Indigenous

Samuel Davis. Cape York mayor Patricia Yusia doesn’t want to talk about the Indigenous Voice to parliament. Not while a desperate housing crisis is crippling her communities in the Northern Peninsula Area. So, when Cr Yusia met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Horn Island last Thursday, the discussion was to the point.

Dorrobbee Grass Reserve is a beautiful reserve that surrounds the large concrete water tank on the hill just north of Dunoon. It is a special place of great cultural significance to the traditional custodians, the Widjabul Wia-bal people. The reserve is a traditional Aboriginal camping and travelling route maintained through cultural land-management practices, including cultural burning. The reserve is also a remnant ‘island’ of fire-dependent grassland and one of the last intact grassland ecosystems within the Big Scrub bioregion .

A Traditional Owner group in South East Queensland have used drones with thermal imaging cameras to undertake a major prescribed burn while avoiding endangering wildlife ... the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation burned off excess vegetation along 440 hectares of swamp at Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) to refresh wildlife habitat and facilitate the regrowth of rare flora species.

Ten juniors from Canteen Creek and five from Arlparra travelled to Darwin last week for the third National Indigenous Tennis Carnival. The children were treated to an unforgettable experience, which included a first plane ride and a use of an escalator for some of the children.

Samuel Davis. Sly grog swindlers peddling cask wine and spirits are fuelling a spate of senseless and violent acts in western Cape York, angry community leaders say ... “The sly grog has been bobbing up for the last three weeks. There are people not turning up to work, threatening managers ... What is our community coming to? At the end of the day, it’s about personal responsibility": Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council CEO Edward Natera.

The Aurora Foundation announced that Trinity College alum Ethan Taylor is one of two Charlie Perkins scholarship recipients for 2022 ... Ethan says that this opportunity is his first step towards injecting the lived experiences of Aboriginal people into professional political philosophy.

Doomadgee will lead a state-first “Closing the Gap” pilot to identify how best to roll-out priority programs like health, housing, and early childhood in First Nations communities in Queensland. Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council mayor Jason Ned said his community looked forward to taking a lead role in government service reform.

Geoff Helisma. A mural of Yaegl Elder Uncle Ron Herron, painted as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations, was vandalised over the weekend. “It’s unacceptable and a kick the guts for our mob as we try to raise our profile in Yaegl Country, following our successful native title claims,”: Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation’s CEO, William (Billy) Walker

The Territory’s iconic Barunga Festival is set to take place from 12-14 August, with thousands of attendees from across the Territory and Australia set to descend upon the remote community for the three-day cultural extravaganza.

The Barkly Regional Deal is seeking public comment on the 2030 Barkly Economic Growth Strategy which outlines key projects, programs and proposals anticipated for the region to build a diverse economy and improve social outcomes, culture, and quality of life for Barkly residents. The Strategy has been developed by working groups of Barkly business leaders, Aboriginal business enterprises, industry groups and community stakeholders.

National Indigenous Radio Service (NIRS). World Ranger Day was commemorated on Sunday the 31st of July – a day to acknowledge the work rangers do to protect our planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage ... Meriam man and Senior Ranger Aaron Bon spoke to NIRS News, and said the training helped rangers identify, rescue, and treat wildlife impacted by oil spills.

Samuel Davis. Cold beer and refreshments can be savoured in Lockhart River again after the community’s new social club finally opened its doors to patrons ... The club, which opened its doors on Friday night, operates under a Restricted Liquor Permit that aims to provide a safe space to socialise and drink responsibly ... In a community with high unemployment, Cr Butcher said the social club provided more than just a gathering place.

Cape York leaders are reserving judgement on a federal government decision to axe the Northern Australia committee which guided growth and community development across the region for almost a decade. Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, said the Labor government had “abandoned” the economically diverse region at a critical time.

A significant aspect of Closing the Gap in East Arnhem Land is the creation of new industry, jobs and business on country. Announced  over the Garma Weekend, the Territory Labor Government has  released  the East Arnhem Regional Economic Growth Plan – a collaborative 10 year plan which sets ambitious goals for economic and jobs growth  across  the  33,000 square kilometres of the region.

We Al-li is providing culturally informed-trauma integrated workshops in Tennant Creek and is planning to visit communities across the Barkly. The programs, which are free and open to all community members, are for health, sharing culture and regenerating the spirit.

Narrandera Local Land Services (LLS) has appointed four new trainees and a team supervisor as part of the New South Wales Government's Aboriginal Ranger Program. The $5.95 million program has recruited 22 new Aboriginal staff, including 16 trainee rangers - four each at Narrandera, Tamworth, Coonabarabran and Deniliquin ... “Our aim is to get the trainees exposure and training to all the work and learning aspects with LLS": Graham Kelly.

Geoff Helisma. Translated from the Yaygirr dialect (historically spoken near the mouth of the Clarence River) these words are: ‘Hello there, how are you; this is Yaegl country. I remember my Elder men and Elder women.’ On Friday July 22, as part of the NAIDOC Week exhibition of Yaegl Elders portraits at the Yamba Museum, a book was launched, Keeping our Stories - Stories from Yaegl Country.

Tennant Creek kids were lucky enough to be able to participate in dance/hip hop workshops with artists Matty, Franceska and Michael from Indigenous Outreach Projects (IOP) this week. The week was full of workshops, run with assistance from Julalikari, culminated with a dance performance at Nyinkka Nyunyu on Saturday night.

Rio Tinto Weipa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four Traditional Owner groups which details an agreed consultation process around closure planning for the East Weipa bauxite mine. The MoU was jointly developed over a period of seven months between Traditional Owners and Rio Tinto and lays a path regarding the eventual return of their lands after mining at East Weipa stops.

Lynne Mowbray. The old concrete pump station in River Street Maclean has been given a facelift over the weekend, with a mural painting depicting one of our prominent Yaegl Elders. Highly respected Yaegl Elder, Uncle Ron Heron of Yamba, has had the artwork created in his honour, to celebrate NAIDOC week.

A new work of history that seeks to unmake mythologies of pioneers, pastoralism and possession in the Northern Territory. 'A rare and wonderful book ... Unmaking Angas Downs is a profound act of listening, and a dazzling piece of historical scholarship.' Billy Griffiths