Bima Wear: Proud History

Bima Wear has been an important part of Tiwi life since it was started by the Catholic Church in 1969 to help women gain skills and earn their own income. It even made school uniforms for Catholic schools across the NT.

Some of the original women are still involved today. Lucia Pilakui and Teresia Portaminni have been part of Bima since the early days, and still volunteer alongside a loyal team.

In 2022, Bima Wear reached out to TITEB for help after years without a manager. With TITEB’s support, Nicola Skill became manager in 2023 and secured $500,000 in funding to upgrade the space. There’s now a professional retail shop, new artwork, signage, and more upgrades on the way.

Production is back up and running, and five Tiwi women are employed under Job Trials. Bima is also filling big orders again, including 1000 skirts for Tiwi College and popular Valerie Bags, which celebrate the history of the Catholic missionaries using remnant school uniform fabric in the lining.

Pictured: Margaret Apuatimi and Janelle Puruntatameri