CAPE YORK
News A Cape York Welfare Reform initiative
O C TO B E R 2 0 1 3
A U R U K U N C O E N H O P E VA L E M O S S M A N G O R G E
Welcome
Welcome to the September edition of the Cape York News. Inside you will find information to keep you up to date with what’s happening in Cape York Welfare Reform communities. Thanks to all our contributors. Please contact us at the Program Office on 40460600 or email info@cyi.org.au, if you would like to share your Welfare Reform news.
Moving away from the ‘trial’ to build ideas for the next phase of reforms After the initial three year Cape York Welfare Reform (CYWR) trial, things have been in a bit of a ‘holding pattern’ for three successive 12 month trial extension periods. This holding pattern has become increasingly frustrating - especially for those on the ground. It has been a clear message from across the four Welfare Reform communities that people are keen to move away from the ‘trial’, to embed the reforms, build on the successes and continue to improve. So it is with great pleasure that we can now report that planning for the next phase of Welfare Reform has commenced. Noel Pearson and Cape York Institute (CYI) conducted an initial series of workshops at the end of August with community leaders from Hope Vale, Coen and Mossman Gorge to begin to develop the vision for Welfare Reform in 2015 and beyond. The Hope Vale Council, Coen Regional Aboriginal Corporation (CRAC), and Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku (BBN), and others, were joined in the workshops by representatives of the Australian and Queensland Governments. We are looking forward to having a similar workshop with Aurukun Shire Council in the near future. We also look forward to continuing to work with leaders and people from each of the communities over the coming months to develop your ideas further. Let’s build an exciting plan to take us to the next stage of reforms.
Wednesday 18 September was a special day for Aurukun community Over 250 people attended the land transfer celebration. There were many reasons to feel proud on this day. The CYAAA school band made its first public performance in Aurukun. They certainly looked smart and put on a good show. The crowd was absolutely ‘wowed’ and the band made a great contribution to this important occasion. The band performed its entire repertoire a second time in response to the huge round of applause and calls for an encore from parents and families. Under the land transfer, the Queensland Government transferred: • 735ha of land within the Aurukun Shire Lease and unallocated state land, to Ngan Aak-Kunch Aboriginal Corporation to administer on behalf of the Wik people • 286ha of town and reserve land, to the Aurukun Shire Council to be held for the benefit of Aurukun residents. Following the transfer, the Shire Lease will be cancelled. The land will become Aboriginal freehold land.
This is another step forward for the Wik people who first sought recognition of native title in 1993, which was eventually recognised in five determinations in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2012. Assistant Minister David Kempton handed over the deed to Deputy Mayor Angus Kerindun, Aurukun Shire Councillors Vera Koomeeta and Edgar Kerindun, and Ngan Aak-Kunch Directors. Speakers included Jonathan Korkatain (Ngan Aak-Kunch Director), Cr Angus Kerindun and Phyllis Yunkaporta the Aurukun representative to Cape York Welfare Reform Advisory Board. All the speakers delivered a common message of hope. Aurukun children were called on to respect and honour the land, and to work hard to choose a life of opportunities and prosperity. The band, and the land transfer, highlighted the importance of ‘both worlds’ education and success.
