Pilbara

Senior Heritage Officer Positions in Geraldton and Pilbara

Posted: September 12th, 2017

Filed under: Geraldton, Indigenous Employment and Training, Karratha, Pilbara, Roebourne

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (Department) engages with Aboriginal Western Australians and all levels of Government to improve the delivery of services and to facilitate the development of policy and programs, which deliver suitable economic, environmental and social benefits to Aboriginal communities.

The Department is seeking two experienced individuals to undertake the role of Senior Heritage Officer. One role is based in Geraldton and one is based in South Hedland (although the Pilbara role may be located in Karratha or Roebourne and applications are also encouraged from these areas). Both are permanent full-time positions. Aboriginality is a genuine occupational requirement of this position under Section 50D of the WA Equal Opportunity Act.

Reporting to the Team Leader Regions, the successful candidate will:

• Undertake project work relating to Aboriginal heritage, across Western Australia in line with the strategic direction of the heritage directorate including the provision of advice to external stakeholders relating to the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972
• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop heritage projects to preserve and protect Aboriginal Sites
• Support the Team Leader in identifying and achieving heritage outcomes in line with the agreed Directorate outcomes.

Please use the links below to view the Department website for a job description form and further information about the duties and the job related requirements which will be used to select the successful candidate. Suitable candidates, not selected to fill this vacancy, may be considered for other employment opportunities (in like positions and like locations) over the next 12 months.

Geraldton Candidates:  Senior Heritage Officer, Geraldton

Pilbara Candidates: Senior Heritage Officer, Pilbara 

Nominations for Pilbara NAIDOC Awards close 19 June

Posted: June 16th, 2017

Filed under: NAIDOC, Pilbara, Port Hedland

Nominations to recognise inspirational Aboriginal people for the 2017 Port Hedland NAIDOC Awards are open until Monday 19 June.

A number of categories are available, including Artist of the Year, Person of the Year, Sports Person of the Year, and many others. You can find more information about the categories, selection criteria, and nomination process here.

Winners of the awards will be recognised during NAIDOC Week 2017, which takes place between the 2^nd and 9^th of July. More information about NAIDOC Week events can be found by emailing Katie at Health WA at 9174 1240 or by emailing katie.papertalk@health.wa.gov.au.

NAIDOC celebrations across WA

Posted: July 4th, 2016

Filed under: Gascoyne, NAIDOC, Perth, Pilbara, WA, Yamatji

To celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, towns across Western Australia are collaborating with local and national Aboriginal organisations to plan cultural events and activities for their communities.

Working with the Yinhawangka People, the town of Paraburdoo is planning a series of events beginning on 2 July. These events include family friendly gatherings and demonstrations of traditional practices like boomerang throwing and damper-making competitions.

In Tom Price, there are plans for demonstrations of traditional dancing, painting and performances, live music, an outdoor film festival, and a Food Showcase.

In Perth, an afternoon of free family entertainment is being offered at the James Street Amphitheatre. Featuring performances by Jake and the Cowboys, the event is being presented by acclaimed Aboriginal dancer and digeridoo player Olman Walley. Guests can learn about Australia’s native bush plants and bush tucker by trying a variety of samples at market stalls. Those who cannot make it can tune into 100.9 FM for a live broadcast on Noongar Radio.

For more information about the events in Paraburdoo and Tom Price, visit the Shire of Ashburton’s website here, and for information about how NAIDOC Week is being celebrated across WA visit the official NAIDOC week website here.

Pilbara Traditional Owners Contribute to World-Class Diversity Study

Posted: June 13th, 2016

Filed under: Biodiversity, DPAW, Pilbara, Pilbara Traditional Owners

A world-class biodiversity project directed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) has collected and documented samples from 1000 different sites across the Pilbara.

DPaW says the project would have been impossible without the contributions and support from Pilbara Traditional Owners.

The samples were collected between 2002 and 2006, and after a decade of research and cataloguing, DPaW says the results represent the most comprehensive survey of the area ever done.

The project results will be freely available and will inform future land use planning, help to evaluate the Pilbara’s natural parks and nature reserves, and to provide input into environmental impact assessments associated with resource development.

You can read the full story here, and view DPaW’s website here.

Fremantle Arts Centre hosts WA art spotlight

Posted: March 29th, 2016

Filed under: Fremantle Arts Centre, Goldfields, Great Southern, Kimberley, Mid West, Pilbara, Revealed, WA art, Western Desert

On Saturday April 9, Indigenous artists from across Western Australia will meet in Fremantle to highlight the diversity of Aboriginal art.

Revealed: WA Aboriginal Art Market is a special event hosted by the Fremantle Arts Centre, and will have textiles, ceramics, jewellery and more on display from Kimberley, Pilbara, Mid-West, Goldfields, Western Desert and Great Southern art centres.

The free event takes place between 10am and 4pm in the Centre’s Front Garden, and will feature carving demonstrations and weaving workshops.

The market is part of the WA State Government’s annual effort to showcase WA’s regional artistic communities.

More information can be found here.

