Central Desert Regional Council Winter 2016 Newsletter No. 30

Central Desert News Willowra Works delivers

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Works Crew lay the foundations and add concrete to a path.

he Willowra Works team recently extended a new concrete footpath 20 metres from the Council Service Delivery Office to the Community Store.

After that was done the community wanted more! It was requested that the concrete footpath be extended a further 15 metres to the Adult Learning Centre. So, the Works Crew did what they do best and got it done!

As of late October there is a fantastic new path for community members. Willowra residents who use wheelchairs and prams can easily access the Council, store and learning centre all on one continuous path.

Great work by the Willowra Works Crew.

Youth Patrol ready for duty

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he Community Safety Patrol in Yuendumu has started a partnership with the Community Development Program (CDP) to deliver Youth Community Safety Patrols in Yuendumu of an evening. The program invites under-18 years CDP participants to volunteer with Community Safety Patrol staff, patrolling at night and responding to the safety needs of the Youth Patrol ready for duty: Reilly White and Isaiah Fisher with CSP team member Mel Langdon. community.

Youth patrollers learn about reporting, attending to disputes and making sure kids get home at night.

On busy nights, youth patrollers act as a second set of eyes and ears during youth program – equipped with a walkie talkie, back up help is never far away!

As well as learning good job skills, youth patrollers have their foot in the door for a job once they turn 18. There are also plans to expand the initiative to count as a CDP activity, meaning more people from the community can get involved in making Yuendumu a safer and happier place.

Congratulations to Yuendumu for getting this great initiative underway.

EDITION NO. 31 / SEPTEMBER 2016

INSIDE Willowra Works delivers

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Youth Patrol ready for duty

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From the President

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From the CEO

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Elders building networks, sharing stories

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Engawala playgroup opens its doors!

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Builder trainer house on the way

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Local Authority lights up Lajamanu

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Welcome to Warlpiri Country

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Shelving for Lajamanu library

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Time in the sun for Laramba Aged Care

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Distant Curve connecting the east

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Water for Yuelamu

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From little things . . .

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New team members for Yuendumu

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Central Desert softball players compete in the Territory championships

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Celebrating Reconciliation Day with some roo

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Around the region

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Batting practice with a cricket star

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School nutrition gets a thumbs up

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Basketball court built to last

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What’s on around the Council

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Central Desert News is published by Central Desert Regional Council PO Box 2257 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871 Ph 1300 360 605 www.centraldesert.nt.gov.au Please send your stories to communications@centraldesert.nt.gov.au

From the President

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e have had a busy cold season at Council and are now starting to be able to enjoy many of the great new developments as the weather is warming up! One big achievement I have been proud to see completed is the new basketball court for Pmara Jutunta in the Anmatjere Ward. I am looking forward to this new space being used to its full capacity as the weather warms and people are getting outdoors.

Footy season has also just ended with a number of Central Desert teams going into the Premiership League and getting great results. Congratulations to the footy players also for their commitment to the ‘NO MORE’ campaign which continues to be a major part of the footy season.

Our Laramba and Nyirripi ladies have just returned from Darwin where they competed in the NT Softball Championships. Our teams just missed

out on taking home the cup after a very close game against MacDonnell’s team.

The trip was enjoyed by all.

I recently attended the Yuelamu Local Authority meeting and was very pleased to hear that the community are looking forward to having a dual reticulation water system installed in houses throughout the community. This means that residents will have a tap for drinking water in their homes. This is a massive step in the right direction for Yuelamu, a major community centre in our region.

The Power and Water Corporation will be consulting in the community in the coming weeks to lay a pipeline and get the access to water underway.

In late August I attended Laramba’s Local Authority meeting and was pleased to see a full turnout from the appointed members. It is so important that Local Authority meetings are attended in full by members to keep our voices strong,

and take the views of the community to Council.

I look forward to attending many more meetings in various communities as the weather warms and speaking with you all about how you would like to see progress in our region; whether it’s making life more comfortable for our elders, creating opportunities for our young people or making sure our next generation is growing up in great, safe and well-resourced communities. I know I can speak for Council when I say we are all committed to working together to make this happen.

Adrian Dixon President

From the CEO

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s you can see from the stories in this newsletter there has been a lot happening in our region. I am particularly pleased to announce the opening of the playgroup in Engawala. Council and community members have been lobbying for a playgroup in this community for a long time. Finally, with funding from the Australian Government’s Stronger Communities for Children Program, and via our facilitating partner, Jesuit Social Services, the playgroup is up and running.

