FEBRUARY The Borella Ride travels through Mataranka CONTENTS Employees of the Month Pg3 Arts Funding Availability Pg4 Australia Day Awards Pg8 Ngukurr Housing Team Pg10 Police Coopera on Pg11 Numbulwar Clean‐Up Pg12 Community Grants Pg12‐13 Emergency Procedures Pg13 Beswick Driver Training Pg14 Borella Ride Pg14 Ngukurr RJCP efforts Pg15 Shaunelle Sandy in Mataranka Read more on page 14... Roper Gulf Regional Council PO Box 1321 Katherine NT 0851 Phone: 08 8972 9000 Fax: 08 8971 2607 www.ropergulf.nt.gov.au Page 2 Message from the Mayor Roper Gulf Regional Communities were thankfully spared the devastation that some of our Arnhem Land Coastal neighbors suffered when Tropical Cyclone Lam crossed the coast in February. lines of communication with Police and Emergency Services and our communities. At a very domestic level we need to be vigilant at home ensuring that we keep our homes free of rubbish which can beTony Jack come missiles in wind and The damage at some of the that we have personal emercoastal towns was wide gency plans. and Lee will be attending the spread and will take a lot of Australian Local Government time and money to repair. The Council met in the last week Women Association Biennial people of the coastal area are of February and had a solid Conference in South Australvery resilient and it is reassur- agenda to be dealt with. ia. This will provide an opporing to hear that Governments There are some exciting pro- tunity to network with Local have stepped in quickly with jects about to happen and I Government women from relief and recovery support. It hope to be able to tell you across Australia and to hear is a reminder of the risk we about some of these in com- about the how other Local face living in the tropics, espe- ing months. Governments deal with issues cially in communities near the we have in common. Gulf and on major flooding I am also sorry to announce rivers. that Cr Stan Allen who repre- We all have full diaries in sented South West Gulf Ward March with Local Authority Our small town of Bulman has decided to resign due to meetings, the Finance Comwhich was directly on the personal reasons. Cr Allen mittee meeting and other route of the cyclone fortunate- has been a strong advocate broader commitments. In mid ly only suffered some minor for his ward and community march I will be speaking a wind and flood damage as the and a strong and respected forum on remote housing cyclone deteriorated into a member of Council who will which should be a very interweak tropical low. I am told be missed in our delibera- esting forum of relevance to our preparations and re- tions. many in our communities. sponse was well planned and well executed and I want to On the 25 March three of our All the best in March. thank our Council staff on the Councillors Ashley, Daylight ground for a good job well done. Black Arm-Band to visit Beswick We may have dodged a bullet as they say but the cyclone season is not finished and could potentially extend into April. Climate change will bring change to our lives and it is important that our emergency planning is strong and practiced and that we continue to work and develop strong The renowned Melbourne based Indigenous band the “Black Arm Band” has announced that it is planning a trip to Beswick to conduct workshops and a concert later in the year. Watch Roper Gulf’s website Facebook page for future details. and Page 3 Message from the CEO Well we are now in full swing again following the festive season break. All Managers have come together for this year’s first meetings in Katherine Michael Berto and many key issues were discussed and actions put in place to address them. forward to the successful new candidate to Council for the South West Gulf Ward. The wet season brought its first cyclone with the arrival of Cyclone Lam into our region. Cyclone Lam was a category four and of great concern to everyone in the region. Our communities of Bulman, Numbulwar, Beswick, Manyallaluk and Jilkminggan were all on full alert. They all had followed their RGRC Employees ofplans the and Month emergency management were for fully Council received some rather sad news with prepared for the worst. My heartfelt thanks to the resignation of well known Borroloola our Community Service Managers in identity, Councillor Stan Allen. Councillor particular and staff who did an outstanding Allen has played an important role on Council job when it was required. and he ensured that a lot of focus was put on local roads, particularly in his own community. As