NT

Seven inspiring young leaders came together yesterday as the Territory’s new NT Youth Week Ambassadors ... Ambassadors, aged 16 to 22, play a key role in the organisation and promotion of NT Youth Week and have chosen this year’s theme: "Break Free, Unleash Your Story".

Disabilities and Multicultural Affairs Minister Ngaree Ah Kit was in Tennant Creek this week to meet with key stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard and represented in government decision-making. Over two days she met with The Mob Aboriginal Corporation, Barkly Regional Council, Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Barkly Disability Network to name a few.

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Territorians and visitors are being urged to protect themselves from mosquitoes bites, with mosquito numbers expected to increase following recent heavy monsoonal rainfall. Some mosquito species can transmit viruses including the Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses, as well as the potentially fatal Japanese encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses ... three cases of Japanese encephalitis have been diagnosed in the Northern Territory (NT), with the first detected in in 2021.

The Tennant Creek Police force put on a touching show of solidarity with their Queensland counterparts by lighting up the station with blue lights on Wednesday night to honour the two police offers who were tragically killed in the line of duty on 12 December. To coincide with the state service of Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold who were killed in an execution-style ambush at a remote Wieambilla property in Qld.

Passengers aboard the Memo Club’s courtesy bus last Saturday received a shock when a rock came flying through the side window, shattering glass everywhere. Luckily the passengers were uninjured, however it meant the Memo was without a bus for a few days while it was in for repairs.

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Supt Mark Grieve. From a policing perspective, the Barkly region has much to be proud of as we look to close out 2022. We’re leading the Territory in the reduction of crime with Tennant Creek specifically ... When it comes to reducing crime, it’s important to realise that whilst police play a significant role, ongoing education and engagement is key.

Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation. Our Elders’ Yarn Up group happens once a month, with Elders coming in to express their concerns and their love for children and families ... Last week, Marlungku-Kari Child & Family Centre celebrated its last Elder’s Yarn Up meet for the year.

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Biosecurity and safeguarding were front of mind at the Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity roundtable in the Northern Territory ... Indigenous Ranger organisations contracted to undertake biosecurity surveillance are generally located along the northern Australian coastline, with a focus on high-risk pathways with a potential for pest and disease incursions.

Tiwi Textiles: Design, Making, Process tells the story of the innovative Tiwi Design centre on Bathurst Island in northern Australia, dedicated to the production of hand-printed fabrics featuring Indigenous designs, from the 1970s to today.

Jason Dunemann. Tennant Creek Darts hosted its annual Darrell “Bear” Logue Memorial Golden Nugget Tournament last weekend. The 34th edition of this fabulous tournament brought players from all over the country – 53 men and 20 ladies, including 10 locals, 18 from other parts of the NT and 45 from interstate.

Santa Claus has been flat out this year preparing to fill the Christmas orders from all the well-behaved children around the globe, and urgently enlisted the help of the Mayor of the Barkly when trouble arose. Thousands of dollars of presents for this year’s 88th annual Tennant Creek Christmas Tree event were at risk of not arriving for the event due to freight issues.

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As we head to the end of another year, 2023 will herald exciting times for the Barkly Regional Council (BRC), says CEO Emma Bradbury. After a tough year of staffing shortages and financial struggles, Ms Bradbury says Council has experienced a turnaround of its financial position to a new standing of excellence, with an external auditor citing BRC as one of the strongest in the NT.

Pam Dillon. Two days of various multi sports had the students laughing, smiling and shouting for joy. The sessions conducted were aimed at developing skills for different year levels ... Students in Years 4 to 6 worked focused on improving their skills and experimented with cricket and paddle tennis bats using various types of balls.

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Charles Jangala Inkamala was born 1968 in Ntaria (Hermannsburg) ... Charles lives in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and began painting with Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists in 2017. He paints significant cultural sites such as Rwetyepme (Mount Sonder) and Yapalpe (Glen Helen Gorge) in stylized detail.

The Territory Government is changing the way it collects rent for remote tenants in Tennant Creek and Barkly communities ... In rolling out the new framework, historical rental arrears accrued up until 11 December 2021 have been waived. Nearly $70 million in rent was not collected for more than 11 years, providing a major shortfall of reinvestment back into repairs and maintenance of public housing.

After recent rains in Tennant Creek, the Mozzie Mob is back to work under a renewed program to cleanse the town of the dengue mosquito. NT Health Director of Medical Entomology at the Centre for Disease Control, Nina Kurucz, said a fresh round of home backyard inspections will begin with technical officers in town to conduct inspections to prevent an outbreak.