and environmentally friendly materials.

Training Indigenous youth in the art of building

As the business consolidated, Aileen and Tony realised that many young Aboriginals on the APY Lands would complete their building and construction certificate but had few work opportunities in the future. They launched a building company that actually operates on the APY. ‘We wanted to create good jobs with social outcomes,’ says Aileen. ‘The business would protect workers, raise work skill levels and provide sustainable career development for staff.’

They established Anangu Building Services in 2011, employing a high ratio of Anangu members. ‘We had a perfect formula since I’m of Aboriginal descent, while Tony can manage qualifications, skills and quality assurance,’ says Aileen.

Aileen and Tony turned to Martin Pike and Peter Claridge of Verve Group to compile a business plan. Verve Group has a long history of supporting Indigenous communities, corporations and business owners.

‘We spent three months documenting our working method,’ says Aileen. ‘This gave us a process and practice when working in remote areas. Here, Aboriginal people’s third or fourth language is English. Many have low literacy and numeracy, so we wanted to improve this.

‘Ultimately, the vision is to hand over the brand, intellectual property and trading entity to local Anangu community ownership under a suitable structure, once it becomes clear from where the next generation of Anangu business vision and leadership will eventuate.’

Over the past four years, the company has completed more than $5 million in building projects. It’s currently building 26 replacement houses on the APY under a five-year contract.

Overall, Wiltja has provided employment and on-the-job training for 88 Indigenous workers, with an impressive record of zero workplace safety incidents.

The land never leaves us

While Aileen’s passion for the land is immeasurable, she also finds pure joy when she hears uplifting comments from her team.

'I employed a plasterer who worked on the APY Lands 14 years ago,’ she says. ‘He moved to Portland in Victoria but kept in contact with our crew. After a while, he mentioned he was missing our land, so he returned to Wiltja Constructions.

‘When he arrived, his first response was, “You can never get rid of that red sand and dirt from under your fingernails – and within our skin.” He felt enlightened and proud to be back working here. That’s why I’m doing this job – it makes me feel so satisfied.’

First published on 19 Feb 2025.