Jamie joined as Climate Friendly’s first Indigenous Partnerships Mananger in 2021 and has thrown himself into building constructive relationships with Traditional Owner groups and communities.
Name: Jamie Hagan
What people call me: Jamie or Flippa
Where were you brought up as a child?
I was born in Rockhampton (go the maroons) but grew up in Northern NSW in Tamworth, Inverell, and Ballina.
Who has been the most influential person in your life?
My parents. Mum has always been one to help others including cousins etc and being a member of the Stolen Generation I think she feels family is very important. Dad has always been a hard worker and one to put his hand to help in the community, whether on the P&C board or helping different sporting associations.
Where do you live now and why?
I live in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. I have now lived here more than anywhere even though I have moved away several times. My wife and I first got together here, and we call this our boomerang spot. The weather is magic, the beaches are great and it’s a wonderful spot for our 2 kids to grow up.
What is your passion and how did you get started on it?
Apart from the Wests Tigers and Indiana Pacers I have a passion for working with Indigenous communities. As mum was removed from her family, we don’t have a strong connection to our culture, so working with Traditional Owners helps with my own identity journey.
I enjoy bringing people together. A lot of what we see and hear polarises people which I feel is quite unhelpful in solving complex problems and moving forward. I feel a lot of the time, most people have overlapping thoughts and opinions.
I guess this started with having Indigenous and Irish heritage and wanting to see us all walk together, to learn from each other and create a sustainable environment for the generations to come.
How did you get into this type of work?
The role, Indigenous Partnerships Manager, was advertised and I applied. I also did a bit of a check on Climate Friendly through a good friend who has had extensive engagement with the organisation.
Prior to Climate Friendly I worked in the University sector, real estate world and spent time working in Arnhem Land. The alignment between carbon farmers, carbon farming and Indigenous cultural practice was a real attraction to working in this space.
If you weren’t answering these questions right now what would you rather be doing?
Other work or being a dad to my son Otis and daughter Greta. I should also be working on getting fit for some upcoming triathlons, but the first two seem more important.