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The fight for ‘serious constitutional reform’: 50 years since the Bark Petitions Shireen Morris, CYI Constitutional Reform Project Officer In August, members of the CYI team were privileged to attend the Garma Festival on the Gove Peninsula in North East Arnhem Land. We were welcomed by the Yothu Yindi Foundation and Yolngu leaders. The theme for Garma this year was ‘The Journey to Recognition: 50 years since the Bark Petitions’. The Yolngu people have a long history of political activism and leadership. The bark petitions were the first traditional Indigenous documents recognised by the Commonwealth Parliament. The Yolngu people used these petitions to push the Commonwealth Parliament to recognise their rights to their traditional lands on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land. Though the constitutional change they sought was not achieved at that time, the bark petitions have been remembered as paving the way for recognition of Indigenous rights in Commonwealth law and helped build support for the astonishingly successful 1967 referendum, which passed with a 90.77% ‘yes’ vote. This referendum reversed the exclusion of Indigenous peoples from the Australian Constitution. But the 1967 referendum left some important constitutional issues unresolved. In 2013, the positive recognition of Indigenous rights that the bark petitions called for remains unacknowledged in our Constitution. There is no mention in our Constitution of the Indigenous history and heritage of this nation. There is no mention of the fact that Indigenous people existed in Australia before colonisation and federation. Ironically, post1967, our Constitution, the nation’s founding document, is completely silent on Indigenous existence. Our Constitution also contains two racially discriminatory clauses. Section 25 talks about banning people from voting on the basis of race. Section 51(xxvi), the ‘Race Power’, gives the Commonwealth the power to pass race-based laws, whether those laws are positive or adverse. These provisions allow and promote differential treatment of Australian citizens on the illegitimate basis of race. These provisions undermine a fundamental tenet of any fair democracy: equality before the law. It is now 50 years since the bark petitions. This year at Garma, Yolngu leaders asked again that Indigenous peoples be recognised in the Constitution. Djawa Yunupingu asked for the racial discrimination in the Constitution to be removed, and emphasised the importance of national unity: ‘We seek to be Yolngu people within Australia. Proud Yolngu and proud Australians. Yolngu people do not stand apart from you – we stand with you and you stand with us.’
CYI 2013 Annual Seminar on Constitutional Reform and Recognition, - Noel Pearson, Prof. Megan Davis, Fred Chaney AO and Shireen Morris. 1
Gulurrwuy Yunupingu, ‘Tradition, truth and tomorrow’, The Monthly (2008).
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The process for establishing bipartisan consensus is now underway, and the prospect of a referendum on Indigenous Members from the Cap e York Leaders team recognition is at the 2013 CYI Annual Sem inar starting to seem real. Amidst the political negotiation, it is important we remember and constantly clarify what it is we want to achieve through constitutional reform. In 2008, the Yolgnu people articulated their aims again. ‘We, the united clans of East Arnhem land, through our most senior leaders, do humbly petition you, the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, in your capacity as the first amongst equals in the Australian Parliament, and as the chief adviser to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, to secure within the Australian Constitution the recognition and protection of our full and complete right to: • Our way of life in all its diversity • Our property, being the lands and waters of East Arnhem land • Economic independence, through the proper use of the riches of our land and waters in all their abundance and wealth • Control of our lives and responsibility for our children’s future. These rights are self-evident. These rights are fundamental to our place within the Australian nation. ‘We ask for your leadership to have the Commonwealth Parliament start the process of recognition of these rights through serious constitutional reform.’ Now, in 2013, we need to revisit our own goals. We also want ‘serious constitutional reform’. What does that mean for Cape York people? What would our own petition say? For more info visit: http://cyi.org.au/policy-and-research/constitutionalreform See the CYI Seminar on Constitutional reform: http://cyi.org.au/events
Djawa Yunpingu. Images © Yothu Yindi Foundation, Garma 2013. Photographer: Peter Eve.
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CAPE YORK PARTNERSHIPS SNAPSHOT These family stories from Aurukun, Coen, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge show that our members are embracing the opportunities they have before them and are taking their own steps on the path towards a brighter future for their whole family. COEN - STUDENT EDUCATION TRUST
“The greatest thing is knowing I can overcome anything life throws at me.” HOPE VALE - WISE BUYS
“Now I own a registered scooter.” Jaccan Hart is not only an MPower and Wise Buys member, but also an MPower Graduate at the Hope Vale Opportunity Hub. During the seven months she has worked at CYP, Jaccan has made multiple Wise Buys purchases and completed an MPower Journey with an MPower Coach. After completing coaching, Jaccan began saving towards big goals for her future. ‘I set up a budget and started saving to buy assets. It was difficult at first - the hardest part was putting money away at the beginning and not using it for other things.’ ‘I signed up to Wise Buys because I wanted to purchase items online - it’s such a convenient way of shopping in remote communities.’ Through Wise Buys, Jaccan has purchased a motor scooter and a washing machine.
