Galiwin’ku Immersion Life Enriching for Bayer Team

Reflection from Manoj Saxena, Managing Director, Bayer Group ANZ Pharmaceuticals

Bayer ANZ Team on elcho island, June 2025

Bayer ANZ and the Australian Red Cross Team at the Baby Hub on Elcho Island, June 2025

The four days in June our Bayer team spent with the Yolgnu community on Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) off the Arnhem Land coast of the Northern Territory was life enriching for all of us.

Eight of our Bayer team were guests of the community and the Australian Red Cross team who run the community’s Baby Hub.

We were there to learn and work. We went bush with some local Yolgnu women to hear the stories of their land, sea country and community, met with local mothers and their bubs and participated in a working bee at the Baby Hub.

The Hub supports 10-15 mothers a day and is the only service of its kind nationally. With limited access to hospitals (a flight away) and some of the highest pre-term birth rates in the country, Baby Hub provides essential support for expecting mothers, babies, and families, run by local women, in language and on Country.

Our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commits us to building cultural awareness, immersive experiences, and partnerships to boost our learning.

Bayer ANZ Team at Baby Hub, June 2025

Our time with the Galiwin’ku community gave us a deeper appreciation of how hard it is to access health services in remote Indigenous communities and how Bayer can partner effectively.

While we were in the community I had the honour of confirming that Bayer ANZ would extend its funding partnership with the Australian Red Cross’s Baby Hub for another year. This extension brings our total commitment to $400,000 over four years, reinforcing our long-standing support of this vital initative.

With the extended partnership with Bayer, the Hub is now able to support four Australian Red Cross funded staff, to help build local workforce capacity and expand culturally safe care in one of the Northern Territory’s most remote communities.

Seven local Yolngu women currently staff the Hub – some with Cert III and Diploma qualifications in Early Childhood, and others supported through on-the-job mentoring and weekly training.

The team is exploring a tailored maternal care course and early childhood programs, taking inspiration from the Abecedarian Approach (3A) to strengthen outcomes from birth onwards.

The partnership directly supports Yolngu women into skilled, community health roles, reinforcing a model of First Nations-led, place-based care.

Baby Hub supports the first 1,000 days of a child’s life – a critical window for long-term health and development. It blends Yolngu and Western knowledge systems, providing care and education for young mothers, families, and carers.

I would like to thank Bridget Woods, Bill Daw and Annie Hesse from the Australian Red Cross for coordinating our trip and all the mums and bubs and local people who gave up their time to show us around and make us feel welcome.

Elcho Island, June 2025

Meeting so many amazing people, seeing their struggles, and triumphs, has left a lasting impression on me. Their stories of resilience and determination are truly inspiring and witnessing their efforts to support and uplift each other has been a profound experience.

To the Bayer team who joined me on the immersion, your kindness, your individual stories, and your willingness to learn and grow together has been truly inspiring. I am deeply grateful for the laughter, the engaging conversations, and the cherished memories we've created together.