D&S Group Officially Partners with the Clontarf Foundation

Partnering With the Clontarf Foundation

On 1 July 2025, D&S Group officially kicked off its partnership with the Clontarf Foundation — and for Managing Director Daniel Reardon, it was one of the most meaningful moments in the company’s history. The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, life skills, self-esteem, and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, thereby equipping them to participate meaningfully in society. For Daniel — a proud Jaru Whadjuk man who was an inaugural graduate of the Clontarf Academy in Waterford, WA, in 2000 — becoming the first alumnus-led company to formally partner with the Foundation is nothing short of a full-circle moment.

We’re proud to be partnering with an organisation that’s making a real difference, and we’re looking forward to the journey ahead. Creating meaningful employment opportunities for young Aboriginal men isn’t just good business. It’s the right thing to do.
The Clontarf Foundation team visited D&S Group’s offices as part of the partnership kickoff — a morning of genuine conversation, shared vision and practical planning around how the two organisations can work together to open real doors for young Aboriginal men entering the workforce. D&S Group brings direct, hands-on opportunities in mechanical maintenance, civil works, plant operations and support roles across Western Australia’s resources and infrastructure sectors — exactly the kind of meaningful, career-building employment the Clontarf Foundation’s graduates are ready for.
 

Founded in 2000 at the Clontarf Aboriginal College in Waterford, Western Australia, the Clontarf Foundation has grown from a single football academy into one of Australia’s most impactful Indigenous education and employment organisations. Using sport — particularly Australian Rules football — as an engagement tool, Clontarf academies are embedded in schools across the country, providing structured in-school support, mentorship, life skills development and post-school employment pathways for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.

Clontarf Foundation — At a Glance Founded in 2000 in Waterford, WA · Operates across 130+ academies nationally · Supports 10,000+ young men annually · Focused on Year 12 attainment and post-school employment · Partners with employers to create direct workforce pathways · clontarf.org.au

Doc Reardon — From Academy to Managing Director

What makes this partnership so remarkable is the story behind it. Daniel “Doc” Reardon didn’t just attend a Clontarf Academy — he attended the original Clontarf Academy. In 2000, he was part of the very first cohort at the Waterford campus, when the Foundation was brand new, and the model was still being proven. He graduated Year 12 through the programme — at a time when Year 12 completion rates for young Aboriginal men were low — and credits Clontarf with helping him find direction, build discipline and finish school.
Originally, I just went there to go for a kick of the footy and ended up graduating from school. Choose the path that benefits you and your family, and surround yourself with great people.” — Daniel Reardon
The Clontarf Foundation newsletter feature on Daniel is not just a profile — it’s proof that the programme works, and that its graduates go on to become the kind of leaders who can open doors for the next generation. D&S Group is proud to be living proof of that, and prouder still to now be bringing other young Aboriginal men along on that same journey.
 

Our Commitment
D&S Group is committed to working closely with the Clontarf Foundation to build strong, sustainable futures together. This is not a one-time announcement — it's an ongoing relationship, built on real outcomes, shared values and a genuine belief that Indigenous young men deserve access to the same career opportunities as anyone else in the resources sector.

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Connecting in the Pilbara — D&S Group at the KDCCI Indigenous Trade Show