Terrence Creek’s dream is to work as a teacher at Coen State School. ‘I’m currently doing a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at Deakin University. After I’m done with my degree I plan to come back to Coen and teach these kids.’ In the meantime, Terrence works as a Teacher’s Aide at the Coen campus of the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy. For Terrence, CYP’s Opportunity Products have helped to make this dream achievable. Using funds from the Student Education Trust his parents set up when he was younger, Terrence bought the laptop he needed to study remotely. Through distance education, Terrence can complete his studies and at the same time gain practical experience working in the classrooms in Coen.
The early support Terrence received from his parents and Student Education Trust has been key to his success: ‘When I told my family I was going to uni, they couldn’t have been happier. I am so thankful to them for the support they’ve given me over the years.’
Jaccan wanted to buy a scooter to easily get around the community. Jaccan researched online and found a scooter from a dealer in Cairns. After making a trip to Cairns to look at the scooter, she put it on lay-by and paid a deposit. When it was fully paid for, a relative collected it and brought it to Hope Vale. ‘Now I have a scooter to get me to and from work every day. I really like it - I think it’s really cool. My family and friends think it’s great, and my mum has even given it a go.’
Terrence believes that challenge is something to be embraced: ‘This experience is exciting and scary all at the same time. If I can get through this, I know anything can be achieved if I put my mind to it.’
‘I’ve also bought a washing machine through Wise Buys. Our old washing machine was about eight years old and wouldn’t spin anymore, so I bought a new one for my mum as a Mother’s Day gift.’
It is this willingness to embrace change and challenge that Terrence shares with the students in Coen: ‘To all high school students thinking of going to university after you graduate, please do, because the feeling of heading into a bigger, better and brighter future is exciting.’
The main objective of Wise Buys is for families to use the internet to research and purchase goods and services. Jaccan’s story highlights how access to internet facilities supports partners to purchase good quality, affordable items that are not currently available in the welfare reform communities.
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MOSSMAN GORGE - IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD
“It’s good to know there’s support for family issues.” After attending a sushi making class in May, Trixie Kerr has eagerly continued her it takes a village to raise a child engagement sessions. ‘I will keep coming to Parenting workshops. I thought it was really great. My granddaughter and I made sushi for her birthday party!’ Held in conjunction with a Strong Families group session, these workshops highlight the importance of the Triple P’s strategy, teaching new skills to your children. Trixie is now using her new found sushi-rolling skills to teach her granddaughter how to make healthy snacks at home. A long time participant across a range of Opportunity Products, Trixie is an MPower member, Wise Buys member, donates to Student Education Trust, and has completed a POP Backyard Blitz. Trixie has also previously undertaken the It takes a village to raise a child Positive Kids program, delivered by Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy Student Case Managers. ‘I now have more understanding and have a better relationship with my grandkids.’
AURUKUN - MPOWER
“Now I’m saving money.”
Trixie’s story highlights how it takes a village to raise a child provides parents with new skills to parent in a safe environment and engage with their children.
Janice Yunkaporta was having trouble saving money for things she needed. ‘My sister told me to join [MPower] to learn how to save, and now I’m saving money! And because I have more money, I can do more things for my family.’
PRIDE OF PLACE
“Propagating plants is great.” Roseanne Bloomfield is using the skills she learnt at Garden Club to continue working on her garden. ‘This was my first time learning how to propagate plants. It was great! I’m going to start growing my own plants, using the plants I already have to make even more.’ Roseanne is exceptionally proud of her garden and continues to improve upon the backyard improvements she added during her Backyard Blitz. Roseanne’s green thumbs helped her win the Best Garden in the Village Award in Mossman Gorge during last year’s gardening competition. Roseanne is also a long term MPower member and It takes a village to raise a child participant. Garden Club has become a popular event in Mossman Gorge, and is consistently well attended both by loyal and new members. This quarter Mossman Gorge Garden Club members learnt new propagation techniques and made their own colourful hanging baskets for plants.
One of Pride of Place’s (POP) key objectives is for families to have a growing passion for gardening. Roseanne’s story illustrates how POP is achieving this goal. Not only does Roseanne now have a garden that she is proud of and keeps improving on, she also has a passion to continue learning new gardening techniques through Garden Club workshops.
