Local Students’ Cultural Experience at Ellendale Pool

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Our Aboriginal Custodianship Program Coordinator Priscilla Papertalk and Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officer Cynthia Indich with support from Lynsey Allen our Biodiversity Officer had the opportunity on the 11th August to go to Ellendale Pool and support a Geraldton Grammar School outing.

The group of year 8 students were presented the opportunity to learn about the significance of the Ellendale Pool, how it is a place of meetings for our Ancestors of the tribes Wajarri, Amangu, and Naaguja Peoples for sharing their stories.

This was a great opportunity to support the children to learn safety about rivers and how we respect Bimarra the water serpent who protects us, and the area surrounding Geraldton. Splitting into two groups, we shared the importance to show respect by throwing sand in the water. The children also learnt about when is it a good time to swim at Ellendale and the risk of Meningitis.

Geraldton Grammar School teachers discussed geography and history, teaching the correct terminology when looking at Ellendale Pool. We discussed how much it has changed over time with weathering and how the ledges are nearly disappearing.

The kids listened as I told them to think of Geraldton as being flat and nothing here and this Pool is from when the Geraldton region was made.

It’s always good to sit on the ground and listen, take everything out of your head and listen. We encouraged the children to be still, observe, and count how many birds they could hear.

Lynsey Allen took the opportunity to discuss revegetation and tree growth. She used an example of trees that she planted with an environmental team in 2016, giving context for the students by describing the size of the seedlings that were originally planted, and pointed out how big the trees had grown over this time frame. This was a good visual for the kids and demonstrated how any works that they do now will have a huge impact on the future of the area.

We appreciate the invitation from Geraldton Grammar School Staff and Students. This was a good day shared by NACC NRM and our team to support understanding of our Culture and Environment, we hope this knowledge can be there for the future generations to come.

Priscilla Papertalk – Aboriginal Custodianship Program Coordinator

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

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While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.