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 Eddie Miles spends a lot of time on the road. It's his job to be the face of Outback Stores in communities so that means getting out there, spending time with people, earning their trust - building relationships.
“You can’t do that over the phone,” he says. “I’d probably drive about 1000 kilometres a week. Sometimes more at Money Story time.”
Eddie is the relationship manager for stores in the Central Australian region. His area stretches from 90 kilometres south of Tennant Creek to the South Australian border. He also covers Outback Stores in West Australia. The travelling suits him, he says. He is more at home pounding down an outback road than sitting behind a desk, and once at his destination, is at ease with the community members he has come to know as friends.
Eddie is of Warlpiri-Gurindji descent, with a bit of Irish blood thrown in. Warlpiri are the western Tanami desert people, while Gurindgi are from Kalkarindji, Daguragu (Wattie Creek), the homeland of famed Aboriginal rights campaigner Vincent Lingari who led the Wave Hill walk-off. Vincent is Eddie’s great great uncle.
As a kid growing up in Alice Springs, Eddie spent a lot time in communities such as Yuendumu, Lajamanu and Kalkarindji visiting relatives. School and university took him northward to Darwin for a number of years but he was drawn back to the Red Centre where he married and a started a family.
Working for Outback Stores has been another kind of home coming; a way of re-establishing his ties with his people. He knows he is making a difference.
“You can see it,” he says, “when you go into a community that has had an Outback Store for a while. It’s the food security, the regular supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. You can see it particularly in the younger children, especially their skin, it has more of a shine. I know it sounds like a cliché but it really is true: a healthier store creates a healthier community.”
Eddie is also starting to see plenty of healthy Money Stories. The Money Story is how Outback Stores helps store committee members understand the finances of their business. The tool was developed by Alice Springs company Little Fish and uses simple graphics to explain complex accounting concepts.
“This form of reporting breaks down language barriers and gives power back to the people who own the stores,” he said. “When a Money Story is released, I will visit a community and sit down with the store committee members and go through it with them and answer any questions they have. In most of the central communities, the store committee chairperson or a committee member will translate for me. It’s rewarding to see stores grow and get back on their feet as time goes by.”
Money Stories are released quarterly, as well as an annual report at the end of the financial year, and during these periods, Eddie can be on the road for up to three weeks straight. But that is only part of his job. The relationship manager is part of the Business Development Team and, as such, is one of the first staff to visit a community when Outback Stores is negotiating to manage stores. He is there as the process unfolds and when the store finally opens. He can also be called out to a community at any time if an issue arises, or a decision needs to be made on a store-related matter.
“There’s a fair bit of driving and a bit of distance to cover but at the end of the day, I’m working with community people and it’s rewarding,” he said. “What I enjoy best is sitting down and having the opportunity to talk to the people, seeing the smiles on their faces and eventually becoming good friends. It’s my job to create that relationship, to build a path where the community can walk together with Outback Stores.”
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