Helping to grow kids up strong is a big priority for the Council region and the Council is extending its childcare services to include playgroups wherever possible.

A number of shade structures have been constructed to provide safe places for playgroups to occur in our communities.

These structures have been built with the assistance of Community Development Program (CDP) participants and provide a

great training opportunity participants as well as great facilities for the community.

CDP participants in Willowra have also been extremely busy developing their building skills as part the CDP Builder Trainer program. This program will see participants gain a Certificate II in Civil Construction whilst at the same time constructing vital accommodation in the community. We hope that these participants will go on to utilise the skills they have gained through this project with further construction-based employment.

Council is always looking for ways for CDP participants to transition into employment and we are very pleased to have recently placed another nine CDP participants into the work crews in Yuendumu. Since July last year the Council has placed 129 CDP participants into employment.

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I hope you enjoy our newsletter. With so much going on we often don’t get to fit everything in, so if you want to keep up to date with current events please have a look at our Facebook group page.

We have recently posted some videos from the softball championship as well as some great photos of ongoing projects, so there’s plenty to see!

Cathryn Hutton Chief Executive Officer

Elders building networks, sharing stories

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or a while now, the Willowra Aged Care Service has been taking its clients to meet with Sargent Trent Berry at the police station for regular catch ups.

This promotes a good relationship with the community elders and the police force and also gives the elder clients an opportunity to speak about any issues they may have. With the new aged care bus, clients are now able to undertake this activity with ease and, more importantly, make it a group activity.

All aged care clients enjoy their time with Sargent Berry. Enabling community elders to interact and build relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, means better and stronger communities where service providers have the support of the community. This is certainly a step in the right direction for the whole community and is what the aged care service is all about: supplying a quality service with clients who have identified what they want regarding exercise, social interaction and enjoyment.

On another occasion, using the new aged care bus, a busload of Willowra aged care clients travelled to a location near the airstrip where they were able to relax and enjoy some cultural activities.

Talking and singing, the elders had a

Aged Care clients Lilly Long, Peggy Martin and Kaye Williams with Police Sargent Trent Berry.

great time on this bus trip, and many laughs were had by all. One of the stops was near an old dam and the elders told staff of many years ago when they used to grow fruit and vegetables at the site.

One of the clients, Lucy Martin, went back in time explaining how people lived in the humpies and down near the river – long before there were any houses in

Willowra. Lucy also went on to talk about the many ceremonies and cultural events that would take place. Staff reported afterwards that they felt privileged to have these stories shared, giving them a far better insight into the life of the wonderful local people. Like turning the clock back, but the desert still staying the same.

Engawala playgroup opens its doors!

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here has been plenty happening in Children’s Services in the Central Desert Region over the winter. Children’s Services is certainly growing with communities embracing the service as place where kids are looked after and can learn and play in a safe environment. The high attendance rates attest to how important the service is to Central Desert families.

In order to meet the growing need, we were proud to announce the opening of the new playgroup service in Engawala community on 1 August. Playgroup differs from childcare as it is a chance for parents to come along and attend the service with their children and participate in activities together. Children’s Services employs local early childhood educators to create and run a variety of stimulating, engaging, and educational activities catered to local community groups.

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Builder trainer house on the way

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n 2015 Council received funding totalling $971,000 for the construction of three flat-pack houses as part of the Community Development Program’s Builder Trainer program. The three locations identified for site construction works were Willowra, Laramba and Yuelamu. When built, the houses will become Council staff dwellings.

The first site to see construction was Willowra, with work commencing on 22 August 2016. John Marshall was

employed by Council in the role of builder / trainer for the local CDP team.

John is progressing work in line with the 14-week construction timeline. There is certainly active involvement by the local CDP participants who have shown great interest in the practical demonstrations and are developing their construction skills as works progress.

The final flat-pack house will be 140 square metres and will include two bedrooms, a laundry, toilet and shower,

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as well as an open concept kitchen and large lounge area. Verandahs will be constructed on both sides of the house along with a standalone double carport.

This is shaping up to be a fantastic collaboration between Works and CDP with participants getting real construction experience.

Congratulations to the Willowra team.

Laramba and Yuelamu will be next!

