About Aishah Pelley (Director)
Aishah Pelley is the founder and director of THE SNAKE BITE PROGRAM. She is a young female Indigenous Muslim Australian entrepreneur with a passion for animals, her indigenous heritage, and promoting public health for disadvantaged communities.
HISTORY OF THE SNAKE BITE PROGRAM
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Aishah Pelley is 20 years old and the 2nd child in her family. She is of indigenous descent belonging to the GunaiKurnai people. Being a descendant from the stolen generation, due challenging circumstances for herself and her sisters, Aishah was raised in a single parent home by her dad (who was not indigenous) for most of her life.
Aishah, her sisters and her father did not know to which indigenous nation she belonged or how to even get in touch with them. When Aishah was 18, by chance she met her cousins and this created the link between her and her Aboriginal mob. Since, she has become active in the community and determined to be a powerful female advocate to help descendants of the stolen generation, Indigenous Australian communities and Australians in general understand Aboriginal culture especially around animals. Aishah learned quickly how to adapt and overcome adversity of her childhood to leading by example for her sisters and others.
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After years of experience being taught by her father about business, life, catching snakes, how to understand animals and work with them, Aishah started her own company in 2022 - The Snake Bite Program with the purpose of combining her passions for a better understanding for all.
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AISHAH'S WORK AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Aishah’s qualifications include:
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Year 12 VCAL certificate, 2020
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Certificate III in Laboratory Management – Box hill Institute, 2020.
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Current Studies: Diploma of Science at University of New England.
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Qualified Snake Catcher.
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Construction White Card
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Aishahs work experience includes:
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2020 – 2021: Laboratory Work (Multiple venues)
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2021 – 2023: C.E.O of The Snake Hunter including snake catching, canine snake avoidance, reptile shows and animal management & maintenance.
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2022 – Current: Owner & Operator of ‘The Snake Bite Program’.
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EXPERIENCE WITH THE SNAKE HUNTER - A FAMILY BUSINESS
The Snake Hunter is a family owned business. Initially started in 2012 by Mark (Aishah's dad), Aishah and her sisters would travel around with their Mark who operated as a single dad to catch snakes in order to survive Over time, Aishah grew to be 18 and got a lot of experience snake handling, teaching people about snakes, training dogs to avoid snakes, doing live presentations and more.
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As Aishah got older, she wanted to venture down her own path getting involved in snake venom production, teaching people about snakes in Aboriginal culture and promoting understanding and awareness of snakes around the world.
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The Snake Bite Program was thus born in 2022. It started as an idea and Aishah knows, dreams only become goals when you take proactive steps to their reality. Aishah's goal is for her to be a leader and an example among young females, Muslims, Indigenous Australians, those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for anyone who has a dream to make it a reality.
Aishah's Goals
To develop affordable snake antivenoms to be made readily available to 3rd world countries
To promote awareness and understanding of snakes & rpetiles leading to a reduction in snake bite incidents
Being of indigenous background herself, to promote an understanding of snakes in Australian Aboriginal culture