Through MPower Coaching Janice set goals for her future and identified the steps she needed to take to get her there. With an MPower Coach, Janice identified that gambling and humbugging were limiting her ability to save for the things she needed. ‘I used to gamble but I don’t do that anymore, and now I say no to people who want money from me. I am saving up to buy things I need for the house.’ Janice’s house is currently undergoing a renovation. When it’s completed she wants to make an even better home for her family so she has signed up to Wise Buys and is currently saving for a lounge suite, beds for herself and her children, drawers, bedside tables and a dining set. Janice has been an MPower member for almost two years and is also a donor to her daughter’s Student Education Trust. Janice’s story highlights how MPower is achieving its objectives of reducing the amount of money spent on addictions and increasing the amount of money spent on household and family member’s basic needs.
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Here are your attendance percentages for term 3 (as at week 6): Let’s work towards 100% in term 4!
Aurukun: 62% Coen: 89:4% Hope Vale 69.4%
Birthday Club
Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale campuses have started up a Birthday Club to help improve community involvement in the schools. Each home class has a sponsor to help celebrate. Thank you to the Cape York Partnerships’ Opportunity Hub, Aurukun Police officers, PCYC, the Families Responsibilities Commission, the Primary Health Clinic and other sponsors for partnering with the schools. The school invites parents, family members and sponsors to be part of the special parade on Fridays, to recognise students with birthdays through the week.
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Band Camp
Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) in partnership with Queensland Music Festival (QMF) ran its inaugural band camp in July. Students from each of the communities of Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale, who had been part of the instrumental program at their schools, were invited to attend a three day camp held in Cairns. QMF provided artists and teachers with different specialisations to work with the students. The students were also mentored by students from the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts and were treated to performances by the Smithfield State High School band and University of Queensland music students. The camp culminated in a performance by the CYAAA students at the Yarrabah Music Festival. They played pieces together as a cross campus band including: “When the Saints go Marching in” and “Old MacDonald” as well as participated in the finale song, “Eye of the Tiger” with all the other bands. It was an excellent event and the CYAAA students played beautifully and displayed exemplary behaviour.
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W Au to sc co
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Cape Culture Program Wins Big!
urpose Statement:
Aboriginal We the staff and students at the Cape York g orkin w o t es urselv o it omm c y cadem ustralian A nriching ogether to provide a positive, safe, and e ng, chool environment that encourages learni ooperation, and respect.
Picking up the Premier’s Reconciliation Award
y: York Aboriginal Australian Academy’s Philosoph CAPE ts will achieve. No that all studen expectation t is our Culture Program received the honour of s. xcuse e o n nd a tions, excep the Premier’s Reconciliation Award at a ceremony held at the Brisbane City Hall. Motto: e Good! received with Myuma Hard! Bjointly The Work award, Get Ready! – Main Roads Alliance - recognises a tations: Wide Expec School nominated project that has demonstrated the tful • Be respec most outstanding and innovative outcomes • Be cooperative and responsible towards advancing reconciliation.
• Be safe ly and caringCYAAA’s riendaddition, • Be FIn Culture Program everyday chool s d • Atten also received a “highly commended” in the education category.
Classroom Expectations: e must: Culture do our best, and received The were bywAurukun us to learn for awards In order lf ourse y o t s bject o nd a eet f ands, h 1. Keep tutor, Ms Owokran, Hope Vale Culture and others respect for and show teacher, 2. Listen Language Ms Bowen, CYAAA board ct the property of others 3. Respe member and Coen parent and ranger group politely in the classroom and around 4. Walk and talk school 5. Raise hand to speak or leave seat 6. Follow teacher directions the first time.