luck would have it, all the communities This will be his legacy and I am grateful for came through pretty much unscathed which is the valuable contributions he made during the a blessing for everyone concerned. The wet time he had on Council. Due to Councillor is still on so we all have to remain vigilant with Allen’s resignation, we now have a by- our weather watch. election planned to run in March and will look Employees of the Month - January National Youth Week Employees of the Month are selected for their dedication and hard work within Roper Gulf Regional Council. National Youth is coming - April 3rd-16th 2015 Head Quarters: Hilary Sinfield Barunga: Alma Ngalmi Beswick: Tara Bush Borroloola: Bertha Cochran Bulman: Robbie Dalywater Eva Valley: Matt McGinness Jilkminggan: Wayne Collins Mataranka: Dianne Collins Ngukurr: Trevor Joe Numbulwar: Christine Smith Congratulations to all the winners! Watch for events around your community or keep updated with what’s happening on the Roper Gulf Website ropergulf.nt.gov.au Page 4 Funding Available for Artists and Arts Groups Artists (up to $10,000). Territorians, it’s time to get sector,” Minister Higgins said. arty. “The funding can assist TerriThe Northern Territory Gov- tory artists to explore stories, ernment invites local artists, create new art works, develop non-profit arts organisations artistic skills or share their and community groups to creative work in remote areas apply for arts project funding of the NT and throughout Ausfor activities beginning after 1 tralia. July 2015. “These grants help make it Arts and Museums Minister easier for local artists to Gary Higgins said the funding showcase and expand their through the NT Arts Grants talent.” Program supports the development and showcasing of Funding is available to supTerritory artistic talents. port arts projects in the categories of: Arts Development “This enriches the lifestyle of (up to $15,000), Presentation Territorians and contributes to and Promotion (up to the development and vibrancy $15,000), Skills Development of our unique creative arts (up to $15,000) and Emerging Do you like getting your local news fresh? Roper Gulf Regional Council’s Facebook page is the most immediate way of gaining breaking news from the source. You will find employment opportunities, event information, sport event pho- tos, meeting dates and much more! To join us just like us—Roper Gulf Regional Council on Facebook Past recipients of the grants include the Knock-em-Down Theatre for the production of Mary Anne Butler’s play, Broken, CAAMA Music for the Tjintu Desert Band tour and showcase at the Australian World Music Expo, Watch This Space for artist camps celebrating 21 years of this artist run initiative in Alice Springs and Darwin musician Clayton Bennett to develop his first album. Arts NT offers the funding twice a year through dedicated competitive funding rounds assessed by peers. Applicants are invited to apply online now through grants tracker (https:// nretasgrants.nt.gov.au/GT7/ Portal/Default.aspx) for the 2015 Project Round 1. The application period closes at midnight, 23 March 2015. Sourced from NT Government Media Release - Minister for Arts and Museums, Gary Higgins Page 5 Employee Profile Rita Duncan - Executive Assistant to CEO Reports to: CEO (Michael Berto) This month’s Staff profile takes us into the CEO office. Rita Duncan is the CEO’s Executive Assistant. Rita sees her role as allowing the CEO to focus on his central role by providing administrative support. Rita is the gatekeeper who enables Michael to undertake his role with out being overwhelmed with daily administration. Keeping track of emails, correspondence and providing a filter of people and information flowing to the CEO is a key activity. She also manages the CEO appointments and schedule, sets up meetings and organises the Strategic Leadership Meetings and quarterly Mangers meetings. Rita also supports the Director of Corporate Governance, Greg Arnott. Rita says that she is amazed how much information flows into the CEO’s office and the huge amounts of emails and correspondence that need to be organised and the number of people who want to speak directly with the CEO. Rita has worked for Roper Gulf Regional Council for over three years, two of these as the Executive Assistant to the CEO Prior to her current role Rita worked in Assets in fleet management. She must have some juggling skills as well. Before coming to Roper Gulf Rita lived in South Africa outside a small town near Durban. She provided