Western Australian Indigenous Affairs

Weld Range added to the National Heritage List

Posted: February 25th, 2011

Filed under: National Heritage List, Wajarri Yamatji, Weld Range, Wilgie Mia

Signpost – road leading to Wilgie Mia/Thuwarri Thaa, Weld Range in distance

The Weld Range is approximately sixty kilometres north-west of Cue, and is of significant cultural importance to the traditional owners of the area, the Wajarri Yamatji people, as well as neighbouring Indigenous groups.

The 45ha area of the National Heritage Listing includes Wilgie Mia, Little Wilgie Mia and the Marlu Resting Place. These sites contain sacred law grounds, dreamtime places, thousands of examples of rock art, extensive archaeological material, and the Wilgie Mia red ochre mine.

The Beauty of the Pilbara on Show in Port Hedland and Perth

Posted: February 8th, 2011

Filed under: Pilbara Project, Spinifex Hill

A group of five artists spent a year touring the Pilbara with their cameras and the result is 52 Weeks On: A Pilbara Project Exhibition. The show features stunning images of how the people, mining industry and ancient country interact.

Their photographs and videos will be on show at the Courthouse Gallery in Port Hedland and FORM Gallery in Perth, with opening events in Perth on 10 February and in Port Hedland on 11 February.

The Pilbara Project is a long-term project which documents, maps, illustrates and celebrates the diverse characteristics of the Pilbara.

The exhibition seeks to engage people to think differently about the Pilbara. While the region has already given the Australian economy so much, it has even more to offer, to multiple people and on multiple fronts.

ACCO wins Premier’s Active Citizenship Community Group Award

Posted: January 28th, 2011

Filed under: Aboriginal Communities Charitable Organisation, ACCO, Pilbara

                                                                            


YMAC’s Business Development Coordinator, Cris Olegario & YMAC’s Pilbara Regional Manager, Peter Jeffries.

On Australia Day the ‘Aboriginal Communities Charitable Organisation’ (ACCO) was presented with the Premier’s Active Citizenship Community Group Award for their contribution to the Pilbara community.

The ACCO is an excellent example of a regional organisation making a difference to the lives of Aboriginal people and is run by a volunteer staff base, most of whom are Indigenous.

As well as receiving public recognition from the Premier, the ACCO have also been approved for a Lotterywest grant for large commercial refrigerators for their food distribution outlet at TAFE’s Pundulmurra campus in South Hedland. The grant also includes a custom fitted ‘Commercial Kitchen Caravan’ to fully equip ACCO in their pursuit to deliver services to regional and remote communities in the Pilbara.

The Aboriginal Communities Charitable Organisation (ACCO) was formed in late 2008 as a non-profit charitable organisation to help ‘close the gap’ in local Indigenous communities. The idea came about from a common desire to make a difference to the lives of Aboriginal families living in Pilbara’s mining economy, where food and housing prices can be artificially high.

With the support and partnership of Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation, Newcrest Mining and Foodbank the ACCO’s first primary project was the South Hedland Food Distribution Centre. The ACCO’s work aims to: 

• Create a sustainable food supply for families;
• Teach the community to grow food;
• Provide nutrition education; and
• Facilitate training and job placement.

To learn more about the ACCO and their work please contact, Cris Olegario, YMAC’s Community and Business Development Coordinator on (08) 9172 5433.

YMAC Hosts Regional Indigenous Discussions

Posted: May 16th, 2010

Filed under: Gascoyne, IIB, Mid West, Yamatji.

YMAC recently hosted the Mid West Conversation (10 & 11 May in Geraldton) and Gascoyne Conversation (13 May in Carnarvon) events, on behalf of the WA State Government’s Indigenous Implementation Board (IIB). The conversations were an open discussion for Aboriginal people, aimed at opening up a new way of working together in the region.

YMAC’s Co-Chairperson, Roy Bellotti, YMAC Regional Manager, Donna Murdock with Dr Sue Gordon from the IIB.

Around 35 Aboriginal leaders, community members and service providers attended each event to discuss key issues and priorities in the region including; health, education, employment, justice and regional governance. The key outcomes of the conversations will be put into a report for the WA State Government’s ‘Indigenous Implementation Board’ (IIB), which then makes recommendations to Minister of Indigenous Affairs Kim Hames.

Reaching for the Stars: Wajarri story on SBS!

Posted: April 13th, 2010

Filed under: ASKAP, SBS, Wajarri

At 6pm tonight ‘Living Black’ on SBS will feature a story on the Pia community school in Wajarri country and the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP).

Last year, the Wajarri people signed an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the construction of the ASKAP project. The agreement had a particular focus on education and training opportunities for the Pia Aboriginal community school, just 30 kms from the telescope construction site.

Happy viewing!

Update: watch it here:

http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca/living_black/Latest/playlist/Reaching-for-the-Stars/