Indigenous

Thanks to the John Moriarty Football (JMF) and Australian Blind Football (ABF) partnership blind and vision impaired (BVI) Aboriginal children will be able to participate in JMF’s transformational program through the use of audible balls ... JMF Co-Founder and Co-Chair and the first Indigenous footballer to be selected to play for Australia, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty said the partnership is game changing.

The first step in merging Noongar cultural burning practice with contemporary fire mitigation was taken last week with a trial burn along Wilson Inlet. A small area was selected along the Bibbulmun Track, adjoining Weedon Hill, for the demonstration trial in the big step towards more collaboration between traditional custodians and authorities in bushfire prevention.

Narrandera’s first ever three day Narrungdera Earth Festival will start Friday 20 May with a welcome event at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre ... Saturday’s activities include a Cultural Day at the Narrandera Showground featuring animal encounters by Taronga Zoo, a rock climbing wall by Base Zero and weaving with Nioka Dupond. Aboriginal Elder Uncle Michael Lyons will deliver a Cultural Talk and celebrity chef The Black Olive will talk on bush foods.

Cook Shire Council briefed leaders on a move by Australia Zoo and Terri Irwin to seek the closure of the gazetted Bertiehaugh Road which traverses through part of the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve ... The council representatives had a busy agenda in Cooktown. Mayor Peter Scott said the TCICA gatherings were a highlight on the calendar.

The infrastructure program for remote housing will rollout more than $690 million worth of works ... Representing a significant transfer of power to remote Aboriginal communities, select tenders are offered to locally-based Aboriginal Business Enterprises as part of our commitment to building the capacity of these communities, helping them to become sustainable into the future.

TCICA chair and Kowanyama mayor Robbie Sands said that at least $1 billion was needed over the next decade in the Cape and Torres Strait to address housing shortages. “Both major parties have been silent on new Indigenous housing in remote communities, ignoring the fact that our people are facing entirely preventable diseases like rheumatic heart disease because of severe overcrowding,” he said.

The only the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia (IAPA) will be standing candidates for the NSW and Queensland Senate, and three candidates for the House of Representatives, including Brett Duroux for the Division of Page. Duroux a proud Yaegl, Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr man, is excited to stand up for his community. Brett is a fantastic communicator, with a genuine interest and concern for people and the environment, is campaigning to give his community a strong voice and leadership, and to promote respect for the land and encourage unity and equality. Brett says, “The locals of this area, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are not being heard.”

Derek Hardman, a proud Baarkindji man of Broken Hill, will represent the Indigenous-Aboriginal Party of Australia (IAPA) as he stands for the Division of Parkes in the 2022 federal election ... Derek has been a prolific leader and advocate for Aboriginal people for most of his adult life. An example of Derek’s down to earth, generous, and practical nature was demonstrated recently as Derek, with some other Indigenous Party executives organised the ‘Deliver-roo’ initiative during Covid lockdowns at Wilcannia.

Stephen Clarke, National Indigenous Radio Service. Central Australian Aboriginal Congress today added its voice to a growing chorus of concerns about the forthcoming end to Alcohol Protected Areas in the Northern Territory ... Central Australian Aboriginal Congress CEO, Donna Ah Chee, says the ending of protections will see a return to a “river of grog” flowing through communities.

Narrandera Aboriginal fashion designer Lillardia Briggs-Houston has made the cover of the illustrious fashion magazine Vogue Australia due out in early May. The front cover of the May issue featuring Aboriginal models and fashion designs shows model Magnolia in a dress created by Narrandera’s well known local designer.

Lockhart River mayor Wayne Butcher is hoping a close federal election race in Leichhardt will be the catalyst for a major upgrade to the town’s disgraceful telecommunications network ... “We are not asking for 5G like the cities, we are simply asking for a reliable 4G service ... There is a lack of understanding in the capital cities about how bad we have it here.”

“It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the Wakka Wakka People as the traditional, and now, legally recognised native titleholders of approximately 9,393 square kilometres of land covered by this determination”: South Burnett Regional Council Mayor Brett Otto.

After sold-out previews at the Croatian Film Festival in Sydney, a locally filmed documentary –  Countryman  – will make its cinema release with screenings that bring the film back home to where the Australian story began.  Tennant Creek’s Joseph Williams is the co-producer and artist of the doco and he is excited to screen it in town next Wednesday at Nyinkka Nyunyu   from 5.30pm.

Rio Tinto’s Indigenous Employment and Development team are gearing up for another jam-packed year of programs, activities and events across Cape York ... Weipa operations general manager Shona Markham said she was impressed by what the team offered.

The Minister for Remote Housing and Town Camps, Chansey Paech, visited a number of homelands at Utopia recently where housing works are rolling out ... In remote communities across the Barkly, there are 74 new homes either completed or underway with dozens more planned.

Mark Knowles. Emerging silica sands explorer Diatreme Resources believes it has struck gold near Cooktown after announcing significant growth to its project’s resources. Last week, the ASX-listed company said its Si2 North Project resource had recorded a significant increase of around 134 per cent to 124 million tonnes (Mt).

Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said a trip to Cooktown and Hope Vale had highlighted some of the positive contributions made by councils and community groups in the region ... “Given the vast size of my electorate, it is always fabulous catching up with locals in Cooktown and Hope Vale to see and hear first-hand the progress of state-funded projects, programs and matters where I can assist,” she said.

International Day of Forests 2022 – “Forests and sustainable production and consumption” ... “Forests are one of Australia’s greatest natural assets, and Australia has the first-class forest management skills, experience and people needed to manage our forests. However, as a nation, we must do more. We need to manage this precious resource actively and adaptively across all land tenures including National Parks, State forests and private land to achieve best outcomes now, and into the future" : Bob Gordon Forestry Australia President.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Selena Uibo, Linda Turner and David Curtis Jnr from Julalikari and Byron Matthews from the National Indigenous Australians Agency signed a Local Decision Making Agreement in Tennant Creek following a Community Cabinet meeting in town on Wednesday.

A contingent of around 30 local residents travelled by coach, sponsored by TAFE CLC at Narrandera, to the Avonlie Solar Farm at Sandigo last Thursday to be part of what is claimed to be the beginning of the largest project the town has ever seen ... Managing Director (CEO) of the company behind the project in Australia Ross Rolfe said the Iberdrola was the third largest producer of wind and solar power in the world.