the office support and management of the family electrical contracting business. As she tells it, “…coming to Australia was one of the best things I have done. It is a land of milk and honey… really”. She said. “The opportunity for young people is tremendous,” she said. It was her drive to ensure opportunity for her three children that bought her to Australia. “I don’t think Australians fully realise the advantages and the opportunity they have in this country”. South Africa was a very stressful place and nothing would make her go back. “In Australia we have had the opportunity to establish ourselves and my family is happy. My two sons are working and I am about to become a grandmother of twins!” she said excitedly. My younger daughter is doing well at school… what more could you ask for? The day we got our permanent residency was the biggest day for all of us… there was lots of tears and celebrations. This year we become eligible to apply for Australian Citizenship and as a family we may well do our ceremony here in Roper Gulf.” Rita is a busy person proving the old saying that if you want something done ask a busy person. She says her job is about helping organise the daily activities of the CEO but also working with and helping others. “Sometimes I feel like I am being everyone’s mum”. Rita in her own time loves her dogs and gardening and was an accomplished stain glass artist, something she would like to take up again when she has a little spare time. When asked where she would like to be in ten years time she said, “Living in a beach side cottage… some where warm “. Page 6 Out & About PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONTH Boating in the Ngukurr Pool Submitted by Paul Amarant: CSM Ngukurr Grants Committee Meeting at the OCM Cyclone Lam heading for Bulman Mayor Jack & Sam Bush (NLC) Going for a swim at the Ngukurr Town Pool Page 7 Above Left: Clean-Up Australia Day at Numbulwar Above Centre: Ole Andersen and Revona Urban with ABC representative Above Right: Borella Ride Horse Centre Left: Jacqueline Riley picking up rubbish Centre Right: Lisa Jelenic Below Left: Clean-Up Australia Day at Ngukurr Below Right: Roper Gulf 4x4 Training group with CDU Trainer Page 8 Australia Day Celebrations and Awards Roper Gulf Regional Council would like to congratulate all of the Australia Day nominees and winners! Below is a list of the winners: Community Event of the Year Citizen of the Year Young citizen of the Year Barunga 2014 Barunga Festival David Shields Jeffrey McDonald Borroloola 2014 Christmas Party Stephen Anderson Joel Bradford Bulman 2014 Walaman Festival Margaret Lindsay Liam George Jilkminggan ABC Haywire Play Cecilia Lake Tyrrel Baker Mataranka 2014 Australia Day Celebrations Tracey-Ann Wilson Nil Australia Day Celebrations around the Region Mataranka Mataranka Mataranka Ngukurr Ngukurr Page 9 A Big Month for Local Authorities Reconciliation Action Plan Roper Gulf Regional Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan Draft has been forwarded by Council to Local Authorities for consultation. Local Authorities will be able at their next meeting to comment and recommend changes on the draft before it returns to Council for ratification. Local Authority Training Local Authority Training April is a going to be a big month for Local Authority Members. Training in the areas of understanding financial reports and governance will be offered by Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT) trainers. All Local Authority members are encouraged this will support and enhance their role. For more information contact Governance on 8972 9000 Beswick 10.00am 20th April 2015 Manyallaluk 3.00pm 20th April 2015 Barunga 10.00am 21st April 2015 Numbulwar 3.00pm 21st April 2015 Ngukurr 10.00am 22nd April 2015 Hodgson Downs 3.00pm 22nd April 2015 Borroloola 10.00am 23rd April 2015 Bulman 12.30pm 24th April 2015 Jilkminggan 10.00am 28th April 2015 Mataranka 5.00pm 28th April 2015 Page 10 Community Round-up The Borroloola MUNs Team working hard In the heart of the Savannah Way the Borroloola MUNS crew have serviced the town for many years. A number of the fellas have worked with Roper Gulf and the old Borroloola Council for over 10 years with one Jerry close to 20 years. The MUNS crew has Albie as the supervisor, Robbie and Jerry on the garbage truck while Rodwell and Dawn work hard as masters of all trades including but not limited to feeding impounded dogs at the pound. Council would like to welcome Rodwell and Dawn as the newest workers with the crew. The crew