A member of the Central Desert Regional Council, Clifford Tilmouth (pictured), has confirmed he is one of three men issued notices to appear in relation to an alleged cattle theft from Alcoota, a property north of Alice Springs, on August 5.

Former councillor Benedy Bird is understood to have also received a notice although police are neither denying nor confirming these facts, issuing conflicting statements at the time.

The men are required to appear in court in Alice Springs on November 18.

Cr Tilmouth says there has been a decades-long dispute about who owns the cattle. He says they are the property of the Alcoota Aboriginal Corporation which owns the Alcoota Cattle Company.

He says the rightful owners have had no or little income from the pastoral business.

The corporation has some 90 members, Traditional Owners of the area. He is one of them.

Sacred sites issues are also part of the dispute.

Cr Tilmouth says the station was bought for the TOs from Tom Webb for $6.5m with the help of Charlie Perkins in 1993.

Contesting claimants are the residents of Engawala.

It describes itself on-line as “a welcoming community located roughly 180 kilometres north of Alice Springs in the Akityarre ward. It encompasses several outstations.”

This article appeared on Alice Springs News on 7 October 2025.