South Hurstville's Aunty Beryl Van Oploo has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the King's Birthday Honours for service to the Indigenous community, and to the hospitality industry.
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She is well-known in Redfern through her work at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence where she is Aboriginal culture elder in residence.
In her career she has trained almost 4,000 young people in her community in hospitality and helped them find employment.
Self-taught
Beryl, 81, was born in Walgett, the eldest of nine children. Her mother passed away when Beryl was aged 12.
"I have been cooking for a large family since I was ten," she said.
"My oldies couldn't read or write. They told me to go and get an education. I'm self-educated. I learned to read from an IXL jam tin.
"I came to The Block when I was 16. I got a job with the Sisters of Mercy in Surry Hills who had started a pre-school for Aboriginal children and they needed a cook," she said.
"We would take the young kids to the beach on the weekends. They are grandparents now. We grew up together.
"I studied cooking at TAFE. I decided to train as a teacher and was one of the first Aboriginal teachers at TAFE. I studied nutrition and and became a chef."
Beryl decided to start her own catering company and now runs the Yaama Barrgay Pty Limited.
"I decided to take my training out to our community because there's no way they would go to an institution and it has worked," she said.
"Over the years I've got about 4,000 of them jobs. A lot of them are working in hospitality, in hospitals, on the trains and a few of them have become chefs. A couple are nurses.
Next generation
"This is what I'm about, providing for the next generation and giving them stepping stones. We give them an opportunity to do a course so they have employment and a better quality of life."
Beryl also runs a nutrition program with young mums and bubs and a cooking program with the City of Sydney for old men so they can learn to cook for themselves.
A resident of Hurstville for 50 years, Beryl has three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Her husband Andrew of 56 years passed away two weeks ago.
"We both worked two jobs to educate our children," she said.
Bigger steps
"I say in the classroom if you have an education, you have a voice, you have a choice. If I see one of our mob get employment and go on their own journey and get a better quality of life, then I'm doing my job.
"I see it happening now with younger people and older people.
"It's small steps. If we all work together the steps become bigger."
