Arnhem Land ranger information exchange trip, 12th - 22nd of October, 2002

A group of Yiriman staff and participants headed across to the Northern Territory to gain an insight into the Ranger programmes being run by the traditional owners of the area. It seemed appropriate to learn from the experiences of others before embarking on our own project. The places planned to visit were Kakadu National Park, Oenpelli and Manangrida. All have vast experience in running Indigenous ranger projects.

The trip began in Kakadu with a welcoming by a traditional owner followed by a discussion about the park. Information was transferred between the groups, with a wish list being developed by the Yiriman staff, mainly the 18 million dollars to run the park. An informative and realistic discussion on training was a great help in steering us in the right direction. It is an important factor in the development of the project, and the Kakadu staff were only to happy to provide us with training support in the future.

A tour of Ubirr gave the group a look at the art sites and how they were managed. Russell, the Indigenous guide gave a talk on the art and history of the surrounding area, and Johnny looked forward to the day his young people were doing the same thing. Many photos were taken with the aim to replicate many of the management strategies we witnessed there. A tour of Nourlangie Rock, again with Russell, gave further understanding of the area and reinforced the benefit of young people having active ways to learn and pass on cultural knowledge.

Unfortunately sorry business kept us out of Arnhem Land and sent us home a little early. Still a great deal was learnt through the Kakadu experience and many different ideas flowed on the long drive home. The plan to set up our own land management team is well underway, thus increasing the opportunities for young men and women.