Tash Adams, Tennant & District Times

The chair of Tennant Creek’s relief supermarket has thanked the hard work and dedication of the Jurnkkurakurr Volunteers action group for a dramatic decline in theft and vandalism at the store and the 24-hour BP service station ... Volunteers, including Traditional Owners and other community leaders, now sit outside the BP and supermarket every night, talking to youth wandering the streets and encouraging them to go home.

New and the installation of bulk water meter monitoring at Epenarra are part of the NT Government’s plan to shore up water security in Aboriginal communities across the NT. A $28 million investment will provide tailored projects in ten remote communities to improve water quality and supply infrastructure, prioritising areas of critical need ... Minister for Indigenous Essential Services Chansey Paech said his Government was committed to improving water security across the NT.

The three levels of government will be meeting in Tennant Creek next week to acknowledge the key achievements to date of the Barkly Regional Deal and discuss future priorities ... The Barkly Regional Deal is the first Regional Deal in Australia - a 10-year $78.4 million commitment between the Australian and Northern Territory governments and the Barkly Regional Council. However Barkly MLA Steve Edgington said the NT Government was nowhere near meeting its commitment to the 28 economic, social and cultural initiatives to be implemented across the region over the first three years of the deal.

As a part of the School Holiday Program, local band The Last Resort has been performing series of gigs at different Town Camps each evening. Intended to help keep the kids off the streets, the gigs have been well attended by families and supported by Elders and community organisations.

Catherine Grimley. You may see a few teal ribbons being worn during April, and the reason for that is Sexual Assault Awareness month, now in its 20th year, and just as topical as it has ever been. Tennant Creek Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) kicked the month off at the Hospital with a BBQ, cake and conversations that will hopefully carry on beyond this month.

Catherine Grimley. It's been just over two months since the concerned citizens and elders started sitting up at BP of a night, giving up their time and sleep to try and make a difference in the anti social behavior currently afflicting our town. The group now has a name – Jurnkkurakurr Volunteers – but the biggest thing the group needs is more people who are prepared to give up some of their time to help bolster numbers and allow those who have been turning up night after night to make some difference in our damaged town.

Marnie Sutton received the Remote Worker for Communities award in the female category of the 2021 National Indigenous and Alcohol Conference recently. The award recognises the unique challenges facing workers in remote locations and making an important commitment to contributing to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least five years.