Yamatji Region News

Badimia protects Lake Moore

Posted: June 23rd, 2011

Filed under: Badimia, Lake Moore, National Native Title Tribunal

Yesterday the National Native Title Tribunal handed down a decision that will help the Badimia people look after Lake Moore and the many places around it that are important to the Badimia people.

Lake Moore, a dry salt lake south of Paynes Find, is a very special place for Badimia people. Many Badimia people visit the area with their families every year to go camping, hunting, collecting bush medicines and teaching the younger generations about country and culture. Lake Moore and the surrounding area is not only important as a place for Badimia families to go out on country, but it is home to very sacred places where ceremonies traditionally took place.

The National Native Title Tribunal recognised how important this place is for the Badimia people by ruling that the company seeking a mineral exploration licence has to negotiate with the Badimia people before it can have access to the area for low-impact exploration activities. This will allow the Badimia people to have more of a say over access to the area, and will give them a chance to make sure the mineral explorers have an understanding of the significance of the area. 

3-10 July is NAIDOC Week

Posted: June 20th, 2011

Filed under: Mid West, NAIDOC, Pilbara

NAIDOC Week, an annual celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, is fast approaching. NAIDOC is a time for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to celebrate.  The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.

There are a number of community celebrations in the MidWest and Pilbara, including NAIDOC Idol in Karratha, A family day in Geraldton, a community concert in Port Hedland, and a film festival in Carnarvon, to name just a few.

To find out about NAIDOC Week activities in your area, contact your nearest Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) on free call 1800 079 098. There are ICC offices in South Hedland, Geraldton, Perth, and many other locations nationally.

Geraldton community to have their say about constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Posted: May 19th, 2011

Filed under: Constitutional recognition, FAHCSIA, Geraldton

To address the issue of constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,the Australian Government has appointed an expert panel, co-chaired by Professor Patrick Dodson and Mr Mark Leibler AC.

The panel is undertaking a broad national consultation program to seek views from across the Australian community about ideas for recognising Indigenous Australians in our nation’s Constitution.

Mr Fred Chaney and Mr Bill Lawson will be holding a public consultation in Geraldton on Wednesday 25 May 2011 12:30pm at 2:30pm at the Ocean Centre Hotel in Geraldton.

This event offers an opportunity for the Geraldton community to join this important national conversation, to hear about the work of the Expert Panel and more importantly to offer their views and ideas about Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australians.

To learn more about the national discussion on constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, check out the You Me Unity website. To learn more about the expert panel click here.

For more information about the public consultation in Geraldton or to RSVP to the event call  (02) 6219 7759 or email  James.Malar@fahcsia.gov.au

Applications open for Community Liaison Officers

Posted: May 3rd, 2011

Filed under: Community Liaison Officer, Geraldton, job vacancy, Karratha, Port Hedland

YMAC is seeking motivated and enthusiastic individuals who have a strong desire to work with Aboriginal communities within the Yamatji and Pilbara regions and advancing their interests through the native title process.

There are positions based in YMAC’s Geraldton, Karratha and South Hedland Offices.

You would be working to ensure claimants are informed and can participate in the management of their native title claims. You would also be acting as a source of information to the community about the organisation, the native title act and other relevant matters.

To be considered for this position, you must address briefly in your letter the following selection criteria:

• Ability to effectively and sensitively communicate and work within a team environment

• Excellent verbal, written, communication skills

• Proficiency with computers

• Good understanding of Aboriginal people, their culture and decision making processes

• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills

• Current unrestricted manual ‘C’ class license is essential.

For further information about this position, please contact Human Resources on (08) 9268 7000.

Under S.50 (d) of the Equal Opportunity Act, an applicant’s Indigenous background is a genuine occupational qualification.

Job descriptions and an application form are available on our website www.yamatji.org.au, or contact Human Resources on (08) 9268 7000 or email jobs@ymac.org.au.

All applications must include a covering letter, completed application form, resume, and a statement addressing the selection criteria.

Applications can be posted to PO Box 3072, 256 Adelaide Terrace, Perth WA 6000, faxed to (08) 9268 7049 or emailed to jobs@ymac.org.au

Closing date for the above positions is 4.00pm Friday 20th May 2011

Applications open for Community Liaison Officer

Posted: April 11th, 2011

Filed under: Community Liaison Officer, job vacancy

YMAC is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual who has a strong desire to work with Aboriginal communities within the Yamatji region and advancing their interests through the native title process. This position is based in YMAC’s Geraldton Office.

You would be working to ensure claimants are informed and can participate in the management of their native title claims. You would also be acting as a source of information to the community about the organisation, the native title act and other relevant matters.

