Here at GH Commercial, we are a proud partner of Dreamtime Flooring, bringing the work of their artists to life with our local manufacturing technology in Australia. Together, we work to support Dreamtime’s vision of sharing Indigenous culture and artwork for future generations.
Dreamtime Flooring was born in 2022 from a deep aspiration drawn from managing director Joshua Haddock’s connection to Indigenous culture. This is the essence of Dreamtime Flooring: the missing link connecting culture, artwork and flooring. This can only come from engaging with a 100% Indigenously owned business such as Dreamtime Flooring.
“Partnering with GH Commercial has been an incredible journey, developing from two very different business dynamics that through time and understanding created the building blocks that paved the road towards a real partnership,” says Josh.
Josh is a proud Yorta Yorta man raised on Gunai Kurnai Country and is the sole director of Dreamtime Flooring. He has 20 years of practical experience within the flooring industry, with many of these years through his own contractor-based company, RJ Precision Flooring Installation. He has dedicated the last seven years to launch Dreamtime Flooring in 2022, utilising his experience and breadth of knowledge within the industry to create the missing link connecting culture, artwork and flooring.
Dreamtime Flooring is a proudly 100% Indigenous owned business that offers a range of flooring products in a selection of standard designs featuring contemporary indigenous designs, social impact carpet tiles, as well as custom designs created by local indigenous artists.
Josh speaks about his pathway to establishing Dreamtime Flooring, his mission behind building this business, and what this journey has looked like for himself personally.
“I wanted to find a way to showcase Indigenous art in a way it hadn’t been seen before while creating culturally safe places for mob. I also wanted to have our artwork protected while finding a way to Harrogate the stories of other people, displayed in a culturally respectful manner as an Indigenous person; our land, journey and stories are important to us and as such I want to protect and respect. I also wanted to find a way that I could make meaningful change by injecting income directly into the community with the intention to create economic equality.”
Josh proudly speaks about his recent achievement of being awarded ‘The Best Collaboration Award’ at the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce Awards 2022. This fantastic achievement is something that we are proud to share with Dreamtime Flooring as well as BYNM Indigenous Designs as it reflects a manufacturing partnership that we are extremely proud to be a part of.
“The work we do behind the scenes, promoting culture, investing in our youth and the launching of our new ranges. I feel the best is yet to come,” says Josh.
Josh touches on how important it is to share Indigenous art through flooring and how sharing and installing these designs continues to ‘build culturally safe places and preserving the world’s oldest living culture, sharing the traditions of art, which will help build understanding how we as Indigenous people would share our stories’. In the lead up to NAIDOC Week we had the chance to speak to Josh about what this week means to him.
“NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate all Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders’ strength, resilience, and progression, providing space for us to showcase our achievements together. This year’s theme is significant to me with the theme being ‘For our Elders’. I will take time to reflect on the success I have had with the business, acknowledging the Elders in my life, past and present, who have been so generous with sharing their cultural knowledge, guiding me to where I am today, paving the way for Business Owners like myself.”
To younger Indigenous generations, Josh says, “My advice to the younger Indigenous generation would be to work hard, stick to your values, speak to your elders, listen and be able to receive their advice and above all… Believe in yourself.”
