IN THIS ISSUE DECEMBER 2011

Communities within the Central Desert Shire are prepared for the fire season thanks to the major Fire Preparedness project being rolled out under the new CDEP extension program. The Fire Preparedness Project incorporates community based training with the establishment of important fire prevention kits in each community.

The Lajamanu CDEP participants and staff were one of the first groups to be trained. The training has provided good skills and confidence amongst the participants and was good fun as well. The Lajamanu group pictured are fully kitted out with equipment that is now on site as part of the fire prevention kits.

The training has been facilitated by volunteers from South Australia Bush Fires volunteers who have been working closely with the local communities. “The community involvement has been excellent” reported Greg Stone, Project manager “we are excited to be involved in such a great project and have developed strong connections with the people in Central Australia”.

Central Desert News is published by

Roydon RobertsonCentral Desert Shire Council

PO Box 2257 ALICE SPRINGS NT 0871Ph 1300 360 605

www.centraldesert.nt.gov.auPlease send your stories to

kimbi.bevan@centraldesert.nt.gov.au

Fire Training Across the ShireFire Training Across the Shire ....................1

Message from the Shire President.......................2

Message from the CEO..........2

Focus on Training in Ti Tree..3

Nturiya Veggie Garden ..........4

Getting Creative with Tie-dying ................................5

Op-Shopping in Town.............5

Willowra Playgroup.................6

The Champions Forum............7

Lajamanu Oval completion.....8

Creative Art Competition ........9

Rating Review Feedback Requested ............9

New Jobs and New Futures in Lajamanu............................9

Our Thanks to Target............10

Laramba Childcare Celebrates............................10

CDEP Willowra.....................11

From top: Lajamanu participants in full uniform; Demonstrating preventative burn on road verge in Lajamanu; Willowra partici-pants during exercises.

From the CEO

Welcome to the December 2011 Newsletter. It is difficult to believe that another year is drawing to a close. The Christmas season is nearly here and many staff and community members are getting ready for their holidays. Regardless of your plans over Christmas, I hope that everyone has a happy Christmas and drives safely on the roads. Please also remember that council offices shut down between Christmas and New Year.

This is also almost the last Newsletter for this Council’s term. In March of this year all of the Northern Territory will be holding local government elections. All of the elected member positions in

the Council will become available. Looking back over my term in Council, I think that this Council has made great progress towards achieving the Shire Plan. The Council has seen many changes over the past four years and has celebrated many great achievements. In drafting the annual report, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of the projects that were on the wish list in 2008 have been realised, such as the Lajamanu Oval, a project which is close to my heart. I have really enjoyed my term as President and during this time had some wonderful opportunities such as working with the Local Government Association Executive to set policy for future local governments, meeting the Prime Minister to discuss critical housing shortages and shaping the Council through my day to day dealings with the Council’s management team.

I would recommend being a Councillor to anyone who is interested. Please think about being part of the Council for its next term. Information sessions will be held in communities over the next few months and information can also be found on the Council’s website.

Norbert PatrickShire President

I never cease to be de-lighted with the wonderful stories we receive from the contributors to the Central Desert News. Keep it up as I receive excellent feedback from many sources over the interesting and informative articles contained in this newsletter.

Since its inception Central Desert Shire Council has overcome many problems and obstacles. We have come a long way, which can be seen from reading our 2010/2011 Annual Report. The Annual Report was again prepared within the required timeframe set by the Local Government Act. Congratulations go to the Finance Section for early completion of Council’s Financial Statements for 2010/2011 and for such a good audit result.

The Annual Report lists many achievements and some of these can be found in the Shire President’s Message and the Chief Executive Officer’s Report.

Shire President Norbert Patrick.

From the President

The Annual Report is available from Council’s Alice Springs Office and on our website.

It is very pleasing to see Council staff being selected to represent Local Government generally throughout the Northern Territory. Since the last newsletter Cathryn Hutton, Deputy CEO/Director Corporate Services has been appointed to the Northern Territory wide Financial Sustainability Review Steering Group and also the Rates and Charges Framework Group.

The full Board of Management from STEPS came over from Queensland and attended the Ti Tree Aged Care Service on 24 October 2011. Six staff from Ti Tree Aged Care were presented with their statements of attainment for completing 7 modules towards the Certificate II in community services. This is a proud achievement by the staff involved – well done.

I hope you all enjoy our latest newsletter and I look forward to receiving the same high level of great stories during 2012.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to the long list of achievements made by Council in 2011.

Roydon RobertsonChief Executive Officer

Shire CEO Roydon Robertson.

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Training in Ti TreeIt was a day of celebration at Ti Tree Aged Care facility when 10 staff were issued with their statements of attainment in Certificate II in Community Services on Monday 24th October 2011.

The Certificates were presented by the STEPS CEO Garry Hooper, who had travelled over from Queensland with the STEPS Board of Management specifically for the presentation and put on a BBQ for staff and guests to enjoy.

The successful staff include Mark Gorey, Henry Ross, Lanceton Campbell , Estelle Carter, Annette Alan and Mary Campbell (in the picture) and Lana Campbell, Joanne Pepperill, Rozanne Morris, and Sharna Corbert (not pictured).

