On Wednesday, 26 February, three Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Field Officers from Engawala participated in a unit of Certificate III in Local Government Operational Works. The unit of competency was ‘Plan and Construct a Conventional Fence.’

 The training is run by Balance HR Consulting, upskilling the field officers in fence repairs as well as how to plan, map out and construct a fence.

 There are also seven Field Officers from Anmatjere enrolled, who had their training in fence building on 28 February in Ti Tree (main photo), and five from Atitjere, who are set to receive their training in the next few weeks.

 The trainer, Tony Scott, will return to CDRC every 4-6 weeks to train the Field Officers in further units, including Roads and Pavement, Landscaping and Horticulture, Aerodrome Maintenance, Prepare a Site for Works, Work in Local Government, and Work, Health and Safety.

Training in Engawala

 The National Basketball League’s 3×3 Big Hustle Northern Territory State Championships were held on Sunday 23 February, with 120 players participating in the event including the Laramba Ladeez. This style of basketball pits three players on each team against each other.

 The Laramba Ladeez faced Cannons in the first open women’s round. The team went in to their first game filled with confidence, having practiced their passing and shooting throughout the week in Laramba. However, the team suffered a 16 – 4 defeat, in what was a frustrating display.

 Team captain Thalia Turner said she was pleased with her side’s effort before acknowledging that communication was an issue. “I think we started well,” Turner said post-match. “We scored first but stopped talking to each other once the other team started scoring.”

 A valiant comeback fell short in the team’s second round against Jetlove. Down 16 at half time with no points on the board, the Laramba team pulled out all the stops with a second-half comeback, scoring seven consecutive points (six from the sharp shooting Simona Tilmouth), but Jetlove proved too good, making tough shots down the stretch to hand the Laramba team a 21 – 7 loss.

 Bouncing back after their first two defeats, the Laramba Ladeez displayed great resilience to win their final game against Groot Eylandt. Simona Tilmouth scored a team-high 8 points, consisting of four shots from beyond the arc (3-point shots were awarded 2 points throughout the tournament), to help seal the win and close the game, 8 - 6.

 After achieving their first win and qualifying for the semi-finals the ladies were forced to forfeit due to illness.

 The team represented the Laramba community with pride, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting other players in the competition.

 Special mention must go to Simona Tilmouth, who scored an incredible 9 shots from behind the three-point line, no easy feat!