is small, but they work hard to try and get everything done in Borroloola. It would be nice to have some more guys and gals on the crew…this crew works hard. It’s a pleasure to work with them. Submitted by Nathan McIvor: Council Services Manager Borroloola Ngukurr Housing Maintenance welcomes Matthew Pope to the team Ngukurr have just employed another Housing Maintenance Officer; Matthew Pope. Matthew will assist the current team with carrying out he huge workload. The Ngukurr Housing Maintenance Team is averaging 100 jobs or more every month which includes jobs from NT Housing, RGRC Assets and other Stakeholders.. Council Services Manager at Ngukurr, Paul Amarant congratulated the team on ‘doing an excellent job keeping the community people happy and satisfied’. Page 11 Manyallaluk and Maranboy Police, a model of successful cooperation The committee, chaired by Maranboy Police R/SGT Charles Drury and S/C Jamie Lauder and comprising senior community elders Alison Andrews, Daisy-Bell Williri, Andrew Hood and Samuel Rankin (to name a few) and community residents worked through the issues and agreed on a range of measures to fix the problems. What do poisoned water supplies, rogue buffalo and antisocial behaviour have in common? The answer is they have all affected community safety in the remote community of Manyallaluk, population 70 located 35km north of Maranboy. Maranboy Police have been actively supporting the local Community Safety Committee (CSC) and the results have been impressive. The community identified in its Community Safety Action Plan (CSAP) the issues of alcohol fuelled anti-social behaviour, the threat posed to residents, particularly children, by rogue buffalo wandering through the community day and night and the concern that poisoning of the communities water supply by toxic and invasive neem trees could occur. bers were experiencing the benefits of peace and quiet at night, children getting to school after a good sleep and less noise and disruption to their lives. Whilst many of us working in urban centres don’t consider wandering buffalo, cheeky crocodiles, poisoned bores and the myriad of other very real community safety issues Local police, working with that exist throughout NT, bush their colleagues in Katherine coppers face these issues and Mataranka, adopted a every day. number of strategies that significantly slowed the flow of Manyallaluk is a success story due to the efforts of the comalcohol into Manyallaluk. munity in taking ownership of The community, working with and responsibility for solving indigenous Jawowyn Rangers their own problems. and Roper Gulf Shire Council, trapped, removed and sold The relationship between the the rogue buffalo; and the local residents and police is neem trees have now been very positive and they are actively seeking more involvelargely removed. ment with Police in the delivAt the most recent CSC on ery of more crime prevention the 27th January 2015 many and cyber-safety education. community elders and residents expressed their happi- Reprinted from the 6th Februness at the outcomes and ary 2015 eDrum, The NT Postated that their children were lice, Fire and Emergency Sersafer and all community mem- vices online magazine. Page 12 In Community Grants News Lunch time has become safer and more comfortable for the little ones at Mataranka School which now has three strong, safe, age appropriate tables and bench seats for the preschool/transition and younger pupils to be able to comfortably eat their lunches at. No more dangling legs or splinters, no more sitting on the hot ground. The photo shows they are obviously a winner with the kids. The tables and bench seating were purchased through a $3000 Community Grant from the Roper Gulf Regional Council. Aged Care woman clean up at Numbulwar. This year’s Clean up Australia Day bought about 30 people out to do a clean up across Numbulwar, a small town located on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Numbulwar was on the edge of Cyclone Lam but managed to escape with little more than a bit of wind and some flooding. The annual Clean up event brightened the town up and strengthened a growing pride in the town. One of the teams of volunteers who cleaned around the town and airport was a team of staff from the Numbulwar Aged Care. The Aged Care team was recognized for the effort they put in by winning the encouragement prize of $100 provided by the NewTown General Store. Aged Care Coordinator Kim Freeman praised her team, “They were champions and it was very hot. We