To be considered for this position, you must address briefly in your letter the following selection criteria:

• Ability to effectively and sensitively communicate and work within a team environment
• Excellent verbal, written, communication skills
• Proficiency with computers
• Good understanding of Aboriginal people, their culture and decision making processes
• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Current unrestricted manual ‘C’ class license is essential.

For further information about this position, please contact Human Resources on (08) 9268 7000.

Under S.50 (d) of the Equal Opportunity Act, an applicant’s Indigenous background is a genuine occupational qualification.

Job descriptions and an application form are available on our website https://www.ymac.org.au/go/careers, or contact Human Resources on (08) 9268 7000 or email jobs@ymac.org.au.

All applications must include a covering letter, completed application form, resume, and a statement addressing the selection criteria.

Applications can be posted to PO Box 3072, Adelaide Terrace, Perth WA 6000, faxed to (08) 9268 7049 or emailed to jobs@ymac.org.au

Closing date for the above positions is 4.00pm Tuesday 26th April 2011

Wajarri dictionary launch in Geraldton

Posted: April 4th, 2011

Filed under: Bundiyarra, Geraldton, Irra-Wangga Geraldton Language Program, Wajarri

On Tuesday, 12 April the Irra-Wangga Geraldton Language Program will launch a Wajarri Dictionary at an event in Geraldton. The dictionary will be published through Irra-Wangga with funding from the Commonwealth Government’s Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records Program, and is largely the work of linguist Doreen Mackman. The dictionary will be for sale through Irra-Wangga at Bundiyarra Aboriginal Corporation.

The launch of the dictionary is open to the public. It begins at 6:30pm on the Geraldton foreshore near the Dome cafe. There will be speeches, a performance by the Mayu performers and a free screening of the 1984 film “Fringe Dwellers”.




Wajarri Yamatji country

 

Free Indigenous Business Workshops in the Midwest and Pilbara

Posted: March 25th, 2011

Filed under: Geraldton, Indigenous Business Australia, Port Hedland, Tom Price.

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) is running free Into Business workshops to assist Aboriginal people who are interested in starting up a business. A series of three one-day workshops is available for aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs who want to turn their business ideas into reality.

At the workshops participants work with a business specialist to learn how to thoroughly research their idea to determine whether it is a commercially viable, and what is required to manage a business on a day-to-day basis.

For those people who complete the three workshops, one-on-one assistance from an IBA-funded business consultant will be available to help take the next step towards building an income generating business.

The workshops are part of IBA’s national Business Development and Assistance Program, which aims to assist Indigenous Australians to establish, acquire and grow small to medium businesses.

The first of the three workshops will be held in Tom Price on 5 April, Port Hedland on 7 April, Geraldton on 14 April and another round in Geraldton on 20 July.

For more information or to register for the workshops call 1800 107 107

Indigenous West Australians recognised at International Women’s Day Event

Posted: March 10th, 2011

Filed under: Board, Donna Murdock, Doris Eaton, International Women's Day, Margaret Rose, NATSIWA, YMAC Director

NATSIWA’s International Women’s Day Poster

Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) is extremely proud that two of its staff members and one of its Board members have been honoured at an event in Adelaide marking ‘International Women’s Day.’

Mrs. Donna Murdock, Yamatji Regional Manager, Ms. Margaret Rose, Senior Community Liaison Officer and Mrs. Doris Eaton, co-chair of YMAC’s Board of Directors and 2009 NAIDOC elder of the year, have been recognised by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA) for achieving change for their people and communities.

To celebrate the one hundredth International Women’s Day, NATSIWA has recognised one hundred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have shown leadership and achieved change over the past one hundred years.

In addition to a rally in Adelaide on 10 March 2011, there is  a poster featuring some of the nominated women that will be widely distributed to schools, non-government organisations and government departments. A blog has also been created where the women will contribute to forums on issues facing Indigenous women.

Click here to access NATSIWA’s International Women’s Day website, including their blog.

Mrs. Murdock, Ms. Rose and Mrs. Eaton were all chosen because of their activism, leadership and commitment to their regional communities. They have contributed to their communities in the areas of health, education, business development, native title and traditional culture.

“It’s a great pleasure to be recognised and to be honoured among other women who have been working hard for their communities. It is really rewarding for us Indigenous women to come together from all parts of Australia and have it be recognised that yes, we are making a difference,” said Margaret Rose.

Simon Hawkins, YMAC’s Chief Executive Officer, said of the news, “It’s wonderful to see some of the hard-working, community-minded Aboriginal women of the Midwest and Pilbara regions being celebrated nationally for their achievements. YMAC congratulates Mrs. Eaton, Ms. Rose and Mrs. Murdock on their nominations, and I can say personally that it has been a huge honour to work with them over the years.”

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.