News from Around the Region

Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May until 3 June every year. These dates commemorate the 27 May 1967 referendum and the 3 June 1992 High Court Mabo decision. Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

 To commemorate this Reconciliation Week, after four years after it came out, here is the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ as spoken by Pat Anderson, Stan Grant, Adam Goodes, Ursula Yovich and Troy Cassar-Daley, with music by Midnight Oil.

Last week was Atitjere’s turn to be visited by the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Roads team and their grader for some grounds maintenance Desert Style. 

The team had spent two days at Irrerlirre and Mount Eaglebeak working on access roads and firebreaks as part of CDRC Homelands works, before moving to Atitjere.

“On Friday it was the Atitjere football oval and softball diamond that were getting a spruce up.  The roads crew were doing their own special take on circle work!” said Warren Kenney, Community Services Coordinator Atitjere.

All the staff from Central Desert Regional Council’s (CDRC) Community Safety Patrol (CSP) attended training in Alice Springs on 17 and 18 May.  Staff from Yuelamu, Laramba, Atitjere, Engawala, Pmara Jutunta, Nturiya, and Lajamanu attended, and it was the first opportunity for the staff to get together since biosecurity restrictions were introduced in the communities in March 2020.

On the first day staff received a refresher in Council Policies, and had a chance to ask questions of the General Manager People and Culture, Irenee McCreevy, and Work Health and Safety Advisor, Carmen Hunter.

First Aid and Manual Handling training was delivered at Atitjere Aged Care for Atitjere and Engawala staff last week. The Atitjere Aged Care and CSP staff completed the First Aid training and the Manual Handling training was undertaken by the Atitjere and Engawala Aged Care staff.

Photo above: Phillip Carter, Kayleen Mills, Elizabeth Ross, Jacinta Glen and Cameron Reiff in the First Aid training session.

The Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Community Development Program (CDP) in Yuendumu designed and made bookshelves as part of the Drought Relief funding. The bookshelves are to be sent to other CDRC communities where they will be decorated and put into the Council offices as a small library.

Yuelamu have received theirs and the Yuelamu CDP have already decorated it. Expect to see the new library in the Yuelamu office soon.

Photo: The decorated bookshelf for the Yuelamu small library.

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Community Development Program (CDP) participants in Yuendumu have been working on the Tanami Road Upgrade Project.

Both Eugene Penhall and Francis Penhall have been working with Exact Contracting since mid-February as all round machinery operators. Both have contributed to the Tanami Road Upgrade Project with their skills on the rollers, skid steer loaders, and IT loaders.

Trees have been planted at the Yuendumu oval as part of a Local Authority (LA) project. The work was completed by the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Community Development Program (CDP) crew in Yuendumu. 

After getting clearance from ‘Dial Before You Dig’ ten trees have been planted around the football oval. Aaron Singleton and Ansalem Wilson, both jobseekers in Yuendumu with CDP, helped to plant and water the trees in, with the help of Cliffy Egan, the Client Services Officer and Vaughn Hampton, Activity Supervisor at CDP in Yuendumu.

To water the trees they used one of the 2000 litre water trailers that the Yuendumu LA purchased last year.

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Aged Care organised First Aid and Fire Extinguisher training through REDPATH Education in Engawala Community. Staff from Aged Care, Youth Sports & Recreation, Community Safety Patrol and the Council Office participated in the training. The training was conducted at the Aged Care Centre as part of the continuing commitment of CDRC to improve and excel in safety. As of February CDRC has been Lost Time Injury free for 18 months.

Photo above: Staff watching a safety training video.

A bit of extra colour has been grown in Nyirripi thanks to a flower garden outside the local store. Last year it was planted by Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Field Officer Chris Michaels with the help of some school kids. Unfortunately, after they bloomed a few months later, the local cows came into town and ate most of them. The community was quite disappointed at the cows as they had all taken to watering the flowers with the shop’s hose.

This year some more flowers were planted between Council, CDP and the store. They have now started to bloom and a larger cow proof fence has been installed. Nyirripi residents continue to enjoy looking at the flowers and watering them when they visit the store.

Seven solar lights have been installed in the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) community of Nyirripi over the past three months as part of a Local Authority (LA) project. The new CDRC Works team put them up.

The lights will help to keep Nyirripi safer at night and provide areas that can be used for night time activities.

Team members involved were Tristan Brown, Sandy Campbell, Chris Michaels, Gabriel Wilson, Ben Gallagher, Cedric Giles and Peter Campbell.

Main photo: Gabriel Wilson, Chris Michaels, Tristan Brown, Cedric Giles and Peter Campbell concreting a base for a solar light.