Local Authority lights up Lajamanu

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ajamanu Local Authority recently decided to fund the installation of three bright new solar lights for the community.

The lights were installed by the Lajamanu Works staff at the new playground, Holy Ground, and at the Sorry Camp. Not only do they look great and are sustainable sources of power, the lights will increase community security and safety by lighting up the dark spaces at night.

The lights were a project funded by the Lajamanu Local Authority with funds granted through the Department of Housing and Community Development.

During the recently community-planning process, the Lajamanu community spoke up about lights being an important investment for the community and the Local Authority listened and made the decision to act. Local Authorities across the Central Desert Region make decisions about how to spend the $500,000 Local Authority project money to best impact their communities.

There are many, varied projects going on all of the time, from lights to parks and playgrounds, sports infrastructure, road upgrades, and much more. Local Authorities are certainly having a big impact in the region.

The whole Lajamanu Works Crew installed solar lights at Sorry Camp. Pictured are Matthew Patterson, Travis Alum, Russell Sampson, Michael Erglis, Anthony Johnson and Hector Patterson.

Welcome to Warlpiri country W

The Willowra Works Crew, Eric, Malcolm, Terry and Azariah, in action installing the new community entrance sign.

illowra is the most recent community to have installed a beautiful entrance sign, welcoming visitors to Warlpiri country.

On 17 August on a sunny afternoon the sign went up, with the Works Crew working together to erect it. On one of its bus trips the Aged Care Service clients also stopped off at the sign and played tourists, snapping some great photos to celebrate. Entrance signs have now been erected across the Central Desert Region, thanks to the help of works crews. Nyirripi also has its sign up – looking good!

Jeffrey Gallagher is a fan of the new Nyirripi entrance sign.

Shelving for Lajamanu library T New shelving for the library in Lajamanu assembled by CDP staff Brenton, Nathan, Jermaine and Steven.

he Youth and Communities Department recently purchased new shelving for the library in Lajamanu which will make finding the right book a whole lot easier.

A big thank you to the CDP participants for putting the shelves together! This has been a small part of a great effort to improve the library service in Lajamanu. Libraries are one of the many great services that Council manages in many Central Desert communities.

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Time in the sun for Laramba Aged Care

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n a sunny day in early spring Laramba Aged Care Service staff made a spur-of-the-moment decision to take some of their clients for an outing to enjoy the sunny day. Good service delivery is all about making sure that

clients receive a service that is tailored to remote communities’ needs, and the Aged Care Service, in particular, has a focus on getting clients out to enjoy country whenever the opportunity arises.

Aged Care client Timothy Glen collecting the firewood to cook the kangaroo tails.

Clients sat by the river’s edge and made a fire to cook kangaroo tails while stories were told. This outing proved a rewarding day for all, with both staff and clients joining together to enjoy the day.

Joanne Pepperill and Marvis Rubuntja relaxing in the riverbed during their outing with Aged Care Services.

Distant Curve connecting the east T here has been a lot of technical activity all along the Plenty Highway leading to our communities in the east in the past few months. Matt from Distant Curve Remote Area Communications was contracted by Council some months ago to undertake a pilot project to set up high speed network infrastructure to deliver high speed internet to Atitjere and Engawala. The set up to install six ‘relay’ sites along 200 kilometres of the Plenty Highway has just concluded. This leg of the project was certainly an adventure, which included hiking mountains, hiring helicopters, and plenty of technical skill. The relay sites are set to bring NBN internet speeds (10 megabit per second and above) into our eastern region. The project has been delivered with funding from Regional Development Australia.

Many people across Council have been working with Matt to ensure this project gets off the ground. The Council has been very excited about the project which has taken a little bit of time to get off the ground due to some major issues securing sacred site clearances along the way.

Now we are getting closer to finishing the project we are hoping to see some real benefits to Atitjere’s and Engawala’s Council facilities. Initially we will be rolling out the high speed internet access to the offices within the community through a small closed network. If this proves successful, we will open up small hotspots in the community so that community members may be able to more readily access the internet, including applications such as Skype.

Elsewhere, Council continues to work with Telstra and RSP for Skymuster to improve connectivity. This is a ‘watch this space’ area for Council with a view that we will have all nine service delivery centres connected and accessing good internet speeds in the next 12 months!

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Matt from Distant Curve with the new container installed on the Plenty Highway.

Installing a relay tower near Engawala.

