Central Desert Regional Council

Clients from Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Laramba Aged Care are making jewellery using materials they have collected themselves. In Arrernte, Alyawarr and Anmatjere the Bat’s Wing Coral tree (Erythrina vespertilio) is known as atywerety. The seeds are collected and after burning or drilling holes in them, are made into jewellery. Daisy Pultara, a client of Laramba Aged Care, collected these seeds (or beans as they are often called) on a recent bush trip to the river.

Tangentyere Council is offering support for school-aged children and their families to return to their community in time for the start of term 3 at school. The support is for “One Way!” - Mparntwe (Alice Springs) to community. Contact Tangentyere Council to arrange transport support for young people ready to start school by calling 8951 4222 and selecting Option 2.

The 65th Alice Springs Show was on 5 and 6 July, and Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) was there letting patrons know about the wonderful opportunities that CDRC has on offer. Job opportunities were the main attraction, but the stall also had tea, coffee and Tim Tams available, as well as some useful merchandise and a guess the jellybean contest. There were two jars of jellybeans up for grabs, and the competition was very fierce with over 200 entries. The winners were Ava Harmen with her guess of 321 (closest to actual number, 318) and Jevon Ranatunge, with a perfect guess…

A music workshop and concert held on 24 April in Engawala was a joint initiative between Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Youth Sport and Recreation Program, Sharp Film Productions and Alcoota School. Over 150 people from communities throughout the Central Desert, Barkly and Tanami Regions attended.Bunna Lawrie and his son Jason Lee Scott - key members of Coloured Stone - were instrumental in the workshop and concert as was Kutcha Edwards. Black Boy was sung loud and proud backed up by members of MB Reggae and Newboys.Coloured Stone were joined by Mulga Bore Hard Rock, Kutcha Edwards, New Boys, and…

On Friday 26 April, the Yuendumu community celebrated the launch of Ngurrju Mani-njaku Ngurra – Making Yuendumu Beautiful, a mural project produced by Red Hot Arts on behalf of GMAAAC. The murals were celebrated with a barbecue, face painting, skateboarding workshops with Spinifex Skateboards, Southern Ngaliya dancers, and local bands.Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) services were there supporting the celebration.

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) held their Community Safety Patrol training forum on 12 and 13 June in Alice Springs, with officers across the CDRC region attending. Officers from Atitjere, Engawala, Laramba, Ti Tree communities, Yuelamu, and Nyirripi attended the two day training conference held at Double Tree.The teams participated in Responding to Behaviours of Concern delivered by Eagle Training, Suicide Awareness (“what I say, what I do”) delivered by Standby / Youturn, and De-escalation Training delivered by Resolution Education.“It was wonderful for our team to be able to come together in one place, network, share stories, ideas and advice…

Laramba Aged Care clients took a trip to the river on Wednesday 24 April. They had lunch in the dry riverbed telling stories about what it used to be like. There was also bean collecting of the Batswing Bean tree for making necklaces.“The day was enjoyed by all and will be an ongoing activity,” said Wayne Porter, Aged Care Coordinator Laramba.

The Alice Springs Convention Centre played host to the 2024 Aboriginal Leadership and Governance Forum / NT Treaty Symposia on 4-5 April, and Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) was there to connect with delegates. The forum provided a valuable opportunity for delegates to learn about various leadership approaches, governance practices, and the unique challenges and prospects facing Aboriginal communities. This year, the forum incorporated the NT Treaty Symposium, facilitating open discussions on treaty advancements and related issues within the Northern Territory.A new addition to the forum this year was the inclusion of exhibitor stalls, allowing organisations to showcase their initiatives…

The Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) has introduced an innovative approach to empower Central Desert communities with sustainable employment opportunities. Daniel Shane, Regional Manager, Youth & Community Services at CRDC sees the program as a great way to help with engagement and employment.  ‘We are trying to be locally led and locally managed. In the hopes that communities are going to be more engaged, are going to provide what community wants,’ he said. As a local government entity covering an expansive 282,000sq km and serving 12 communities to the north of Alice Springs, CRDC is committed to fostering growth and…

On 9 April, Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) held a well-attended Local Authority (LA) meeting in Ti Tree, with stakeholders, LA members and community coming together to discuss the emerging issues in the Anmatjere region. The LA members and CDRC staff were joined by Kenneth Lechleitner and Jacob Leonard (Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet), Jimmy Cocking and Raymond Walters (Desert Knowledge Australia), Patrick Rivers (National Indigenous Australians Agency), Nicole Joy (Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security), and Anna Egerton (Northern Territory Electoral Commission).The main issues discussed were Local Authority projects, the Ti Tree commercial laundry, the Junior Ranger…