picked up a fair whack of rubbish and the town looked so much better after the cleanup. Everybody involved in our Clean Up Australia did a great job.” Well done Jackie, Faith, Ella, Riley and Kim. Everyone enjoyed a BBQ after the clean up and the feeling of a good job done. Page 13 New approach to managing emergencies tested at Beswick. The small town of Beswick, located 100 kilometres east Katherine, was impacted by minor flooding when the tropical low associated with the weakened ex Tropical Cyclone Lan hit in mid February. There was initially serious concern about flooding potential but the expected heavy rain in the catchment did not occur and Beswick was only affected for a couple of days. The Waterhouse River flooded over the bridge to a depth of 2.27 metres closing the Central Arnhem Highway but no property was damaged. As a precaution six aged community members and about seven families moved up to the school. The flooding gave Police and Emergency Services and Council officers an opportunity to manage the developing emergency on the ground at Beswick rather than from away from the town. Having the Police and Emergency Services personnel in the town was something new for the small town which has got used to dealing with flooding emergency alone. The relatively slow arrival of the storm front meant the emergency services were able to station two Police and two emergency Services Officers in the small town. “Police and Emergency Services gave us all a sense of safety knowing they were in control and not on the other side of the river”, Council Services Manager at Beswick Helen Hawkins said. “They kept me informed of any changes and the community was clearly more comfortable and settled knowing they were here”. Helen said the community was relieved to have them there, ….” It was great that they were monitoring the river lev- els day and night and as the lead agency they were able to organise the evacuation to the school. Previously support and direction had come to us from the other side of the river. The Waterhouse River floods regularly and the older part of Beswick is built on a flood plain so our residents are pretty use to flooding but it is still upsetting and unsettling for many people, so having the Police and Emergency Services here was very welcome. Hopefully the same process will be included permanently in the Emergency Management plan for future events in Beswick”. Ms Hawkins thanked the Police and Emergency services for the in support during the Great seats available at the Borroloola Rodeo A Community Grant from Roper Gulf Regional Council has also enabled the Borroloola Amateur Race Club to put comfortable bench seating at the rodeo ground. The seating has been located in the shade of the big old fig Tree away from dust and noise, a great place for a breather away from the excitement of the arena. The next Borroloola Rodeo is scheduled for August, so put this must see event in your diary! Page 14 Beswick women are doing it for themselves. Photos sourced from ABC In last edition of the newsletter we told the story of the successful RJCP Driver training program and how important it is in our small towns. We can now tell you about achievements two of our Community Service workers, Revonna Urban and Kaffie Rickson who have been taking lessons with RJCP Driving Instructor Ole Andersen. Beswick will have two more drivers to help deliver their important services for children, families and the elderly. The two learners have commented how supportive Ole has been, how much they have enjoyed their lessons and how much they have learnt. Congratulations Kaffie and all the best with your test Revonna. Kaffie passed her driving test at the end February and Revonna will be doing her test very soon. Not only will these women gain more independence by being able to drive it will also mean that Community Services in The RJCP Driving program offers a rare opportunity for people in remote communities to get professional driving instruction. With a driving licence people increase their opportunity of finding work. The Borella Ride passed through the Never Never In 1915, Albert Borella journeyed through 1,000 kilometres of NT’s outback from Tennant Creek to Darwin to enlist in World War I. He fought at Gallipoli and the Western Front; was wounded, commissioned on the battlefield, and awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest honour for valour in combat. A re-enactment celebrating the journey one hundred years ago has been undertaken by relatives of Albert Borella