Water for Yuelamu

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he Yuelamu community has received some good news recently from the Power and Water Corporation, which has secured funding to install a dual reticulation system to supply drinking water to every home in Yuelamu. This means that a new pipe will be laid providing drinking water to each house.

For many months community members have been unable to drink the

water in their houses. Due to an algae outbreak in the dam the community has been relying on water from its bore which is too salty for drinking. Drinking water has only been available from a tap at the water treatment plan. With funding now available, Power and Water will be able to pipe the treated water to all homes and businesses in Yuelamu. Power and Water Corporation are working with the Central

Land Council to resolve some land tenure issues but is hopeful that work on the new system will start to be implemented in the next couple of months.

Yuelamu community are reminded that, even though the dam water may look clean, it still contains toxins from the algae. The Power and Water Corporation recommend that no one swims in the dam.

From little things . . .

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n Laramba during the past few months we have seen many examples of the Works Crews and CDP working together to achieve big things! A fantastic partnership recently saw this amazing softball back net go up and there are some pretty amazing panoramic photos of the installation as well. The CDP is focused on local decision making and local solutions and opportunities for CDP teams to partner with Works are never passed up. These guys are scoring a home run for their efforts!

Softball back net: From little things, big things grow!

New team members for Yuendumu O ver winter Council’s CDP team were successful in the placement of nine CDP participants in Yuendumu.

The participants moved from hosted arrangements into employment with the Yuendumu Works Crew. This is exactly what the CDP is all about, providing opportunities for people to transition into paid employment. The CDP sets up opportunities for participants to develop and hone their skills, gain qualifications and trade certificates, and decide where they want to go in terms of employment and doing what they enjoy.

There are plenty of current capital works in and around Yuendumu – within town planning and roads upgrades – and the CDP is vital to ensure local people are employed on these developments which then benefits the future of the community. Having local residents on board is good news for the Works and Infrastructure Division too, as having community-based teams means that

their crews are made up people who know and are invested in the community.

The new workers recently went

through their induction and there are plenty of great pictures of the new team!

New Works officers induction ceremony at Yuendumu.

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Central Desert softball players compete in the Territory championships

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aramba and Nyirripi softball teams have recently road-tripped up to Darwin to compete in the NT Softball Championships. The teams played hard and brought some very tough competition to the other finalists. On the first day Laramba went up against the MacDonnell Regional Council and narrowly lost. Then on Saturday they won against West Daly. They then defeated Darwin Red, where in the third innings Laramba got the first three batters out for three hits. On day three they gave it their best in the grand final, pushing through the Darwin heat and humidity. Jacinta Cools, the youngest member of the team, took an amazing catch and threw the ball to first base getting two players out in one bat in the grand final. However, Laramba were eventually defeated by two runs by MacDonnell Regional Council.

Nyirripi also fought hard. They won against East Arnhem on Friday. On Saturday they beat Barkly and then lost to Darwin Green. During the finals on Sunday they lost to MacDonnell Regional Council and then drew with Darwin Red to come equal third in the competition.

All the players were proud to show off their skills and represent their communities in the game, supporting each other on and off the field. Vina Gallagher from Nyirripi carried on her grandmother’s legacy and took away the best pitcher’s award for the division two competition. Laramba and Nyirripi are proud to boast of their second and third place in the NT championships.

Well done to the coach of the Nyirripi team, Christine Curtis, and to the captains of the Laramba team, Anmarantha Dixon and Renita Roderick, who all supported their teams throughout the trip. Thanks also to the Central Desert Community Coordinator, Edin Fleming, who helped the teams get to the Top End. We hope to see the ladies training hard and in the finals again next year!

Celebrating Reconciliation Day with some roo A cross Council, service delivery centres look out for opportunities to celebrate and incorporate significant events into service delivery. A gathering between Laramba Childcare, Laramba Aged Care and Laramba Preschool was held to celebrate Reconciliation Week. Although this was some time ago, we continue to reflect on what we did and how we celebrated that week. We celebrated together with games, face painting, and various activities which had been put together to make a display as shown in the photo at right. Aged Care staff member, Jamesie Stafford, Assistant Childcare Coordinator, Susie Stafford, and others cooked the roo tails, while one of our past staff members, Launce Campbell, made damper. The day was great fun and it was extra special seeing several generations gathering together at the childcare centre.

