The Aboriginal community organisation will showcase Yolngu culture at its newly purchased café at the Gove Airport in the NT.
Lite Bites Café will continue to serve great food, coffee and frappes, now under Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation (aka Laynha). The new café manager, Marlene Hartog, has years of hospitality experience and is a committed local after buying and choosing to semi-retire in Gove.
Laynha plans to expand the café and close its Yirrkala Bush Product retail outlet to move its retail products to the café. Customers waiting for their flight or family pick up, or just visiting, can enjoy a coffee or a tasty treat, browse a range of bush products and grab a last-minute gift or souvenir.
An online ordering panel will also be available so those who are worried about excess luggage can just view the product in-store and buy online through the café with their nominated delivery address. Operating hours will be fixed so customers can have certainty of trade.
Laynha plans to add tables and chairs to accommodate more customers and continue supporting “pop-up” concepts for local projects and businesses. The organisation will also be partnering with local organisations to:
- Reinstate the much-needed airport shuttle service
- Market and cross-sell cultural travel/tourism in the region
- Provide a training and employment space for Yolngu who are interested in the retail sector
With over 65,000 passengers transiting through the airport, Laynha sees this as an opportunity to showcase Yolngu culture and self-determination, now and beyond the mine closure. This is an East Arnhem initiative that the organisation hopes everyone will support.
Laynha thanks the Nhulunbuy Corporation and the outgoing owners, Tash and Vic, for the smooth transition. The new café owner informs the public to watch out for the additional products and services mentioned, as well as its progress towards its vision of an inclusive enterprise model.
Read also: First Nations toilet paper company rolls out nationwide
Geraldine is currently the Content Producer for Third Sector, an Akolade channel. Throughout her career, she has written for various industries and international audiences. Her love for writing extends beyond the corporate world, as she also works as a volunteer writer at her local church. Aside from writing, she is also fond of joining fun runs and watching musicals.
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