Wajarri Yamatji Liaision Officer wanted in Geraldton

Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Ltd (SMCL) are currently seeking a Geraldton-based Wajarri Yamatji Liaison Officer.

For details of the position and application requirements, please visit the SMCL employment page.

Nominations for 2013 Mid West NAIDOC Awards closing soon

 

Do you know someone who deserves a NAIDOC award?

Time to get those submissions in, as nominations for the 2013 Mid West NAIDOC Awards close 5pm tomorrow, Friday 21 June.

The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements made by Indigenous Australians to improve the lives of Indigenous people, or promote Indigenous issues in the wider community.

If you know someone in your community who deserves to be recognised for their contribution, complete a nomination form in one of the following categories:

• Scholar of the Year
• Male Community Service of the Year
• Female Community Service of the Year
• Apprenticeship Award
• Musician of the Year
• Artist of the Year
• Hall of Fame
• Male Elder of the Year
• Female Elder of the Year
• Reconciliation Award
• Community Service Volunteer
• Youth of the Year
• Non-Indigenous Male Person of the Year
• Non-Indigenous Female Person of the Year
• Sportsperson of the Year

Nominations can be obtained from Laine-Rose Forsyth at the Geraldton Regional Community Education Centre by emailing laine@edcentre.wa.edu.au

For more information about NAIDOC Week 2013, visit the NAIDOC website.

2013 Good Heart Art Exhibition set to open in Perth

click to enlarge

The 2013 Good Heart Art Exhibition will soon open in Perth after a spectacular preview of the exhibition finishes up in Geraldton today.

Almost 200 pieces from over 50 new and established mid-west artists will be showcased in Perth from 10-14 June, and all artwork will be for sale with proceeds going to the artists.

This will be the Good Heart Art's sixth exhibition, sponsored by Oakajee Port and Rail.

The exhibition will run from Monday 10 June - Friday 14 June 2013,  10am to 4pm daily, in the foyer of the QV1 Building, 250 St Georges Terrace, Perth.

For more information, contact Nan Rickards on 0417 184 290 or visit the the Good Heart website.

Indigenous Storybook, Midwest and Pilbara edition

The Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA is launching the third edition of their Indigenous Storybook at a celebration in Geraldton next week. The book showcases the achievements of Indigenous people who have contributed to health, social, economic and environmental outcomes for their communities.

The storybook includes 13 stories from the Mid-west and Pilbara regions, told by the people involved. They cover projects such as health and environmental issues, community gardens and employment, leadership and personal journeys.

The stories highlight issues that affect Indigenous communities across the Mid-West and Pilbara regions such tobacco awareness, substance abuse, crime prevention, sustaining culture and language and youth engagement.

For more information, and to download the previous editions, visit PHAIWA's website or email phaiwa@curtin.edu.au.

YMAC Christmas Shutdown and Heritage Surveys

For many Aboriginal Communities in the Midwest and Pilbara, December to January is a special time of year to observe cultural obligations and practices.

Out of respect for these traditions, YMAC will not be conducting any heritage surveys between Monday 17 December 2012 and Friday 1 February 2013.

Any heritage survey requests received after 17 December will be scheduled to commence after 1 February.

Thank you for your understanding.

All YMAC offices in Perth, Geraldton, Karratha, South Hedland and Tom Price will be closed during the festive season from Thursday 20th December 2012, re-opening on Wednesday 2 January 2013.

YMAC’s Board of Directors, Pilbara and Yamatji Regional Committees, Management and Staff would like to wish you a happy and safe festive season.

Congratulations to all players in this year’s Wadjemup Cup!

On Saturday 10th November, students from Clontarf Football Academies from across the State competed in a round robin AFL football competition held on the Sports Oval Rottnest Island. The students were selected to participate in the Wadjemup Cup based on their school attendance, commitment to their studies and upholding the values and behaviours of their respective academies.

The carnival saw involving approximately 120 students aged 12 to 15 years, competing as 5 teams from around the state:

• Superstars (Northam, Yule Brook and Coodanup),
• Titans (Carnarvon & Midwest),
• Allies (Katanning, South West & Great Southern),
• Stingrays (Roebourne, Karratha & South East)
• Swans (Clontarf, Goldfiekds and Gilmore)  

For more information on this and Clontarf's many other programs, visit www.clontarf.org.au

 

Djuba Dreaming: Badimia story on ABC

The stories of three Badimia people are now up on the website for ABC local (Mid West and Wheatbelt). Janice Slater has contributed a very personal written story of memories of childhood on Badimia country. This is accompanied by a video featuring Beverley Slater and Donald Clinch reflecting on their ties to country, and showing beautiful footage of the land they love.

Click here to view both pieces

Aboriginal artists wanted for 2012 Good HeART exhibition

Following on from four years of showcasing traditional and contemporary works by mid-west Aboriginal artists to regional and metropolitan audiences, Good HeART is back again for 2012.

An initiative of Oakajee Port and Rail, the exhibition attracts artists from communities all over the region, including Wiluna, Mullewa, Northampton, Meekatharra, Mt Magnet, Cue, Yalgoo and Morawa.

A preview of the show will be held in Geraldton from 21 May to 2 June, and the main exhibition will be staged in Perth's CBD from 18-22 June. All proceeds from sales go directly to the artists.

Works, including ceramics, woodwork, canvas, artefacts and textiles, must be submitted for consideration by 4 May 2012.

For more information email nan.rickards@bigpond.com

3-10 July is NAIDOC Week

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.

Midwest Traditional Owners look forward to agreement outcomes

The Yugunga-Nya native title group have announced a claim wide land access agreement over their traditional country with mining company, Sandfire Resources.

Yugunga-Nya country covers approximately 30,335 square kilometres of land in the Midwest region of Western Australia, and includes the mining towns of Meekatharra and Cue.

The land access agreement covers Sandfire Resources DeGrussa copper-gold project, situated 150km north of Meekatharra. The agreement provides a range of financial and non-financial benefits to the Yugunga-Nya community. These include employment and contracting opportunities, as well as cultural awareness training for Sandfire employees. The agreement also includes a position for a Yugunga-Nya member to be employed as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer, further developing the good working relationship established between the community and Sandfire.

Ron Shay is a well respected Yugunga-Nya community member and is looking forward to the new opportunities the land access agreement will bring to his people.

“We already have four Yugunga-Nya people working with Sandfire, but through this agreement we hope to see many more benefits flow through to our community, including future employment and training,” he said.

Peter Jeffries, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC), said, “I would like to congratulate the Yugunga-Nya people on the successful completion of their negotiations with Sandfire Resources and look forward to the opportunities that this agreement will bring to the community.

It’s a great start to the year for Yugunga-Nya and we look forward to many more positive stories for Traditional Owners of the Midwest region in 2011.”

YMAC Hosts Regional Indigenous Discussions

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.