Fresh opportunity for regional artists

Posted: March 8th, 2016

Filed under: Gascoyne, Goldfields-Esperance, Great Southern, Hachette, Kimberley, Mid West, Peel, Pilbara, Sophie Hamley, South West, WA Regional Arts Project Fund, Wheatbelt, writingWA

writingWA has introduced the Hachette Mentoring Program for Regional WA Writers. The program is open to any resident of Western Australia’s nine regions (Gascoyne, Goldfields-Esperance, Great Southern, Kimberley, Mid-West, Peel, Pilbara, South West and Wheatbelt), and participants are asked to submit a manuscript for the chance to win a mentorship with Hachette publisher Sophie Hamley.

Entries may be fiction, non-fiction or young adult fiction. One manuscript will be selected every year, and the closing date for this year’s selection is 23 March 2016. You can find more information and the application form here.

Also, applications for the first round of the 2016 Country Arts WA Regional Arts Project Fund close on Friday 11 March. Amounts of up to $20,000 are available for community groups and a total of $15,000 is being made available for applications from individuals.

More information is available here.

Red Dust in Her Veins: Women of the Pilbara now available in ebook

Posted: February 8th, 2016

Filed under: Melva Stone, Pilbara

The E-book version of Lisa Holland-McNair’s, Melva Stone’s and Erica Smith’s Red Dust in Her Veins: Women of the Pilbara is now available through Amazon, iTunes and Kobo.

The 2007 work details the stories of 12 women and their lives in the Pilbara, and feature 25 full colour pages of pictures, maps and historical information to “show the Pilbara at its remote and ruggedly best.”

The book, dedicated to women of the Pilbara past, present and future, is donating all proceeds to the Flying Doctor Service.

In the foreword, Ms Stone writes that her work offers a glimpse into the multitude of ways the land and Country shapes the lives of its inhabitants, and becomes core to their identity.

“[This book] provides a window into the lives of four indigenous women who were born and have lived most of their lives there, and eight non-Indigenous women travelled to the region for work or with their families,” writes Stone.

“All of these women offer an insight into how they have found ways to meet the challenges of coping with change, with isolation from family, friends and technology, with health scares, while managing their relationships and working in new jobs.

“Their stories are invaluable for anyone contemplating ‘going bush’ to discover who they are and what’s important to them.”

One of the women featured in Stone’s work is Patricia Fry, an Aboriginal woman hailing from the Gibson Desert in the Pilbara’s far east. She writes in her story that nothing can replace the fondness she has for home.

“When I think of the land, I think of the red, red ochre…my last long trip up there was right out to my mother’s country, on Lake Percival – we called it Winpa,” writes Ms Fry.

“I knew as soon as I felt that wind on my face that I was home, I knew it was my father’s, my uncle’s, my mother’s country – I couldn’t get there quick enough, and when I arrived I just sat down and cried.

“I never wanted to leave.”

Hard copies of the book can be found at Elizabeth’s Bookstore or at the above Amazon link.

Sounds of the Pilbara II : Songs in Language

Posted: October 6th, 2015

Filed under: Indigenous languages, Indigenous Music, Pilbara, WAM, Wangka Maya

At the Warajanga Cultural Evening in South Hedland last week, the Sounds of The Pilbara II: Songs in Language was previewed. This is the latest compilation produced by West Australian Music (WAM) as part of their Sounds of series.

The Sounds of the Pilbara II showcases five Indigenous languages from WA’s Pilbara region which include Nyiyaparli, Nyangumarta, Nyamal, Ngarluma and Kurrama.

The songs in the compilation CD are performed by Indigenous people from the Pilbara and it features a range of original songs and sung stories which include inspiring tales and fables passed on through generations. There are 26 tracks in the CD which were recorded in a temporary studio in South Hedland by 14 contributing vocalists.

WAM worked closely with Pilbara Indigenous language linguists from Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Centre to produce this CD. The aim of this production is to preserve the traditional Indigenous languages found throughout the Pilbara. The CD will also be used as a tool to raise the public’s recognition and appreciation of the Indigenous languages. WAM also partnered with the traditional owners from the Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation to produce the compilation.

You can listen to the Sounds of The Pilbara: Songs in Language here. Copies are also available from Wangka Maya in South Hedland or limited copies from WAM.

The 1946 Pilbara Strike featured in ABC Northwest News Article

Posted: September 8th, 2015

Filed under: 20 years of YMAC, ABC, Pilbara, Pilbara activists, Pilbara strike, YMAC

In a recent article by ABC Northwest WA, the 1946 Pilbara Strike was featured. Aboriginal pastoral workers in the Pilbara walked off their jobs against the oppressive work conditions they were facing.

In our Celebrating 20 Years of YMAC, the story of the 1946 strike was shared in the Aboriginal Leadership chapter. The 1946 strike was the first strike by the Aboriginal People and the longest in Australian History.

The reason behind the strike was in protest to the low pay, or in some instances rations instead of pay. The strike was planned by about 200 elders from 23 different groups and more than 800 workers left stations. Some were forced to return to work while others formed new occupations. Many of them formed strike camps and gathered bush tucker, skins and engaged in mining activities to provide food and money for the people there.

Two of the key leaders in the movement were Ernie Mitchell and Peter Coppin. During the course of the strike, they re-gained the lease of the Yandeyarra Station in 1967 and set up an Aboriginal-run community and a community and pastoral enterprise.

YMAC’s Co-Chair Doris Eaton and Deputy Regional Manager Nyaparu Rose are the daughters of Ernie Mitchell and Peter Coppin. This tangible connection provides YMAC with a strong connection to the history of social justice and leadership.