Mala Elders return for Itinerants

Cyril Kalippa Rioli, Galarrwuy Yunupingu and members of the Mala Elders meet with NT Administrator, the Hon. Ted Egan

Aboriginal leaders from east Arnhem Land, the Tiwi Islands, the Katherine region and Darwin have made a passionate plea for their people to return home as part of the ongoing Community Harmony project.

The Elders’ participation is a very important component of the strategy but no-one should think that their presence offers a quick-fix solution to the itinerants problem. There are fundamental issues in remote Top End communities that need to be tackled in order to stop the drift of people into Darwin and other major Top End centres.

NLC Chairman Galarrwuy Yunupingu

Boredom has been cited as one of those reasons behind the influx of people to town centres.

That coupled with medical appointments and other causes are common factors.

It is during these visits that they are often stranded for weeks, sometimes months at a time. Left without a regular income, many take to living in the camps.

It’s the second time a group of elders has visited Darwin. Bunug Galaminda from Warruwi (Goulburn Island), who was a member of the initial group, says that most camps visited consisted of family groups, and were not opposed to returning home.

We received a good response.
They started to notice us, that we were there to help them.

Mr Galaminda

Since that initial visit and with the assistance of Darwin’s traditional owners the Larrakia people, some 250 people have been returned to their families.

Dean Yibarbuk from Maningrida believes that it is the strongest solution towards fixing the problem.

People need to come home. Go back to family and live a proper life.
We want to get them out of that system. Take them home and get them back to family.

Mr Yibarbuk

The Harmony Project – (formerly the Itinerants Project) – initially began as a pilot project with a capital injection of $500,000.

That figure was increased to $5.25 million by the NT Government in the May Budget.

Expansion of the project into other major NT centres has taken place.

Funding of $500,000 has been made available to each of the regional centres of Katherine, Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs to kick-start their projects.

In Katherine the Jawoyn Association has taken a lead role in assisting to get the program started.

The visits are part of a long term strategy to return people home, with the elders planning several more trips back to Darwin to continue encouraging their people to abandon the itinerant lifestyle.