and others to celebrate the story of his journey to join the AIF at the start of World War I. The commemoration journey travelling party visited Daly Waters, Larrimah and Mataranka; all within the Roper Gulf Council Region. At each stop local residents and visitors were able to meet with the riders, horses and support team and find out more about the ride and the Borella’s amazing story. Many children from local school came along and were informed about Albert Borella’s life and times through activities and talks which bought to life the harsh times in the context of the Great War. A community evening was held at Mataranka in which young and old were able to meet the riders and horses, play games and enjoy a BBQ. The other real heroes of the ride must be the horses, “Walers”, descendants of the breed that provided the mounts of the Australian Light horse. These well trained horses and their handlers from the reenactment ride were a popular part of the visits. The Borella Ride is the Northern Territory Government’s flagship Anzac Centenary activity, supported by the Australian Government. Page 15 Ngukurr RJCP Team working hard Ngukurr RJCP has been very busy over the past few months completing projects all around the community, bringing health and safety and some fun places for kids to occupy their afternoons and weekends, So far a park play set and the building of a chemical shed for the local pool to protect children from the caustic chemicals have been completed. Ngukurr RJCP has a total of 8 team at present comprising of 15 participants and one supervisor with another 4 teams to be filled, completing other civil projects like cemetery restoration, lawns and maintenance, Shade and shelter for Park benches and BBQ areas, market garden and youth activities to name a few. All work is completed by local men and women of Ngukurr supporting the growth and development of their home lands, the RGRC RJCP has been received very well by the local population and looks set to accomplish great work. Submitted by Aaron Carroll, Senior Employment and Training Coordinator (RJCP Ngukurr/ Numbulwar Region) Pool chemical shed at Ngukurr pool, completed by RJCP. Here is the park play equipment completed in December 2014 (needs weeding) Community Vet Visits - Does your pet need a check-up? A vet will be visiting: Beswick: Monday 2nd March - Thursday 5th March 2015 Ngukurr and Urapunga: Monday 16th March - Friday 20th March 2015 Barunga: Monday 30th March - Wednesday 1st April 2015 Borroloola: Monday 13th April - Monday 20th April 2015 Numbulwar: Monday 27th April - Friday 1st May 2015 Bulman and Weemol: Monday 18th May Thursday 21st May 2015 Page 16 Upcoming Meetings of Council and Local Authorities Date Time Meeting Location 09 Mar 2014 5.30pm Mataranka Local Authority Meeting Lot 6282 Stuart Highway 05 Mar 2015 10.00am Borroloola Local Authority Meeting Borroloola Council Office 11 Mar 2015 10.30am Ngukurr Local Authority Meeting Ngukurr Council Office 12 Mar 2015 2.00pm Hodgson Downs Local Authority Mtg Alawa Board Room 16 Mar 2015 10.00am Beswick Local Authority Meeting Beswick Council Office 16 Mar 2015 2.00pm Manyallaluk Local Authority Meeting Manyallaluk Council Office 17 Mar 2015 10.00am Barunga Local Authority Meeting Barunga Council Office 18 Mar 2015 2.00pm Bulman Local Authority Meeting Bulman Council Office 19 Mar 2015 10.00am Numbulwar Local Authority Meeting Numbulwar Council Office All Local Authority and Ordinary Meetings of Council are open to the Public to attend. Please Note: Local Authority Meetings are subject to change Job Opportunities For current jobs go to www.ropergulf.nt.gov.au or email recruitment@ropergulf.nt.gov.au Contact Us RGRC Mayor Tony Jack Phone: 0428 793 132 Email: tony.jack@ropergulf.nt.gov.au Chief Executive Officer Michael Berto Phone: 0427 799 621 Email: michael.berto@ropergulf.nt.gov.au RGRC Deputy Mayor Judy MacFarlane Phone: 0437 918 115 Em: judy.macfarlane@ropergulf.nt.gov.au Roper Gulf Regional Council Reception Phone: (08) 8972 9000 Fax: (08) 8971 2607 Email: info@ropergulf.nt.gov.au Do you have a story to tell or a photograph to share? Roper Gulf Regional Council would like to showcase your stories and photographs from our Region. Residents and RGRC staff are invited to submit their articles and original photos to be considered for an upcoming edition of the RGRC Newsletter, RGRC Facebook Page and/or RGRC Website. Please submit your material to roper.governance@ropergulf.nt.gov.au or 08 8972 9000
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