co-ordinator, Mr Pratt, Coen student, Keishia Pratt, Cape York Group and Cape York Welfare Reform Advisory Board member, Ms Yunkaporta, Culture Program Manager, Miss Shewpersad and CYAAA CEO, Ms Toon. Proudly receiving the award, Ms Bowen said: “The students in my community delight in learning their local language. It is not uncommon now to hear students using Guggu Yimidhirr words on the playgrounds or asking their parents about their totems. This is what we need to keep our Culture alive and pass it on to future generations.” The awards were presented by the Premier of Queensland, The Honourable Campbell Newman MP, during the ceremony to celebrate NAIDOC week
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Sorry Day at Stuartholme School At the end of May, Stuartholme School held a National Sorry Day Liturgy. It was a moving experience with many of our Cape York Leaders Program students being involved throughout the proceedings. Mena Newman and Valerie Tamwoy completed the acknowledgment and welcome. Maggie Bowen, Tessa Friday-Bulsey and Shamin Pratt all shared stories of how their communities and families were affected by the stolen generations. Jeriah Coutts and Shonae Hobson introduced and thanked Uncle Albert Holt who was the guest speaker for the day, sharing his experiences of growing up in Cherbourg. Finally, to close the ceremony, Courtney Minniecon, Valerie Tamwoy and Tynequa Kemp performed together to sing Yil Lull by Joe Geia.
St Peters Senior Girls
Mahalia and Leearna talk about going to boarding school Our names are Leearna Burke and Mahalia Christian. We are both from different communities – Leearna is from Hopevale and Mahalia is from Bamaga. Currently, we are both in year 12 at St Peters Lutheran College, and have been on the Cape York Leaders Program for five years. At first, boarding school sounded like the most frightening thing in the world. Leaving our families and friends for months at a time, and go thousands of kilometres away, to a place we’d never seen? It was almost too much to take in. We both felt so nervous, and it wasn’t made better by movies like Mean Girls and High School Musical, with their depictions of high school bullies! When we first arrived at St Peters, we were overwhelmed by the newness of everything – new city, new school, new faces, and most importantly, new home. We were use to living in our own small community, so coming to such a big school was a huge adjustment for us both. Luckily, in boarding it was easy to make friends, because there were people from similar backgrounds, and, of course, we all lived together. The
girls and mistresses in boarding came to be like a huge multicultural second family for us. Over the years, boarding has shaped us both into the independent women we are today. We have learned so much about life and looking after ourselves, and we hope that this fabulous opportunity will allow
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us to give back to our community, as we both plan to go to university and study nursing. We also hope that the wonderful experiences we had in boarding here at St Peters Lutheran College will not be limited to us, and that other young Indigenous students will be able to look up to us as role models and follow in our footsteps.
Cape York Leaders through reaching their goals, are creating a legacy of success for Indigenous people within their communities and across the nation. Extracts from a speech, Walking in Two Worlds by Shonae Hobson, CYLP Academic Leaders Scholarship I know twin sisters, both from the same community, with the same family background, sharing the same lifestyle. In remote Indigenous communities secondary schooling is not an option, there are no high schools, so the majority of the students are sent off to boarding school. This journey they were to embark on, was the opening of a gateway that would allow them to walk between two worlds, their community way of living at home, and the more broad and sophisticated life away at school. After two years, the one thing separating these women was their aspirations in life. These aspirations were to determine where they would find themselves in 10-20 years from now. Might I say that the path each of the sisters had taken would leave them standing at opposite ends of the tunnel? Decades of incoherent and inadequate government policy with regards to indigenous education effectively delivered a substandard level of education for indigenous students, particularly in remote indigenous communities. So as you might imagine, school was a struggle for these girls and many other indigenous students from similar remote communities. With the establishment of the Cape York Aboriginal Academy in January 2010 students are able to close the academic achievement gap between indigenous and mainstream students. This bridging of the gap enables students to walk comfortably between these two worlds. The CYAAA Program has three distinct but related learning domains, Class, Club and Culture. And it is with these learning domains that indigenous students like myself, and those in generations following me are able to attend quality schools with a record of high educational achievement. Like Stuartholme.
