News from Around the Region

These are the premier Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) awards, now in their third running. The value of the awards has been increased as the standard has increased. The awards were formally acknowledged at the last All Staff meeting in March, where winners received a certificate, $200 voucher and a mug commemorating the value the winner is demonstrating.

Congratulations to all the winners, well done on demonstrating the values and your strong contribution to Council.

Yuendumu now has a dedicated recycling shed, with bays for seven different recycling categories.

The shed was designed and constructed by an Alice Springs business using local employees, to cater for the community’s needs and to assist with increasing recycling.

It also focusses on diverting waste from landfill, which is a National, Northern Territory and Local Government initiative. The aim is to increase the average resource recovery rate from all waste streams in Australia to 80% by 2030 (National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019).

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Aged Care Services staff in Anmatjere (Ti Tree) started their Certificate II in Family Wellbeing on Monday 22 March.

The certificate, delivered by Batchelor Institute in Ti Tree, is a program that addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual issues that impact on an individual’s wellbeing, family unity and community harmony.

The aim of the certificate is to address unresolved personal and community issues, which can impact on individuals and families throughout their lives. These can manifest in grief and trauma, suicide and other forms of self-harm, identity issues, use of alcohol and other drug problems, family violence and over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the justice system.

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Aged Care Services have added a wonderful cool room at the Aged Care facility in Engawala after receiving funding from the Aged Care Regional Rural & Remote Infrastructure Program.

The new cool room means that sufficient goods can be held for more than a fortnight and more space for clients in the dining area as a result of removing unneeded fridges and freezers.

Main photo: Jackets on for Patsy Tilmouth and Rachel Tilmouth, with Irene Tilmouth braving the cold in the cool room.

On Wednesday, 10 March, members of the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Lajamanu Community Safety Patrol attended a stakeholder workshop as part of the Safe4Kids program.  Safe4Kids works through the school to teach protective behaviours to children, and provide them with a set of tools to use if they feel unsafe. Delivery at the school is followed up with community education sessions, ensuring that adults understand what the children have learned, and recognise the simple hand gestures that can be used to demonstrate feelings of safety or distress.

 Pictured are (back row) Matrina Robertson (CDRC), Holly-Ann Martin (Safe4Kids), Gerald Watson and Andrew Johnson (CDRC), and (front row) Francesca Szakaly and Michelle Newman (Katherine West Health) giving the thumbs up sign, to show that they feel secure.

On 12 March Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) works crew members participated in traffic control training, which they will use for their everyday road maintenance activities such as road grading, pothole patching, signage installation, etc.

The participants were Cyril Kunoth, Albert Wilson, Geoffrey Wilson and Colin French from Yuendumu and Alan Davis from Anmatjere.

The training was sponsored by Boral Asphalt and was delivered by Civil Train in Alice Springs.

On 17 March more Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) staff members attended a four wheel drive course, after another course run on 17 February. This time there were staff from Community Development Program (CDP), Community Safety Patrol (CSP), Works and Aged Care.

Main photo: Practicing four wheel driving on dirt roads.

Over the four days from 11-14 March there was a constant amount of rainfall in Yuelamu resulting in road closures and vehicles bogged.

“It was astonishing, the speed the water rose on Saturday. Within three hours the Napperby River rose by inches and the Tanami highway had water over the road in multiple locations,” said Tammi Booker, Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Community Services Coordinator in Yuelamu.

On the approach to Yuelamu from the Tanami highway the turnoff was completely covered in water making it only accessible to high clearance four wheel drives into the community.

Every March 8^th is International Women’s Day. Today we are celebrating with an interview with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC), Diane Hood.

What challenges have you faced in your career as a woman? How did you overcome them?

The inherent challenges to women in our society are sexism and unconscious bias against them. It is assumed that women should act in a certain way; nurturing and caring, but at the same time when in a leadership role they are expected to be logical and decisive, which are traditionally seen as male traits. When a female executive doesn’t act the way they are expected to it is hard for them to be seen as an individual with individual strengths and weaknesses.

The Atitjere Local Authority (LA) decided they wanted barbecues in their community – and they got them. Two fixed barbecues were located at sites that the community wanted for family gatherings and social events, and a barbecue trailer is an asset to both Atitjere and the surrounding outstations, as it can be used for a variety of functions ranging from birthdays to funerals and everything in between.

Back in July 2020 the first barbecue was installed at the rear of the Recreation hall by Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC). It included an LED light.