Painting the Path to Healing

NACC NRM’s Reconnect to Country Project has proudly launched Stage 3: Connection to Healing, delivering vibrant and meaningful art workshops with local primary schools.
Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Painting the Path to Healing

This term, Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officers Kyiesha Ronan and Taj Mamid, kicked off the first sessions of Stage 3 with Bluff Point Primary School and Rangeway Primary School, guiding students through an experience that blends cultural learning, environmental awareness, and creative expression.

Delivered in partnership with Chapman River Friends (CRF) and supported by the Yamatji Sea Rangers at Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation (YSRC), the sessions open with introductions to Kyiesha, Taj, and Virginie of CRF, who each talk about their roles in caring for Country. Students learn about custodianship, respect for the natural environment, and the shared responsibility we all hold in protecting land, waterways, and the ecosystems around us.

Stage 3 takes a fresh and sustainable approach. Instead of traditional canvases, students use recycled cardboard as their creative base. This simple shift not only reduces waste but also empowers students with ideas on how to reuse everyday materials at home or school to create meaningful art.

Rangeway Primary School

Bluff Point Primary School

With sustainability as a central theme, the workshop encourages students to think deeply about their connection to the environment and how their choices can help care for Country.

Throughout the workshop, students draw inspiration from what they learned in:

  • Stage 1: Connecting to Environment
  • Stage 2: Connection on Land to Sea

Through guided conversations and hands-on exploration, students reflect on their journey and translate learnings into powerful art pieces. The artworks celebrate the natural environment and express their personal sense of responsibility for caring for Country.

The creativity, insight, and pride expressed in these artworks highlight the strength and wisdom emerging in the next generation. It is truly inspiring to see students embrace the key theme of this project, ‘Look after Country, and Country will look after you’.

NACC NRM would like to express appreciation to all the amazing volunteers and partners who have played a pivotal role in getting this project to where it is.

Thank you to Virginie from Chapman River Friends for her ongoing dedication and support across all stages of the project, and to Alice from BirdLife Midwest for sharing her time and knowledge during Stages 1 and 2, helping students learn about local birds and caring for their habitats.

A big thank you to the Yamatji Sea Rangers from YSRC for offering their stories, cultural knowledge, and real-life experience as Rangers, which inspired students to look after Country.

Thank you also to the team at Headspace, who assisted at various stages and supported students on their on-Country learning journey.

Reconnect to Country has become a powerful, community-driven effort to care for Country and pay respects to both Traditional Owners and the Ancestors that walked these lands before us. In doing so, this project is enriching learning and strengthening the bond between our young people and the Country they call home.

Kyiesha Ronan – Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officer

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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.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

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.