Above: Six very proud staff were present to collect their Certificates.

Right: In recognition of her great work, support and leadership of the Ti Tree Aged Care team, Garry presented Edna Snape with flowers

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Here are photos of Nturiya Veggie Garden along with the green house that was built by CDEP workers at Nturiya to start the plants off before they are planted out. Clifford and George have been constant CDEP workers and are enjoying the horticulture program and look forward to the plants producing vegetables.

Pictured from left to right Dean Pepperill, Dan Pepperill, Rob Russo (with the cap on) Jocko Long and Dave Grant.

Pictured from left to right are Clifford Martin, George Mbitjana, and Jeremias Haines.

STEPS are the Registered Training Authority contracted to provide Aged and Disability Care training throughout the Central Desert Shire. So far the Ti Tree staff have completed 7 modules towards the Certificate II in Community Services – well done!

Congratulations also to all the staff at Ti Tree who recently received a Certificate I in Information Technology. The participants were taught fundamentals in email, power point, word and excel and also how to access facebook and twitter and how to download photos and music. The course was made fun and it was enjoyed by all.

Nturiya Veggie Garden

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Getting Creative with Tie-dying

Ti Tree residents and visitors alike are embracing a new initiative by the Central Desert Shire Council. The Op-Shop at Ti Tree is being run as a CDEP program in which the participants can learn real skills in a genuine retail environment. Participates operate a cash register, handle money and assist customers with their purchases. The participants are also learning valuable behind the scenes skills such as keeping the store area clean, tidy and orderly,

keeping the work area safe, balancing cash at the end of the day, as well as promoting, advertising and stock rotation. The hope is that participants may eventually run their own retail business.

The Op shop is open Tuesdays and Thursdays in Ti Tree Town with a smaller version out at Pmara Jutunta which is open on Monday all day.

The Council has had clothes donated by many people locally and from other states and also the Uniting Church in Alice springs which have been a consistent and welcome supporter over the past few months. The Ti Tree Op Shop has also started having some furniture donated i.e. household goods and this is proving to be a popular addition to the store.

Op-Shopping in Town

Marjorie Pepperill, Beverley Ross, Gracine Ross and Jessie Panangka displaying their handiwork.

The creative art of tie-dying has been brought alive in Ti Tree with the CDEP Ladies from Pmara Jutunta. Some very plain grey T shirts have become colourful and attractive with rubber bands and clever tie-dying techniques. While the ladies are not occupied with their wonderful market garden or the Ti Tree Op Shop they are trying their hand at various creative arts with assistance from their CDEP Supervisor. The ladies will be using this technique to create unique curtains and children’s clothes.

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Willowra PlaygroupCentral Desert Shire has been running the Willowra Playgroup since October this year funded by Warlpiri Education and Training Trust (WETT) and the amazing support of World Vision. The Playgroup runs from Monday to Friday 9:00am-12:00pm. There has been a great turn up for the playgroup with up to 14 children and families in one morning session. Playgroup employs 2 local staff members Janie and Jocelyn to assist with activities and prepare nutritious snacks for the children.

The children have been enjoying painting, crafts, play dough, outdoor equipment, stories and singing. The families really enjoy their time at playgroup and are often popping in and out of the office to see when the next session is running.

The Council has been very lucky with the support that World Vision (especially Rob) and Faft (Amanda) have given the program. The Council is currently investigating possible longer term funding so the young children and families of Willowra can continue enjoying this service. The long term benefits of young families being involved in a playgroup are huge and this really assists children to grow up strong and healthy for their future.

Janie, the Council’s new Childcare Worker, with children at the playgroup

The Champions Forum

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The Engawala Sport and Recreation Team was invited by the Heart Foundation in Darwin to participate in a Champions Forum with some of the workers and volunteers from their Community. The Sport and Recreation Officers, along with Priscilla Williams, Rachel Tilmouth, Nancy Tilmouth, and Sarah Williams all “champions” in Engawala, attended the Champions Forum.

The forum allowed several Shires to come together and share ideas. The Council’s Engawala Champions gave two presentations, one called Healthy BBQ and Disco, and the other about the Engawala Women’s Community Painting. The Council’s Engawala Champion’s joint painting was a big hit. The Engawala Champions were awarded the trophy for “Commitment to improving Cardiovascular health”. Sarah Williams very proudly stood up and received this award on the Council’s behalf.

From top: Sarah Williams, Priscilla Williams, Rachel Tilmouth and Nancy Tilmouth with their award.

At the conference.

Displaying the joint painting.

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Lajamanu Oval completion Lajamanu is now a BIG STEP CLOSER to its long-held dream of having a grassed oval!! What started as a request from the local board and seemed like an impossible task, is now a reality!

This herculean task encountered various obstacles at different stages.