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Susie Stafford, Assistant Coordinator, talks to Jamesie Stafford, Aged Care staff member while he gloves up to handle the hot roo tails and cut them up ready for eating.

Around the region NO MORE campaign The NO MORE campaign held domestic violence awareness and education sessions with sporting clubs over the last couple of weeks. Teams from Engawala and Mulga Bore, and then Atitjere with Plenty Highway, joined in the sessions. More information sessions are planned for Yuelamu players and then the Yuendumu footy club committee meets to continue work on the Domestic Violence Action Plan.

Footy finals: Laramba Cowboys in the Premier League Congratulations to Laramba for their win in the Division 2 Premiership.

Augustine Dixon was a key player for Laramba and finished the season with onground honours. Final scores were: Laramba 13.11.89 defeated Mulga Bore 9.7.61.

Ti Tree CDP: Shade structure Another great success for CDP in the Ti Tree region! CDP participants in Station have finished the playgroup shade structure. Not only did the participants gain invaluable skills, families now have a safe, shaded area for playgroup.

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Around the region Big rains hit the Central Desert

Yuendumu CDP creativity For the recent sports weekend at Yuendumu the local CDP women painted up some eye-catching poster boards to provide information to attendees and support the weekend. The signage definitely made an impact!

Wilora CDP CDP participants continue to make a huge contribution to their communities in the Central Desert region. In Wilora the team helped dig a grave and in Pmara Jutunta the team helped construct a shade structure for the new playgroup. A big thanks to all the CDP teams who are making their communities look great with regular clean ups.

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Batting practice with a cricket star

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n mid July the young cricket players from Pmara Jutunta (Six Mile), Ti Tree, came into town to participate in a training session with the national Indigenous women’s cricket coach Shelley Nitschke at Traeger Park. A left-handed batsman and left arm orthodox spinner, Shelley is a cricket star – she was one of the leading all-rounders in the world until her retirement in 2011. She has played for South Australia and Australia and has plenty of skills to share with the next generation of young cricketers!

It was a great day of fun for all organised by Alister Stevic through Cricket NT. There was plenty of excitement as the children learned some new skills, while bowling and batting with a champion. Ti Tree Youth and Communities Coordinator, Maria Rosa Rodna, supervised the trip and with some help from two Linkz volunteers who helped supervise the sporting fun, prepare food for the children and ensure the day was a huge success.

The experience means that Pmara Jutunta’s young cricket stars will have new skills they can take back to Ti Tree to continue their cricket training. One particular girl, Denika Glen, showed promising talent, said Alister. The whole team definitely has plenty of skill and energy as well!

All in all the day was a great experience.

School nutrition gets a thumbs up

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ver the month of August the School Nutrition program provided a total of 10,566 healthy meals to students who attended school (not including breakfast). This is a fantastic result for the program and the children and families who are eating well. The program was even approached by the Menzies School of Health Research who want to do an evaluation on the nutritional value of the meals the local ladies cook up for the kids, and the program is getting some very positive feedback.

The meals our school nutrition teams cook up are of high quality, very healthy and delicious. This is a great result for the program and the whole School Nutrition team.

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Basketball court built to last

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n August Council’s Works and Infrastructure Division was proud to announce the undercover basketball court at Pmara Jutunta (Six Mile) was completed and ready for play to begin. The court was funded by a grant from the Aboriginals Benefit Account, local GMAAAC community funds and the Council. Built to national standards, basketball players in the Anmatjere region will now have a place where they can hone their skills in the same space setting as players across Australia. Council understands how important it is to create spaces for recreation that give residents an opportunity to train as they would in any major centre. This way, when our local players go elsewhere to compete they’ll be ready to take on the challenge in a setting they are familiar with. The Six Mile team is already putting the court through its paces!

The basketball court has been built to national sporting specifications, giving local players the opportunity to practice in an environment built to national standards.

What’s on around the Council Local Authority meeting dates: Anmatjere: Willowra: Atitjere: Engawala: Lajamanu: Laramba: Yuelamu: Nyirripi: Yuendumu:

18 October 19 October 24 October 25 October 26 October 1 November 2 November 8 November 9 November

Council Meetings: Lajamanu: Anmatjere:

7 October 9 December

Committee Meetings: Finance: Audit & Risk:

3 November 3 November

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Central Desert Regional Council PO Box 2257 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871 Ph 1300 360 605 www.centraldesert.nt.gov.au

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