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Emotional day for mayor as new Aurukun airport terminal opened

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Terminal builders
Builder Cameron Herbert (centre) with Aurukun Shire councillors Jayden Marrott and Kempo Tamwoy at last Tuesday’s grand opening. Photo: Matt Nicholls.

Aurukun mayor Keri Tamwoy was a little emotional at the opening of the town’s new airport terminal last week, paying tribute to her late mother Alison Woolla, of whom the passenger lounge was named in her honour.

Aurukun Terminal opening
Minister Di Farmer with Aurukun mayor Keri Tamwoy at last week’s opening. Photo: Matt Nicholls

Hundreds of people packed into the new building for the opening, awaiting the flight containing Minister for Employment and Small Business Di Farmer, who is also the champion for Aurukun.

A handful of speeches were followed by more than half an hour of cultural dancing to celebrate the grand opening of the $3 million facility.

“The airport upgrade has been a priority project for Aurukun, so it’s wonderful to see this facility now open,” Ms Farmer said.

Touring the airport with the community’s Government Champion and Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet Rachel Hunter, Ms Farmer said the state government provided more than $2.9 million for the upgrade, as part of the Works for Queensland program.

“Supporting growth, providing greater access to services and creating opportunities is crucial to strengthening our remote Indigenous communities and to the economic recovery of Queensland,” Ms Farmer said.

“The facility is not only functional, and a welcoming space for staff and visitors, but the design includes cultural elements significant to Aurukun presenting a wonderful opportunity to share the community’s history with thousands of visitors each year.”

The Aurukun Champions were greeted by Elders, councillors, and community members who followed a pathway decorated with a series of dots leading to and through the airport.

The dots represent Aurukun’s three rivers, which also feature in the council logo.

The stunning red ochre-coloured aluminium entrance is inspired by the water lilies in Aurukun’s extensive wetlands which feature in the Council’s logo. A second timber water lily sculpture is suspended from the ceiling in the passenger waiting lounge.

Terminal opening
Council CEO Bernie McCarthy addresses the crowd.
Photo: Matt Nicholls

Cr Tamwoy proudly showed guests through to the passenger lounge, named the Alison Woolla Memorial Passenger Lounge after her late mother who served as the mayor of Aurukun in 1983-85 and 1991-94.

Cr Tamwoy said it had been a long time coming for her mother to be recognised for her contribution to the community.

“She was a very giving person and her home was a safe place for women and girls. She not only raised me and my siblings, but nieces, nephews and other community members,” the mayor said.

“In the 1980s, when grog was killing our community, she led the fight to have the canteen closed.”

Cr Tamwoy said she had many memories of the Aurukun airport over the years and said it was both a place for greetings and goodbyes.

Wik Traditional Owner Herbert Yunkaporta gave a heartfelt Welcome to Country and told guests about how his father worked on building the current day airstrip, believed to be the third constructed in the western Cape community.

Aurukun Terminal
The terminal as you approach from town. Photo: Matt Nicholls

Cr Tamwoy said she hoped the new airport terminal would be well used and respected.

“Aviation access is critical for our community with around 620 residents regularly needing to fly to Cairns for medical treatment and business,” she said.

“Multiple service providers also fly into Aurukun on Skytrans and charter flights as well as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

“Until now we all faced the prospect of standing in the rain or the heat with very little undercover space and just a couple of bench seats to wait for our flights.

“The new Aurukun Airport is one-third larger than its predecessor and the enclosed airconditioned building has comfortable seating, functional office space, improved onloading and offloading facilities, a security inspection space, internal bathrooms, a waiting room for aircraft staff, and formal car parking areas.

Terminal opening
Traditional dancing was a big hit at the opening.
Photo: Matt Nicholls

“Expressions of interest are being called for a kiosk to operate in conjunction with flight landing and departure times and we hope a local community member will take advantage of this business opportunity.

“Developed with funds from the state government’s Work for Queensland program, Aurukun Airport is designed to cater for future growth in the mining and tourism sectors.

“Aurukun Shire has been improving the airstrip infrastructure over the past 30 years to accommodate the growing number of aircraft movements into our community and with that work completed it was time to improve the passenger and staff experience.”

Designed by Gordon Gould Ipson Architects, the terminal was built by Cameron Herbert Constructions with SMEC the project manager.

Local builder thrilled with final product

Cameron Herbert has been based out of Aurukun for the best part of a decade, so he’s become part of the furniture in the remote community.

Contracted to do repair and maintenance works for the Aurukun Shire Council, there haven’t been a lot of “new builds” during his tenure.

But given the chance to be a part of a $3 million airport terminal was an opportunity too good to pass up.

“I thought I should throw my hat in the ring and we were awarded the tender,” Mr Herbert told Cape York Weekly at last week’s opening.

“It’s a really impressive building. It has a lot of concrete in it, so it should hold up in a cyclone.”

Mr Herbert makes his own concrete, the only one to do so in Aurukun, and said he was thrilled he could use locals to help with construction.

“It’s going to be a great facility for the community.”

Terminal opening
The whole community joined in the dancing. Photo: Matt Nicholls
Cape York Weekly 26 October 2021

This article appeared in Cape York Weekly, 26 October 2021.

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