Kimberley Jiyigas (Birds) supports government and allied organisations to co-develop and deliver initiatives that are culturally sound, practical, and accountable. We help decision-makers turn good intent into outcomes that stand up to scrutiny.
Cultural integrity and accountability
Our work is grounded in cultural authority and strength-based practice. We support partners to engage respectfully and appropriately to context, while maintaining delivery discipline and accountability. Where cultural knowledge or sensitive material is involved, we prioritise clear permissions, controlled access, and governance that protects integrity.
What you can expect working with us
Clear scope, timelines, and communication
Stakeholder navigation with culturally safe engagement
Delivery-ready design, not just advice
Documentation that supports confident decision-making
Governance and permissions handled with care and integrity
Outcomes that are measurable, practical, and defensible
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP
Natasha Short
Founder Director
Natasha is a Jaru woman from the East Kimberley with over 30 years of lived experience in Indigenous community development. She is a strengths-based leader known for innovative insights that supports community agency and delivers outcomes that hold in real conditions. Natasha is a sought-after public speaker who equips decision-makers to navigate complexity with clarity, cultural integrity, and accountability. She has a rare ability to bridge worlds, communicating Indigenous realities to non-Indigenous leaders in ways that invite mutual reciprocity and respect, while protecting cultural authority and community priorities.
Keynote speaking, facilitated conversations, and panel leadership
Bridging complex stakeholder environments with clarity and respect
Reliable delivery aligned to both community and partner outcomes
“I help leaders deliver work that is culturally sound, practical, and worth standing behind.”
Diana Henderson
General Manager
Diana leads operations and delivery across Kimberley Jiyigas, with responsibility for project management, strategy, planning, stakeholder relationships, and securing grants and sponsorship. She brings a distinctive strength as a connector and community-builder, able to link people, ideas, and moving parts into clear pathways that teams can actually implement.
Diana is known for her strategic thinking, high-quality proposals and communication, and steady follow-through that builds trust with partners. Her work supports both the practical demands of organisations and the deeper aim of community-led integrity, helping good intent become outcomes that are clear, measurable, and built to last.
Operational leadership, project delivery, and partner management
Grants and sponsorship acquisition, plus acquittals and reporting
Strategic communications that turn complexity into implementable plans
“I’m here to make the work make sense, then make it happen.”
Credibility and proof
Operating since 2018
Kimberley-based, delivering Australia-wide
WALGA: Preferred Supplier, Supply Nation Registered
Our story
Kimberley Jiyigas (Birds) was established in 2018 with a clear purpose: to strengthen Indigenous leadership, support self-determination, and contribute to solutions that are community-led, culturally sound, and built for real-world delivery.
That purpose has stayed consistent, even as the work has evolved. Like any organisation working in complex environments, we’ve adapted to changing conditions, sharpened our methods, and learned what it takes to produce outcomes that hold. Over time, Kimberley Jiyigas has grown through deep reflection, strong partnerships, and the practical lessons that come from doing the work, not just planning it.
The Kimberley presents extraordinary challenges and extraordinary strengths. Good outcomes here require more than good intent. They require lived experience, cultural authority, and innovative strategies shaped by decades of community insight. It is no small task to deliver quality outcomes while navigating social complexity and structural barriers, but this is the work we are committed to.
We continue to challenge the status quo with excellence, care, and accountability. We choose to represent our region and our people with integrity, and we hold a responsibility to those who came before us and those who will come after- our ancestors and future generations of Kimberley people.
Acknowledgements
Kimberley Jiyigas has been strengthened by the wisdom and support of many people along the journey, especially Kimberley Indigenous women who have guided, encouraged, and held the vision of a better future for Kimberley mob. We acknowledge, with deep respect and gratitude:
Kankawa Nagarra (Olive Knight)
Judith Butters
Michelle Manning
Kia Dowell
Dr Stephanie Trust
Janine Dureau
Rozanne Bilminga
Jodie Bedford
Yisah Bin Omar
These leaders recognised the need for change and supported the early work of creating stronger platforms for visibility, economic independence, and self-determination through community-led business and development.
We also honour supporters who have since passed on, and we remain committed to tending to the seeds they have planted into our future:
Dr Francine Riches
Rita Boombi
Annette Kogolo
Pauline Manning
Dorothy Lee Tong
Since our beginning, many others have joined and contributed in meaningful ways to this brighter future. We remain committed to growing carefully, partnering well, and building a legacy of change that is both culturally grounded and practically delivered.
Get In Touch
If you’re looking for a culturally grounded partner who can navigate complex stakeholders and deliver projects that leaves a legacy, we’d welcome a conversation.