I cannot stress enough how vital and important it is for indigenous students to leave the community and experience mainstream lifestyle because not only does it broaden our horizons but it creates a field of opportunities. I would like to see my people achieve something and become someone. So it is important that we take advantage of these educational systems so that we may also be able to leave our footprints in society. It’s sad that without encouragement from their family back home, one of the girls dropped out of high school in year 10, whereas the other chose to focus on her education and create an orbit, allowing her to walk easily between the lifestyle she had at home, and the wider society and economy. Leaving behind family and traditional land is a common fear for families and parents of remote indigenous kids and the common cause of why we are often held back from high school or encouraged to drop out. There’s an ingrained fear that if we spend too much time in the white society we will lose our culture and who we are as a person. I strongly disagree with this, by leaving our community and engaging with the broader society we are expanding our knowledge and understanding of the world.
so they too may be able to make informed choices. Orbiting encourages young students like myself, to finish high school, and extend my education further so that I may be a contributor in the global society like many of my fellow non-indigenous class mates, but also maintain my cultural identity and even make a contribution to my community back home. My fellow peers I stand here in hope that you will take away with you today, a better understanding of life as we see it in remote indigenous communities and an understanding that the critical way for us to make and create change is through educating and orbiting. Hopefully in the future, all indigenous people may be able to experience the best of both worlds. To live a life filled with opportunity and choices, choices that enable us to engage with the global economy, and to form decisions based on our own opinion and understanding, so that we as a people may be able to fully enjoy our nation’s wealth.
Being educated enriches the understanding and learning of cultural language, which is quickly diminishing. In fact, it will be through orbiting and gaining quality education that will keep our rich cultures and languages alive in the future. I would like to see my people form their own ideas and opinions, and in this example to base their votes on the knowledge and understanding of issues, not only relevant to indigenous people but to the wider community. I would like to see my people have the option of walking freely between these two worlds
Save the date
2012 / 2013 GRADUATES OF THE CAPE YORK LEADERS PROGRAM GRADUATION CEREMONY & GALA DINNER
Saturday 16 November 2013 Pacific International Ballroom Cairns Official invites out soon!
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Cape York Employment
Hi, my name is Sonia Minniecon, I am a proud descendant of the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland. With over ten years’ experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Queensland, through my own business, the public sector and community based organisations in the area of employment, training and community development. As the new Regional Manager this is a great opportunity to use all the skills and knowledge I’ve gained for the benefit of the community. Through my experience and that of my team, we all look forward to working closely with all members of both the Coen and Aurukun communities.
Lauguage Revitalisation Continues A book titled ‘Dharnggan’ by the author Irene Hammett and illustrated by Donna Cobus was launched during August. The book was produced as part of CYI’s Language and Culture Project, supported by the Queensland Government. CYI has been working with people in Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale to develop language materials to support language teaching in the CYAAA schools. This book is one of the materials produced to revitalise and document the Guugu Yimidhirr language in Hope Vale. The launch and book promotion including author signings took place as part of the ‘Big Talk One Fire’ event held at Fogarty Park in Cairns. A series of take home reading books (little readers) for Aurukun primary students, first published with the help of SIL linguists at Aurukun State School around 1979 as part of the Wik Mungkan reading series has also been reprinted. The series has been reprinted with the support of the Queensland Government as part of the Wik Mungkan maintenance and revitalisation project. Author Irene Hammett
Cape York Employment is a new service that will work with the Aurukun and Coen communities to: • Get more jobs for local people • Help people build skills that will prepare them for work •W ork with the communities to plan how the time and skills of unemployed people can best be used to make their community stronger. Jobseekers are now responsible for spending up to 20 hours a week in activities that will either develop their own skills or contribute to their community. Get ready with your ideas we will soon be asking community leaders and residents, what you think is important for your community. Your ideas will be put into a customised Community Action Plan for your local community based on what you say, that will be the guide and the direction of training and activities. Cape York Employment Coen office is located at 25 Taylor Street phone number: 4060 1190 Cape York Employment Aurukun office is located at Kang Kang Rd phone number: 4060 6111
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Archie Roach Returns to Cape York Kirra Greaves, Balkanu Aurora Intern It has been sixteen years since Archie Roach last visited Cape York. Back in 1997, Mr Roach and his late partner Ruby Hunter toured communities, collaborating with the local school children to create songs about their life and land. Starting in Aurukun, the tour travelled around the Cape with stops in Kowanyama, Coen, Pormpuraaw and Lockhart River, Hopevale and the NPA. The experience culminated in a songbook called ‘Butcher Paper Texta Blackboard and Chalk’, which was released this year in Ruby Hunter’s memory with all proceeds going to Ruby’s foundation to fund projects for women youth and the arts. To commemorate the release, Mr Roach spent a week travelling to Coen and Aurukun in July, catching up with the kids – some of whom had parents who were at school and helped write the songs during the 1997 around tour. While in Coen, Archie met with Land Management Officers at Kallan Enterprises and discussed how far the community had come in terms of land acquisition management since his last visit. A concert was then put on at the school, where Mr Roach was joined by the school children in a rousing rendition of ‘Coen Cool School’. A second concert, based on his new album Into the Bloodstream was held that evening at the Coen Guesthouse, the gardens providing a picturesque location for the set.