Initially the bore intended for irrigation purposes had been blocked by a persistent piece of steel. After several determined attempts, it was dislodged just enough to slide the bore pump through. Secondly power poles and carrier poles had to be installed at the bore and at the feeder tank in the oval, to allow for the irrigation demands. This involved trenching, hundreds of metres of pipe work installation, assembly and connection of pressure pump. Thirdly the 120,000 litre gigantic metal tank itself had to be installed. In the scorching 40 degree heat the installation Top: Lajamanu water tank. Bottom: Lajamanu oval.

of a huge metal tank such as this was not an easy task. The CDS team braved through this tiring heat and all the other challenges it came across. The “Travelling Irrigator system” has thus been installed by the CDS staff.

Lajamanu’s Work Supervisor, took on the marathon job of working out how the whole system fitted together and directed the installation at every step. In a show of Shire solidarity, a team of 3 from other communities came up to give Lajamanu a hand – Danny Papa (then at Yuelamu), Peter Connelly from Yuendumu and Dilip Nellikat from Alice Springs. The crew that exercised the job to its completion deserve a huge round of applause. Steve Balmer, Michael Erglis, Hector Patterson, Craig Patterson, Antonio James, Lionel Wilson, Stewart Penn and Colin Mackander are the prominent people that formed the local team, apart from the visitors. Thanks also goes to Owen Coco for his support to the team.

The next exciting stage is getting the oval grassed and the lights installed for night time Footy.

Local Government Elections 24th March 2012. Don’t forget to register to vote!

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Creative Art CompetitionCDEP participants across all Central Desert com-munities were invited to submit creative art designs for new vehicles for the CDEP program. With three prizes on offer some great designs have been submitted. With this high standard of design and brushwork, it will be a hard decision for the judges.

Susan Leo, a new CDEP participant in Willowra, preparing her creative entry for the competition.

Rating Review Feedback RequestedThe Central Desert Shire Council is asking for community feedback on its rating review discussion paper. A new rating strategy, which Council anticipates will be finalised and adopted in February 2012, will be developed following community consultation in the coming months. The rating discussion paper is available for download from the Council’s website, the site also allows online submissions.

Residents, ratepayers and other interested groups should ensure their submission is to the Central Desert Shire by 1st January 2012. Council will be considering the outcome of the consultation at its February 2012 Council meeting. For more information please refer to the Shire’s website.

New Jobs and New Futures in LajamanuSeven CDEP participants have gained employment with New Futures Alliance in Lajamanu. Pictured are Shaun Johnson, Wayne Patrick, Jared Payton, Hamish Rose, Colin Ross, Callum Scobie and Travis Penn.

These workers will be involved in renovations to existing homes, demolition of derelict buildings and construction of new residences in the community. All were excited to be involved in this type of work. It is expected that another five CDEP participants will soon join this workforce.

Annual Report: The Central Desert Shire’s third annual report is now available for inspection at the Alice Springs head office or for download on the Shire’s website.

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Our Thanks to Target

The ladies of the Anmatjere communities had a clothing bonanza thanks to the generous donation of new clothes by Target. The Ti Tree Shire Service Manager and CDEP Supervisor split the clothes up into ladies, children’s and assorted items and then filled up the boxes so that each of the communities and Alyuen outstation got the same opportunity to browse. The few bits and pieces that were left over will be put in the Ti Tree Town Op Shop.

The Ti Tree communities were very appreciative of the opportunity to obtain some new clothes and enjoyed the opportunity to rummage through the donations as can be seen from these ladies faces at Nturiya.

Laramba Childcare CelebratesThursday 8th Sept it was a proud moment when 3 women from Laramba participated in the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Graduation Ceremony, all graduating with a Certificate 3 in Children’s Services.

Two of the graduands, Susie Stafford and Tamara Stafford work at the Laramba Child Care Centre and are mother and daughter, the other graduand, Launce Campbell is their aunt and has retired from working at the Child Care Centre but believed it important to complete her studies to be a good role model for the younger girls.

Susie is the Indigenous Co - Coordinator of the Centre, whom has worked there for 6 years. Tamara has worked at the centre as a Child Care Worker for about 5 years.

The Council has supported the women in their training and covered the cost for a number of peers, family members and children to travel from Laramba to join in celebrating the women’s success. After the official ceremony the Council offered a free BBQ down at the telegraph station for all family members and friends congratulating the 3 very proud staff members before heading back to Laramba on the bus.

Families in Nturiya also had a chance to benefit from Target’s donation.

The Child Care Coordinator withSusie Stafford, Tamara Stafford and Lance Campbell.

Over the last couple of months, things have really been happening with CDEP in Willowra. The local men participating in CDEP have successfully undertaken Fire Prevention Training, revitalising community tables, improving the local airport facilities and assisting in the construction of their new CDEP shed.

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CDEP in Willowra

Above and below: The crew preparing and laying the concrete for the shed floor.

Above and below: Sheldon Hayes, Dylan Long, Alvin Williams and CDEP Supervisor Wayne Ledwidge, the fire prevention team fully equipped and showing their style in the field.

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CDEP in Willowra cont...

Inset: Justin Forrest showed his construction and painting skills when he revitalised the community tables in the Willowra Blues colours. Field Officer Jimmy Kitson was around to give support.