 Deborah Cortese is a Nyungar woman with brilliant artistic
ability. “I don’t know where I got my ability from,
the first time I put paint to canvass was in 1994 and it just started
off as a hobby. The only one in my family that I am aware of who
painted was my Grandfather.
I started painting anything I could get my hands on, for instance
my kids would come with me and we would go and collect gum nuts,
clean them up so I could paint them and make keyrings. My daughter
and I painted terracotta plates, wooden products, earrings that type
of thing. All of my work was done and stored in our lounge room.
After I had a collection of painted products I headed off to Sydney
and walked the streets showing my work to different agents and retail
stores. After two weeks I had orders to the value of $20,000. This
was part of the beginnings of Yirra Kurl. I went and registered a
business and my husband John gave me a choice “you develop
the products and I will be a housedad”.
Deborah Coertse and her husband John Goebel have operated Yirra Kurl
since 1998. Yirra Kurl is based in Maddington, near Perth, Western
Australia. They currently lease a 530 square metre factory/office
building where they employ 10 staff members. Yirra Kurl is making
the transition from a ‘small business’ to a ‘medium
sized business’. “This growth is a direct result of an
aggressive marketing campaign aimed at increasing the number of retail
outlets stocking Yirra Kurl products, combined with ongoing product
development, both in the development of new products and the modification
of current products, using feedback from its stockists, and their
customers”. (Yirra Kurl (2003) Pty Ltd – Business Plan)
Yirra Kurl recently entered into a partnership with Chris King and
Urszula Gadja-King, who own and operate the printing company that
has provided the majority of Yirra Kurl’s printed products
since 1999.
CONTACT:
Ms Deborah Coertse
Yirra-Kurl Online Global
Unit 4, 5 Stretton Place
Balcatta WA 6021
Phone: 08 9240 6299
Fax: 08 9240 6599
Email: info@yirra-kurl.com.au
|