Archie was welcomed to country through a spectacular ceremony put on by the local Traditional owner groups. Next stop was Aurukun, where a concert was held in the town centre. Archie commented very positively on how the communities had developed and grown over the years, and enjoyed meeting with people who had been children at the time of the original tour. Archie also met with the Wik Warriors Men’s Group who invited him to a delicious fish and fruit breakfast
Many groups came together to support and sponsor the concerts and book launch including APN, Kallan Enterprises, Coen Guest House, Skytrans, Aurukun Shire Council, Welfare Reform, Balkanu and the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy. It was a great example of community and clan groups, regional organisations and private enterprise working together to bring something really exciting to communities.
At the heart of it, the tour was a way to fulfil Ruby’s wish to bring the songs back to the community. Songs such as ‘Aurukun Moonlight’ and ‘Coen Cool School’ were written especially by Ruby and the children for the communities and are still being learnt in the classroom today. After many years in the making, the songs and stories collected have returned to their home. Ruby would be so rapped to see it come full circle’, Archie told the ABC’s 7.30 report, ‘that circle is closed now, she’d be so happy.’ Since returning from his trip, Mr Roach has been nominated for several Deadly Awards including Male Artist of the Year. He was also recently inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame, sweeping the awards with National Album of the Year, Cover Art of the Year and Film Clip of the Year.
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Turtle and Dugong Taskforce The Cape York Turtle and Dugong Taskforce has been working on local and regional management plans for Cape York turtle and dugong for the last 12 months. This has culminated in the completion of the Cape York Turtle and Dugong Regional Plan and 10 local management plans. This was a bottom up approach to gaining Cape wide agreement on management of turtle and dugong for sustainable management and conservation. The plan was signed off on at the Cape York Turtle and Dugong Taskforce meeting in August and will be officially launched at the Cape York Indigenous land and Sea Management Expo which is being organised by the Taskforce and held on Saturday 12th October on Cairns Esplanade. The event will be a showcase of land and sea management activities by Indigenous communities and ranger groups on Cape York and including live music, dancing, arts and crafts displays. As well as the Turtle and Dugong Regional Plan, the Taskforce and work on turtle and dugong management has also supported important rehabilitation works on Raine
Island, Mapoon turtle camp proposal and design, turtle rehabilitation equipment for the Yuku Baja turtle rehabilitation centre at Archer point as well as development of a mechanism for the reinstatement of traditional authority. In addition the work has included 76 community meetings across 22 communities, over 60 individual and small group meetings and nearly 3000 hours of Taskforce members work. The design and management planning stage
of the program is now coming to an end. We are currently moving forward to seek support for implementation which has the potential to result in a world class turtle and dugong management system led and run by Indigenous people on Cape York.
Cape York Indigenous Land and Sea Management Exhibition and Cape York Turtle and Dugong Regional Plan Launch
10am—2pm October 12 2013 Esplanade, Cairns For information on how to participate, call Balkanu on 4019 6200
Proudly Supported by the Juunjuwarra Rangers on turtle monitoring training with EHP Photo: Chris Hannocks
If you would like to contribute please contact: Cape York Welfare Reform Program Office Level 3, 139 Grafton Street, Cairns QLD 4870 PO Box 3099, Cairns QLD 4870 Phone: (07) 40 460 600 • Fax: (07) 40 460 601 • Email: info@cyi.org.au
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