The Barkandji Rangers are coordinated by the Barkandji Native Title Group Aboriginal Cooperation (BNTGAC).

The program is a ‘career pathway for Barkandji Traditional Owners’, a stepping stone to further employment with organisations such as NSW National Parks.

Rangers are trained in conservation and land management.

Funding for the rangers comes from the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA). 

Yard maintenance, community garden maintenance and the Mallee

In Wilcannia, we see the rangers doing yard maintenance and clean ups, including in the Mallee, where people often dump their rubbish instead of taking it to the tip.

The reality is that many people do not have access to registered cars or trailers. Many elders in the Mallee are not able to find people to move their rubbish that doesn’t go in the weekly garbage pick up.

Dumping illegally does nothing for our native plants and animals and is dangerous for children and people using the area and leaving garbage around homes does nothing for the health of the people.

Community have commented that rangers should not be doing the clean up after the Mallee people. A quick Google search shows that many NSW councils offer a few such collections free each year. A combination of council collections and other organisations pitching in, could see a possible solution to this situation.

This is about working together to find solutions for our elderly, for our children and for the health and safety of and in our local environment. 

This article appeared in Wilcannia News, Mid-March 2025.