Wilya Ajjul Janta Aboriginal Corporation held an exhibition last Friday at Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre to unveil its housing model that is more environmentally and culturally appropriate for Warumungu country.
CEO Simon Quilty was ecstatic with the turnout and the community’s interest in changing the Territory’s housing models to suit its searing heat, especially in light of climate change.
Mr Quilty said two display homes would be built in Tennant Creek to promote the effectiveness of conditions in the Barkly’s harsh climate.
The nation’s leading scientific body, CSIRO, and various engineers have consulted with community leaders Patricia and Norman Frank, Serena Morton, Dianne Stokes and Jimmy Frank to talk about layout styles, such as verandahs to cater for families.
The new-style and environmentally friendly homes are built with bricks created from termite mounts and spinifex, which ward against the heat in summer, and retain the warmth in the bitter cold months of winter.
In fact, Wilya Janta was granted $50,000 by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal to fix its mud-brick machine and paid tribute to Brian Nicholls of Fluid Power NT for their generosity in working overtime in its rebuild. Now the organisation will be creating bricks by April.
The technology and research into these homes pose boundless opportunities for housing Territory-wide.
“The cost of these homes is competitive to the standard of building in the Territory, which mostly comprises Bessa bricks, which poorly perform in the Territory,” said Mr Quilty.
“The NT Government building standards are sitting at the lowest thermal performance in Australia.
“We have to move now; it is well known Aboriginal people bear the most energy insecurity in the world.”
To find out more about the project, visit https://www.wilyajanta.org.
See all the pictures in the issue.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 2 February 2024.
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