Spark Renewables recently welcomed Geoffrey Johnson to our Manly office. Geoffrey is a proud Wiradjuri man, former rugby league football player and mentor to younger generations through the Narrandera Wiradjuri Warriors Rugby League Football Club.
Our relationship with the Warriors and the wider Narrandera community began in 2023 through our engagement associated with the Dinawan Energy Hub. Since then, it has developed into a valued and ongoing relationship built through time spent together, listening, learning and supporting an organisation that provides young people with role models, mentorship and opportunities to represent their community.
The relationship also holds a special connection to our much-missed colleague, Shaurntae Lyons, who played an important role in bringing our organisations and communities together.
Following Shaurntae’s passing in February 2025, the Narrandera Wiradjuri Warriors established the Shaurntae Memorial Team, which includes her sons, to compete at the annual NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnival.
During his recent visit, Geoffrey presented Spark Renewables with a commemorative jersey in Shaurntae’s honour on behalf of the team. The gesture means a great deal to our team and is a reminder of the relationships Shaurntae built and the lasting influence of her work.
During her time with Spark Renewables, Shaurntae helped establish many of the principles, guidelines and engagement plans that continue to shape how we work with First Nations communities in the areas where our projects are located.
Her contribution went well beyond plans and processes. She encouraged us to listen, build relationships before they are needed, understand communities on their own terms and approach engagement with genuine respect.
We are grateful to the Narrandera community and the Wiradjuri Warriors for the relationship we continue to share, and privileged to see the connections Shaurntae helped establish continue to grow.
Her influence remains part of the way we work today, through the relationships she formed, the work she shaped and the path she created for those following behind.